The Milwaukee Bucks announced today that Gensler and Milwaukee-based Rinka Chung will comprise the design team for the entertainment block adjacent to the new arena in Downtown Milwaukee.
The entertainment block, which will span North Fourth Street from West Highland Avenue to West Juneau Avenue, is a central element of the master design plan for the new arena and surrounding development, and will feature an active space designed for year-round community use featuring a mixture of dining, entertainment and retail activations. The block will serve as an important connection between the new arena and existing commercial activity along Old World Third Street.
"We couldn’t be more pleased to welcome these two cutting-edge firms to our team as we continue transform this portion of Downtown Milwaukee and create a community gathering space that will attract year-round activity to the city," Bucks President Peter Feigin said. "We envision this space being a showcase for the best entertainment outlets that Milwaukee and Wisconsin have to offer and one that empowers local businesses to partner with us in revitalizing this portion of the city. We look forward to working with Gensler, Rinka Chung and local officials to bring our ownership’s vision for this space to life."
Gensler is a global architecture, design and planning firm with 46 locations and more than 5,000 professionals networked across Asia, Europe, Australia, the Middle East and the Americas. Founded in 1965, the firm serves more than 3,500 active clients in virtually every industry. Gensler designers strive to make the places people live, work and play more inspiring, more resilient and more impactful.
"This is a great project to revitalize Downtown Milwaukee, anchoring the Bucks to the city and transforming the way residents interact with the area," said Lamar Johnson, regional managing principal with Gensler. "We’re thrilled this project affords us the opportunity to work with ICON Venue Group again, and we look forward to the excitement and changes to come from this landmark development."
Rinka Chung Architecture is a Milwaukee-based architecture and interior design firm celebrating its 10-year anniversary in 2016. The firm was established by Principal Architect Matt Rinka in 2006 and has steadily grown to its current size of 30 design professionals, including a 2015 merger with Principal Jeff Tredo and his design team. The firm has been named Architect of the Year by The Daily Reporter and has received over 30 industry design excellence awards.
"The Rinka Chung and Gensler team is proud to be selected for the Milwaukee Bucks Live Block project," said Matt Rinka, Principal Architect for Rinka Chung. "Our partnership harnesses international expertise with a regionally-rooted, award-winning design firm. We wish to thank the leadership of the Bucks, ICON and the City for placing their trust in our experienced and talented team. In terms of defining the human experience of the arena district and the downtown urban environment as a whole, this is a monumentally key project for our region. Our team understands this, and we are well prepared to deliver an inspiring destination that our entire community can take pride in."
Consistent with the arena construction process, the Bucks have committed to meeting city job requirements as part of the entertainment block development.
The new Bucks arena was designed by Populous, Eppstein Uhen and HNTB. The team submitted detailed design plans to the city in March and is expected to break ground on the project this summer. To see renderings or learn more about the project, visit www.bucks.com/arena.
