Northwestern Mutual today revealed the design team for its new Downtown high-rise office.

Kendall/Heaton Associates, Inc., of Texas, will be the architect of record while Connecticut architects Pickard Chilton will design the exterior of the building. Valerio Dewalt Train Associates, a national firm, will be the interior architect for the high-rise. Hines, a real estate development firm, will continue as the development manager for the project.

"Our intent is to build a beautiful complement to the Milwaukee skyline," said Tim Gerend a vice president at Northwestern Mutual and chair of the building project's steering committee.

"But this is first of all a workplace that has to meet the practical needs of our business. It was particularly important for us to find a design architect such as Pickard Chilton that understands the goal of balancing iconic with practical."

Pickard Chilton's portfolio consists of many skyscrapers with glassy exteriors. There is no design yet for the Northwestern Mutual project.

Northwestern Mutual expects to complete the project is 2017.