In the far reaches of a peninsula in Wisconsin, Johnsen Schmaling has designed a textured wood structure with a green roof and expansive views of nature.
Completion Date: 2009 Owner: Marcus Hotels & Resorts Program: A 960-square-foot basement lounge and dining room serving the janitors, cooks, and maids of Milwaukee's Pfister Hotel. Design concept and solution: Carving out a new canteen from a provisional break room and a smattering of residual spaces, the architects wanted to create a communal gathering place that offers a respite from the formality of the Romanesque Revival hotel upstairs. The perimeter of the canteen weaves around foundation columns and mechanical areas to unify all usable space into one room. A 21-foot harvest table anchors the canteen and encourages communal dining. In
Similarly, Johnsen Schmaling Architects’ Downtown Bar, a beacon along Milwaukee’s celebrated Riverwalk, draws you in—its deep orange glow radiating over this emerging stretch of the waterway is at once alluring and menacing.