River House Apartments, a sprawling 465-unit residential complex nestled in Milwaukee, WI’s vibrant Lower East Side, offers a backdrop of the Milwaukee River and expansive courtyards. Wells previously completed buildings one and two for phase one in 2017, and phase two is a significant expansion of the complex, adding two additional buildings. The project is an example of urban renewal, reclaiming the site of the former Gallun Tannery building that once occupied this portion of the city.

Originally designed with a cast-in-place (CIP) concrete podium, phase one transitions to prefabricated solutions to enhance cost efficiency and accelerate the construction schedule. Each two-story podium, seamlessly blending into the landscape, was erected in less than a month, helping maintain overall project momentum. Wells involvement in phase two also incorporated full-height prefabricated elevator shafts. The podium, which is the basement and lower basement, accommodates underground parking for River House residents, with the upper podium level exposed to the river. Wells strategic use of double tees allowed for column-free parking, atypical of an underground parking garage. Additionally, the walls of the garages serve as retaining walls in addition to other structural attributes.