John Michael Kohler Arts Center

Sheboygan, WI
This three-level building is situated on a 38-acre site and includes long-term storage, gallery space, photo studio, classrooms, outdoor sculpture gardens, and administrative offices.

To echo the artwork inside, the design team planned to imbue the exterior with a strong connection to nature. Eighty-six custom board-formed architectural precast wall panels, with wood that was selected for the purpose of emulating native forests and featuring exposed native river rock, were installed in a little over a month, expediting the process of enclosing the building. Additionally, precast concrete was selected for its thermal mass to help the building maintain a constant temperature and humidity.

This project was a featured project on the PCI website.
Learn more >>

PRECAST ELEMENTS

86 Wall Panels (19,979 square feet)

The largest panel was 43-feet x 11-feet and weighed 45,000 lbs. Most panels were 20- to 30-feet tall and 10- to 12-feet wide.

PARTNERS

GC: Mortenson
Architect: tres birds
EOR: KL&A Engineers & Builders