Milwaukee City Wire

As the COVID-19 pandemic took root almost two years ago, companies in Milwaukee and around the country were forced to conduct their operations virtually, essentially requiring their employees to work from their bedrooms or kitchens.

Downtown Milwaukee laid a ghost town while hundreds of office workers were relegated to their residences, but that didn’t stop local architecture firm RINKA from envisioning, planning and executing exciting changes for the emerging skyline of Wisconsin’s largest city.

Milwaukee NBC affiliate WTMJ reported that three RINKA projects – River 1, The Moderne and Deer District – have recently been completed while construction on the firm’s signature skyscraper is underway.

When he surveyed River 1, RINKA partner Steve Morales couldn’t help but humbly marvel at what he helped design.

“It's very humbling,” Morales, a Milwaukee native, told WTMJ. “You have these visions and ideas and we work as a team to put them together, and walking through them it really kind of reminds you of what kind of an impact you have.”

RINKA’s next ambitious project is to rise above on the east end of Clybourn Street.

WTMJ reported that foundation footings for the future 60-story Couture are being driven, and the search is on for a developer for the site.

The station added that RINKA could have the tower operate as a mixed-use structure.

“Thinking about architecture as a way of explaining to others outside of Milwaukee, that Milwaukee is not just this cream city rustbelt city,” RINKA namesake partner Matt Rinka told WTMJ. “We're a community that's forward-thinking. We have amazing, high-tech companies here. We have an amazing workforce that is very intelligent, very educated and we wanted to design a building on that site that represented that.”

Next year is the projected completion date for the Couture.