Watertower View Milwaukee, Wisconsin Completion Date:

Water Tower View is the first Wisconsin apartment building designed for deaf and hard-of-hearing seniors, a 64,960 sq. ft. three-story, 43-unit building with 44 underground parking stalls.

An open plan, lowered walls and glass partitions were used throughout the facility to minimize sight barriers.  State-of-the-art access is achieved with a key-card system for residents. A video intercom system along with a teletypewriter keyboard for visitors is connected to a corresponding strobe light assembly for visual communication in all units and the manager’s office. The elevator car was constructed with an interior and exterior visual warning communication system.  Barrier-free units and community spaces with the appropriate technology were also included.

Additional fire emergency strobes were added to all rooms in all units.  Floor joists were installed 16 inches on-center versus the typical 24 inches on-center to assist in the reduction of vibration due to the fact that the deaf population is extra sensitive to vibrations.  Additional soundproofing in all the common walls was included again to minimize vibrations as well as to address the low-hearing residents who may turn their audio equipment up to higher than normal levels. An electronic “loop” system was added to the community area to help facilitate those with hearing devices along with a real time caption protection system.

This project required unique architectural and construction solutions to meet the unique needs of a population who is frequently underserved.