Local Business Crafts The Future Museum’s Exterior

MILWAUKEE – As construction progresses at the Milwaukee Public Museum’s (MPM) Future Museum at the corner of Sixth and McKinley Avenue in downtown Milwaukee, the exterior of the Museum is coming to life in Germantown. Stonecast Products, Inc. is developing 670 precast panels for the Future Museum’s exterior, which will be installed later this year.

“The Future Museum’s architectural design is meant to tell a story about Wisconsin before visitors even step inside,” said MPM Chief Planning Officer Katie Sanders. “Our vision for the Museum exterior is inspired by Mill Bluff State Park’s unique geological formation. To mimic that shape and texture and pay homage to our Wisconsin landscape, we have partnered with the concrete experts in our own backyard. Stonecast is known for their meticulous craftsmanship and expertise. We are thrilled to have their support as we integrate the state’s natural history into the Future Museum’s architecture.”

The panels Stonecast is creating for the Future Museum vary in size, weight and form—some weighing more than 30,000 pounds and standing at 35 feet. This variation and emphasis on organic shapes will further underscore the Museum’s ties to nature.

“We were incredibly excited when we first saw the renderings of the Future Museum and knew we wanted to be part of bringing this vision to life. After an extensive research and development phase, we presented a plan that maintained the integrity of the original design while ensuring a seamless production process,” said Stonecast Products Business Development Manager Mike Wilhelm. “Working on this project is meaningful to us because many of our team members have fond memories of visiting the Museum as kids, and now we have the chance to contribute to a landmark that future generations will enjoy.”

Stonecast used a building information modeling system to develop the exterior panels, ensuring seamless integration within the larger structural system once the panels arrive onsite in Milwaukee. The company’s advanced 3D modeling technology allows for precise placement of embedded elements, such as electrical wiring and plumbing, reducing potential errors during installation. Slinger-based engineering company Element30 is serving as the precast engineers on this project and provided support in the development of the model.

“Mortenson, and the rest of the project team, are confident that Stonecast is the perfect partner to bring the Future Museum’s exterior to life. Their deep expertise in precast concrete, combined with a commitment to craftsmanship, has been essential in translating this intricate and unique design into reality,” said Mortenson Vice President & General Manager Kurt Theune. “Coordinating with their team, alongside our engineering and design partners, has been a seamless process thanks to cutting-edge modeling and meticulous planning. We are excited to see these panels installed and for visitors to experience how Wisconsin’s natural beauty is woven into the Museum’s very enclosure.”

A total of 80 to 85 Stonecast employees have had a hand in designing and pouring panels for the Future Museum. Stonecast is one of more than 70 Wisconsin-based companies helping power MPM’s vision for the Future Museum—a true local undertaking.

Installation of the precast panels at the Future Museum site will begin this summer, with exterior construction expected to be finished by the end of 2025. The Future Museum remains on track to open in early 2027.

More information about the Future Museum project, including architectural renderings, gallery information and a project timeline, can be found at mpm.edu/future.

About the Milwaukee Public Museum
The Milwaukee Public Museum is Wisconsin’s natural history museum, welcoming visitors from all 72 Wisconsin counties, all 50 states, and from many countries around the globe. Located in downtown Milwaukee, the Museum was chartered in 1882, opened to the public in 1884, and currently houses more than 4 million objects in its collections. MPM has three floors of exhibits that encompass life-size dioramas, walk-through villages, world cultures, dinosaurs, a rainforest, and a live butterfly garden, as well as the Daniel M. Soref Dome Theater & Planetarium. MPM is operated by Milwaukee Public Museum, Inc., a private, non-profit company, housed in a county-owned facility with collections that are held in trust and supported by Milwaukee County for the benefit of the public.

About the Future Museum
The Milwaukee Public Museum, Wisconsin’s natural history museum, will be relocating from its current location on Wells Street in downtown Milwaukee to a newly constructed building due to open in early 2027.

To be located on a 2.4-acre site at the corner of Sixth and McKinley Streets in the Haymarket neighborhood adjacent to the city’s Deer District, the Future Museum will be the largest cultural project in Wisconsin history. Heavily influenced by the ecological histories of Milwaukee and Wisconsin, the design of the new Museum will be reminiscent of the geological formations in Mill Bluff State Park, emblematic of the region’s diversity of landscapes formed by the movements of water through time. The building will be approximately 200,000 square feet, including five stories, with an additional 50,000-square-foot collections storage building.

To learn more about the Future Museum, visit mpm.edu/future.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.