Harley-Davidson Taps Design Firm for Park Project

Harley-Davidson (Milwaukee) has enlisted Heatherwick Studio, a London-based design firm, to create a public park at the headquarters of the motorcycle maker.

Heatherwick Studio will lead the creative delivery of the project at Harley-Davidson’s Juneau Avenue campus, which will see a concrete site turned into a “civic and soulful green gathering space that can be used by everyone, including employees and the local community,” according to a media release.

At the heart of the park is “The Hub,” a sunken, multi-use events space with tiered seating. The release describes the space as follows:

Its circular layout is defined by a combination of motorcycle driveways and turning circles, parking bays, sidewalks, plants and seats, and 360-degree viewpoints. The Hub will be built with 10 types of locally sourced brick, natural wany-edge timber and weathered steel with a beautifully warm patina.

In one direction, the Hub will provide views of the handsome brick buildings of the original home of Harley-Davidson. In the other, visitors will see a park sown with 120 native plant species, including 20 species of trees and 100 species of perennials, some of which are sacred to the Forest County Potawatomi. There are also plans for a market street, contemplative garden and nature playground.

Thomas Heatherwick, founder of Heatherwick Studio, will oversee the project. Two Milwaukee-based firms, HGA and Greenfire Management Services, will also play central roles, with the former serving as architect of record and the latter serving as a supplier.

“Our goal is to turn this historic factory land into a new public park for the people of Milwaukee,” said Heatherwick in the release. “We want to make an exciting community space where people can come together with friends and family and experience the wildness of nature alongside spaces for food, performance and play. The ambition is to highlight and celebrate renewed life in the Near West Side of this very special city.”

The park project is set to break ground this spring and open by the summer of 2024.

📸 Courtesy of Heatherwick Studio/Harley-Davidson: