Greenfire, along with Marriott Construction and Riv/Crete Ready Mix, were honored with a Wisconsin Ready Mixed Concrete Association (WRMCA) 2024 Concrete Design Award for their outstanding work on the Harley-Davidson Motor Company Foundation’s Davidson Park. This award demonstrated the commitment by the project team’s ability to overcome design complexities, weather challenges, and supply shortages to deliver a seamless and visually stunning concrete public space.
Davidson Park, a three-year transformation of an unused parking lot into an immersive public park, was a collaborative effort between Harley-Davidson, the Harley-Davidson Foundation, the Forest County Potawatomi Community, Near West Side Partners, and the surrounding neighborhood. Designed by Heatherwick Studio, with HGA serving as the local architect and engineer, Greenfire managed the construction of the project to bring the vision to life.
The park features a sunken, circular design with a central amphitheater called “The Hub,” which houses the 600-pound steel Foundation Stone—designed by a student from Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD). Spiraling upward from the center of The Hub are drivable pathways featuring unique concrete and mosaic brickwork.
One of the project’s early design concepts called for an expensive black granite stone, Wisconsin Pride, to be exposed through a specialized concrete treatment. To reduce costs, Marriott Construction and Riv/Crete Ready Mix collaborated on a more cost-effective local aggregate alternative, which was tested through multiple mock-ups. The final selection not only met the design team’s vision but also resulted in savings of over $600,000.
Throughout the year-long construction, maintaining a consistent concrete mix was a major challenge, given cement shortages and extreme weather fluctuations. The team poured over 3,000 yards of exposed concrete, ensuring uniformity by carefully managing aggregate, admixtures, and cement supply. Greenfire and its partners remained in constant communication, adjusting schedules and coordinating closely with suppliers to mitigate delays and maintain quality.
This award-winning project is a testament to collaborative problem-solving, innovative thinking, and Greenfire’s commitment to excellence, delivering a space that will serve Milwaukee’s Near West Side for generations to come.
Learn more about Davidson Park here.
