Lawrence University, in partnership with the Trout Museum of Art, came together to construct a mixed-use building along the western edge of campus in downtown Appleton. Designed by Frederick Fisher and Partners (FF&P), with Boldt Technical Services as the architect of record and RISE Modular as the manufacturing partner, the project seamlessly integrates museum space, collaborative classrooms, faculty offices and student housing into one iconic structure.

The design features two rectangular structures stacked atop each other to represent a bridge between downtown Appleton and the campus. The new facility enhances Trout Museum’s offerings with classrooms, a kiln, specialty art-making rooms, a museum store, lecture and meeting spaces, an artist-in-residence studio and additional creative spaces, fostering creativity, collaboration and connection between students, faculty and the broader community. The museum exterior features sleek metal panels, innovative materials, an engaging indoor-outdoor classroom and a sculpture terrace overlooking the campus.

The 105,918-square-foot building includes 30,000 square feet of museum space on the ground floor, 30,000 SF of flexible classrooms and faculty offices on the second floor, and 40 units of market-rate student housing on the upper two floors, each with common space amenities. Tight campus site constraints necessitated the use of innovative construction methods. Boldt used large, prefabricated steel-stud wall panels for the museum and classroom levels, while RISE provided full volumetric wood-framed modular housing above. Modules and panels were staged off-site and lifted into place in a “Kit of Parts” fashion, minimizing on-campus disruptions, reducing traffic, noise and labor demands, and condensing the project schedule.

RISE manufactured, transported and helped coordinate the installation of the modular housing units, demonstrating how volumetric modular construction enables complex mixed-use designs on tight, active sites. The modular approach enabled design flexibility, high-quality finishes and minimized impacts on ongoing campus operations and the surrounding downtown community.

The building incorporates sustainable technologies and materials, underscoring the project’s commitment to environmental responsibility while creating a cultural and educational hub that connects students, faculty, residents and visitors.