The media joined Northwestern Mutual employees this past weekend in touring the soon-to-be-opened new Milwaukee headquarters of the American financial services company, a skyline-defining development years in the making. The 32-storey office building is the second-tallest skyscraper in the state of Wisconsin, eclipsed only by the nearby U.S. Bank Center.

Northwestern Mutual Tower, image by Flickr user wrokic via Creative Commons

Despite coming up short in the height department, the 1.1-million-square-foot complex boasts the state's largest volume of space under one roof. Developed by Hines and designed by Pickard Chilton, the Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons cost approximately $450 million to build, and is physically joined to the company's 1914-built neoclassical building via a naturally lit atrium.

Northwestern Mutual Tower, image by Flickr user wrokic via Creative Commons

A gesture to the community, the three-storey Commons component of the complex will be open to the public. Construction fences that had restricted access to the building's three-acre green space were also taken down recently, unveiling a new public realm accented by multiple seating areas, tables, walkways, and a water feature. 

Northwestern Mutual Tower, image by Flickr user jim simonson via Creative Commons

The prow-like form of the building is meant to embrace these gardens while maximizing internal views for tenants. Any employees who missed out on exploring the space this weekend will have to wait until the building officially opens on August 21.

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