In Milwaukee’s historic Third Ward, a new tower graces the skyline. Positioned between the Milwaukee River and Lake Michigan, this vibrant district is teeming with innovative restaurants, diverse art galleries, lively bars, and specialty boutiques. Naturally, such a dynamic hotspot calls for an equally impressive new development. 333 Water is a mixed-use residential and commercial building that features 31 floors and 333 residential units, 22,700 sq. ft. of indoor and outdoor amenity space, along with nearly 10,000 sq. ft. of retail space and a 7-story parking garage. Designed with best-in-market finishes, this luxury space is touted as one of the most sought-after new residential addresses in Milwaukee. Future tenants will enjoy the new public access point to the Milwaukee Riverwalk, a coveted view of the city skyline, and the proximity to Milwaukee Public Market.
To learn about this project’s high-end finishes, we talked with Adam Fiedler, Plumbing Superintendent from Total Mechanical, whose team was responsible for installing the majority of the PureFlow, ProPress® and MegaPress® fittings and valves for 333 Water St.
Fiedler shared how Total Mechanical initially used Viega’s Engineering Services to specify ProPress for this project. Working with the Engineering Services group allowed them to effectively estimate all the products needed for Total Mechanical to win the bid. “From the beginning of the project, this has been more than just a sales-to-distributor-to-customer relationship,” said Kellen Stumbris, Midwest Regional Sales Manager for Viega. “We wanted to do whatever we could to support Total Mechanical on the bid for this key project in Milwaukee.”
Fiedler said they had only used Viega on one other project and wanted to learn more, “We sent two different groups of plumbers to the Viega training center in Broomfield.” He added, “We received a lot of on-site training from Viega as well.”
This project speced Viega PureFlow fittings, ProPress valves in 1/2" to 2.5" and MegaPress handling domestic water, gas, accessories (washer boxes) and chilled water applications. One added benefit of using Viega for the tower was that all these systems they used could be pressed with the same tool, saving the team crucial time. Every minute matters on a high-rise timeline, with a new floor going up every week.
For Total Mechanical, using Viega was instrumental in completing the work on time. “The Viega PureFlow system goes in a lot faster, especially with time-sensitive projects like this.” Fiedler noted, “Unlike every other style we've worked with [crimp, expansion], you're not dealing with the elements. It's just cut, press, and go.”
But being able to work quickly doesn’t mean they skimp on quality. “I've worked for Total Mechanical for about 20 years,” said Fiedler. “It's been a great place to work for; it's very family-oriented and we pride ourselves in the quality of our work. And using Viega? The quality of the product is outstanding. It has saved me time. With tower projects like this, it [press technology] is almost needed to ensure the project stays on track with such a tight schedule. I'm actually putting Viega products in my own house, which shows how highly I think of it.”
