Photo: Rendering courtesy of St. John's on the Lake

A rendering shows what the new tower at St. John's on the Lake will look like when completed in 2011.

Construction is underway for a new 21-story independent living building for seniors on the east side of Milwaukee, WI.

The 88-unit tower will expand the Saint John¹s on the Lake senior living facility. It will sit on Prospect Avenue overlooking Lake Michigan.

It was designed by Perkins Eastman architects, Chicago.

General contractor is VJS Construction Services, Pewaukee, Wis. The owner says 90% of the subcontractors that will work on the project are local firms.

The building is expected to be enclosed by the fall of 2010 and completed in late 2011, after 260,000 person-hours of construction.

Cost of the project is reportedly $46 million.

The building will offer a hospitality branded street-side café, art gallery, spa and wellness center, classroom and community performance space‹all with easy access for future and existing residents, along with access for the community to create an intergenerational environment.

Another primary focus of the project is enhancing staff and resident quality of life through sustainable building design, with a goal of achieving LEED-NC certification or its equivalent.