Center for Black Excellence and Culture

Location: Madison, Wisconsin

Areas of Expertise: Fire Protection, Plumbing

The Center for Black Excellence and Culture is a new three-level, 37,000 square foot facility created to celebrate, inspire, and advance Dane County’s Black community. Construction began in March 2025 with the grand opening in May 2026.

Hooper’s Plumbing team delivered a full design-build system, which includes the complete design and installation of domestic water distribution, sanitary waste and vent systems, storm drainage, natural gas piping, and all associated equipment such as water heaters, pumps, and specialty fixtures required throughout the building. This approach ensures that every plumbing component—from mechanical room systems to the final fixtures—works together efficiently, meets performance requirements, and integrates seamlessly with the building’s architectural goals.

The Fire Protection team installed a comprehensive wet fire sprinkler system that features continuous piping, strategically placed sprinkler heads designed for both coverage and aesthetics, zone control valves, flow switches, and backflow prevention devices. This type of system provides rapid response during a fire event because water is immediately available at the sprinkler heads, making it the most common and reliable fire solution for occupied buildings.