The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee
Small Project (25,000 sf or less)
Mass timber office structure that responds to its context through a variety of sustainable design practices and a residential-like exterior to complement the surrounding neighborhood.
Awards Year | 2024, 2023
Project Statement
The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee approached the design team looking to create an office space that was uniquely their own, embracing their dedication to the public. The Foundation envisioned a new building that would be a welcoming resource to the community, providing diverse meeting spaces equipped to host various events, as well as an expansive private and open office space buzzing with their own operations.
The site uniquely has three faces, a result of its orientation on two busy roads to the south and east, and a more private entry on the north. It’s also surrounded by a strong residential fabric. It was important the exterior of the building embraced the residential character of the area, while also appearing welcoming and warm to the community. Additionally, The Foundation balances a dichotomy of work; a portion of their efforts are public facing while the other side runs the quieter internal operations. This contrast informed the geometry, with a long spine of office space intersecting with the public facing volume. In response to the residential context, the gabled public volume appears to open to the street, inviting in the public. It can also be seen playfully extruded through the interior of the space, emphasizing the double-height work café on one end, and the executive wing on the other.
Celebrating their past and current identity was an important fusion to consider in the new space. The organization collectively resonated with the imagery of a beehive, representing them as a busy collective of individuals. Much of the bee symbolism subtly translated to the new space through honey-toned and black finishes and honeycomb patterning.
The Foundation’s new building is made up of loadbearing CLT exterior walls and floors & glulam columns and beams. The system’s sustainable attributes supported The Foundation’s mission- to be good stewards of the environment just as they are with the community. Meticulous coordination of MEP trades was necessary to achieve the polished look the client wanted, while leaving as much of the mass timber wood exposed.
The open office environment was a big leap for The Foundation. Coming from all private offices, the client expressed the desire for serendipitous interaction amongst the separate office departments. The space created encourages this cross pollination of ideas, by maintaining visual connections between levels, housing open office space that shares natural light and views out and carving out collaborative niches throughout the office.
Framework for Design Excellence Narrative
Design for Well Being
The exposed wood contributes to biophilic design benefits, helping in enhancing the psychological and physical wellbeing of the building inhabitants. There are a varity of formal and informal meeting spaces to better support users, and an exterior patio space was included as an extension of the break room allowing all access to fresh air. Manual shades are included throughout to better adjust lighting to individual preferences. Ergonomic furniture was incorporated, including standing desks to encourage better work habits. Visual connections to adjacent floors encourage interaction amongst users.
Design for Equitable Communities
Vehicle charging stations are provided in the parking lot to support electric cars. A bike rack is incorporated at the main entry to encourage alternate forms of transportation. The public facing volume of the project was designed to be open to the public, allowing non profits with less resources to reserve the meeting spaces as their own. The break room includes and exterior patio to allow all staff a place to step outside. Sidewalks were redone to improve walkability in the neighborhood.
Design for Economy
Many spaces were design to have multiple uses allowing for more efficient use of space, an example of this is the lobby which also serves as a reception space to the board room and library. Open office space was incorporated, a strategy that was new to the client, reducing the program by eliminating extensive circulation around private offices.
Design for Resources
The Foundation’s new building is made up of loadbearing CLT exterior walls and floors & glulam columns and beams. The system’s sustainable attributes supported The Foundation’s mission- to be good stewards of the environment just as they are with the community.
Mass timber’s embodied carbon is drastically lower than concrete and steel construction; it is also fabricated off site, reducing emissions at the project site. The building's grid was based on the maximum span of CLT, reducing waste in wood fabrication.
LEED/Green Certifications
N/A
Photo Captions
02-The site uniquely has three faces, a result of its orientation on two busy roads to the south and east, and a more private entry on the north. Notable site features include permeable pavers and bio-retention areas in the surface parking lot to promote storm water infiltration; Trees were carefully worked around when possible and plants were selected for their resilience and low maintenance to reduce water use. Photography by Andrew Keithly.
03-The three columns that many associate with the Foundation inspired various details, reinforcing their status as a stable, philanthropic pillar in the community. Additionally, the organization collectively resonated with the imagery of a beehive, representing them as a busy collective of individuals. Much of the bee symbolism subtly translated to the new space through honey-toned and black finishes and honeycomb patterning. Photography by Andrew Keithly.
04-Celebrating their past and current identity was an important fusion to consider in the new space. Interpretations of the three columns can be seen on the reception desk millwork and cast stone surrounding the three windows on the East elevation.
Various details were inspired by the imagery of bees, as shown in the brass, black and honeycomb light fixtures, as well as honey-toned carpets and exposed wood surfaces. Photography by Andrew Keithly.
05-The Foundation balanced a dichotomy of work; a portion of their efforts were very public facing while the other side was quieter, running the internal operations.
This contrast informed the geometry of the new building, with a long spine of office space intersecting with the public facing volume. Photography by Andrew Keithly.
06-Private offices flank the southern spine of the building with open office space along the north. The public facing spaces make up the intersecting volume off the lobby running North/South. The lobby and library both serve as a prefunction space to the large board room. Photography by Andrew Keithly.
07-An informal plaza is located at the building entrance serving as an exterior extension of the prefunction lobby space. Photography by Andrew Keithly.
08-The Foundation’s new building is made up of loadbearing CLT exterior walls and floors & glulam columns and beams. The system’s sustainable attributes supported The Foundation’s mission- to be good stewards of the environment just as they are with the community.
Mass timber’s embodied carbon is drastically lower than concrete and steel construction; it is also fabricated off site, reducing emissions at the project site. The exposed wood contributes to biophilic design benefits, helping in enhancing the psychological and physical wellbeing of the building inhabitants. Photography by Andrew Keithly.
09-The Foundation expressed a need for formal meeting spaces in addition to a residential-type ‘living room’ as a more approachable meeting space to house sensitive conversations with clients. Photography by Andrew Keithly.
10-The Foundation aimed for the building itself to be an asset for local non-profits; the board room and lobby prefunction space created is a technically flexible & visually neutral space to allow others outside of the organization to utilize as a resource. Photography by Andrew Keithly.
11-The client expressed the desire for serendipitous interaction amongst the separate office departments. The space created encourages this cross pollination of ideas, by maintaining visual connections between levels, housing open office space that shares natural light and views out and carving out collaborative niches throughout the office. Photography by Andrew Keithly.
12-The residential-like character of the gabled exterior can be seen playfully extruded through the space, emphasizing the double-height work café on one end, and the executive wing on the other. Photography by Andrew Keithly.
13 -The stairs are another emphatic component in the space, serving as a celebrated moment of connection; the hardwood treads were intentionally pulled back to express the unique CLT construction. The integrated metal and wood railing showcase the complexity of coordination needed with mass timber construction. Photography by Andrew Keithly.
14-The open office space created allows users to enjoy indirect northern light with visual connections between floors. Photography by Andrew Keithly.
15 -Northeast exterior view. Photography by Andrew Keithly.
