The Hamilton and Hume House
Large Project (over 25,000 sf)
The Hamilton and Hume House is a 330-unit mixed-income urban housing project. It offers both top-market and midmarket rate units, meeting two different market demands.
Awards Year | 2024
Project Statement
Located in Nashville's historic Germantown neighborhood, The Hamilton and Hume House comprise the final phase of a 14-acre redevelopment of an industrial superblock now known as Taylor Place. Designed and constructed as a single phase, the two buildings each target different markets. The Hamilton offers a luxurious condo-like feel for the top-of-market renter with 10-foot ceilings, high-end appliances, and unobstructed views of downtown. Hume House provides a playful feel for mid-market residents with dual club rooms, a large fitness center, and an expansive U-shaped pool courtyard.
Unlike many recently constructed apartments nearby, the high-quality materials and detailing are intended to instill a sense of quality, permanence, and reverence for the site and the neighborhood’s history. The brick-dominated facades allow the buildings to complement the adjacent historic industrial structures without mimicking them while blending in with the fabric of their surrounding neighborhoods.
As part of the overall redevelopment strategy, the parking garage serves residents from Hamilton and Hume and office workers from 2 adjacent buildings. The shared leasing office is a common node between buildings, creating a cohesive experience and sense of community for residents.
Multiple murals were commissioned by local artists, hand-crafted tile was provided by a local artisan throughout both buildings, and dozens of art pieces were purchased through a not-for-profit that supports disadvantaged artists.
The obtuse angle and projected balconies direct resident views to downtown Nashville. The Hamilton and Hume House’s subtle but stern presence provides a welcoming local fabric that blends seamlessly into the historic Germantown community.
Framework for Design Excellence Narrative
### Design for Economy
As part of a National Register of Historic Places site, the owner and design team focused on the value of long term resiliency in cladding, materials, and design solutions. Brick was used throughout to extend the lifespan of the building’s cladding, metal siding instead of cementitious fiber board was used to prolong maintenance costs, and interior finish materials were selected to ensure longevity and resilience.
### Design for Integration
The design emphasizes connectivity and walkability to the Germantown neighborhood and the rest of the Taylor Place Campus. The project incorporates murals inspired from the history of the site, historic plaques allow for interaction and discovery, and the design integrates buildings throughout at the pedestrian level to the larger master plan to encourage full use of the mixed use development.
### Design for Communities
In assessing the site, the design team recognized that placing a building on a previously vacant site could become a disruption to the flow of the neighborhood, especially within the context of the larger masterplan of the site. Instead of limiting the community to the surrounding sidewalks, the project includes many opportunities for neighbors and residents to interact. The large public plaza and courtyard connects pedestrians to two distinct neighborhoods while an open lobby allows residents and adjacent office workers to engage throughout the day.
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LEED/Green Certifications
Photo Captions
5 - Specialty units were designed to accommodate the rising need for remote work.
7 - Angled balconies allow residents an uninterrupted view of downtown.
8 - Courtyard spaces adjacent to private balconies encourage personal interaction and serendipitous meetups.
9 - The pool amenity fronts a local artist mural commissioned by the project owner. 10 - Finish selections throughout are highly resilient to ensure longevity and minimize replacement.
12 - The history of Germantown is preserved and honored across the Hamilton and Hume House campus, including a large mural of warehouse workers, painted by a local artist.
13 - The exteriors of both buildings respect the site’s past with nods to the materiality of the rehabilitated historic brick and steel warehouses that lie adjacent. 14 - The site encourages public/private interaction through open space and connections between nodes.
