F&M Bank Arena
Rufus Johnson Associates
Convergence Design
The F&M Bank Arena redefines the role of a civic event center in a mid-sized city, blending adaptability with community identity. Serving as home to Austin Peay basketball and the Ford Ice Center, the 256,000-square-foot arena fosters economic vitality and provides a vibrant, inclusive gathering place for the region.
Awards Year 2024 |
Project Statement
The F&M Bank Arena is a transformative public venue designed to anchor downtown Clarksville-Montgomery County, Tennessee, as a cultural and economic hub. Envisioned as a highly adaptable civic space, the arena supports a diverse spectrum of events - basketball, ice-skating, concert, and community gatherings - within a design that balances functionality, identity, and place-making.
At approximately 256,000 square feet, the facility’s primary tenants include the Austin Peay Governors basketball teams and the Nashville Predators - Ford Ice Center ice-skating program. A flexible bowl design allows for multiple seating configurations, with beautiful accommodating up to 5,500 spectators. The building’s spatial organization prioritizes clear sightlines, efficient circulation, and an engaging visitor experience.
Set within a full downtown block bordered by College, Main First and Second Streets, the site’s dramatic topography became a defining design opportunity. The arena’s three levels are accessible at grade from all four corners - an urban gesture that maximizes connectivity and accessibility while integrating the structure into the city fabric.
Architecturally, F&M Arena expresses both civic pride and regional identity through its materiality, massing, and public presence. The project evaluates the role of public assembly architecture in a growing mid-sized city, providing a venue that is not only multi-functional, but also emblematic of community aspiration.
Through its thoughtful siting, adaptable program, and design responsiveness, F&M Arena redefines the contemporary event center as an inclusive, urban-scale gathering space.
Framework for Design Excellence Narrative
The F&M Bank Arena addresses all ten principles of the AIA Framework for Design Excellence. For clarity and emphasis, these principles are organized into three categories that reflect both the Owner’s priorities and the realities of project delivery:
1. **Primary Goals** – _Integration, Economy, and Equitable Communities_ \n These principles align directly with the Owner’s primary vision for the project. They represent the foundational objectives: delivering a facility that is deeply integrated with its community, economically responsible, and equitable in access and opportunity.
2. **Secondary Goals** – _Change, Well-Being, and Discovery_ \n These emerged through the design and discovery process, interwoven with both the primary and tertiary goals. Together, they reflect the project team’s commitment to adaptability, human-centered design, and continuous learning as the project evolved.
3. **Tertiary Goals** – _Water, Resources, Energy, and Ecosystems_ \n While sometimes shaped by budget constraints or program priorities, these goals remain critical touchpoints throughout the process. Even at their most basic implementation, they directly reinforce the overarching aspirations of sustainability, resilience, and long-term stewardship.
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This layered approach demonstrates that each principle—whether primary, secondary, or tertiary—contributes to a holistic vision. Even where program or budget influenced outcomes, the team remained committed to striving for excellence in all ten principles. Additional information is found in the Image narratives:
**Integration**: Images 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14
**Water**: Images 03, 04, 05
**Resources**: Images 04, 05, 10, 11, 12, 13
**Economy**: Images 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14
**Equitable Communities**: Images 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 11, 12, 13, 14
**Change**: Images 02, 06, 07, 09, 11, 12, 13
**Energy**: Images 05, 11, 12, 13
**Ecosystems**: Images 03, 04, 05, 13
**Well-being**: Images 03, 06, 07, 08, 09, 11, 12, 13, 14
**Discovery**: Images 02, 03, 04, 05, 08, 09, 11, 12, 13
Photo Captions
**Photo 01**: Aerial view of the Arena with Austin Peay State University in the background.
# Image 03
**Photo 01**: Site Plan / Urban Context.
# Image 04
**Photo 01**: Examples of the four retaining wall systems at varying heights.
**Photo 02**: View of the perimeter “moat” beyond.
**Photo 03**: View from the highest point of the soldier pile retention system, looking down toward the Event Level from the Suite Mezzanine Level.
**Photo 04**: Bridging system installation, allowing for wide landscape buffers between the sidewalk and building.
# Image 05
**Photo 01**: Concourse Level entrance at the corner of 1st and Main Streets.
**Photo 02**: Suite Level entrance on Main Street providing direct at-grade access to premium seating.
**Photo 03**: Ford Ice Center entrance on the Event Mezzanine Level, midway down College Street from the 2nd and College entrance. An adjacent drop-off zone for parents with young children is also provided (not shown).
**Photo 04**: Suite Mezzanine Level entrance, adjacent to Downtown Commons at 2nd and Main Streets.
# Image 06
**Photos 01 through 04**: These plans illustrate multiple venue configurations designed to maximize flexibility for hosting a wide range of events.
**Photo 05**: Austin Peay basketball court from the Suite Level.
**Photo 06**: The annual Gold Star Showcase, a Nashville Predators exhibition game, is held to honor and recognize Military Gold Star Families.
# Image 07
**Photo 01**: APSU Men’s Basketball Locker Room.
**Photo 02**: View of the Ford Ice Center skate rental facilities, supporting public skating and ice programs.
**Photo 03**: View of the White Claw Lounge, offering a premium seating experience on the Event Level.
**Photo 04**: The Event Level plan.
# Image 08
**Photo 01**: View of the Concourse Level concession area, designed to showcase unique and locally inspired food and beverage options.
**Photo 02**: View of one of the two primary entrances at 2nd and College Street, featuring the monumental staircase in the foreground.
**Photo 03**: View of the Ford Ice Center from the Concourse Level. This vantage point also provides views into the main arena, allowing spectators to see activity on both rinks simultaneously.
**Photo 04**: The Concourse Level plan.
# Image 09
**Photo 01**: Premium seating option in the Suite Level Bar and Lounge.
**Photo 02**: View of a Luxury Suite, offering premium amenities and a private game-day experience.
**Photo 03**: Flexible meeting space with movable partitions that can be configured into multiple rooms.
**Photo 04**: The Suite Level plan.
# Image 10
**Photo 01**: The APSU Basketball Court viewed from the back row of the Concourse Level.
**Photo 02**: APSU Men’s Hockey Team celebrating a game-winning goal.
**Photo 03**: View of the APSU Basketball Court as seen from the back row of the Concourse Level, highlighting clear sightlines across the arena.
**Photo 04**: Section drawing through the main bowl, illustrating seating, circulation, and event-level relationships.
# Image 11
**Photo 01**: Suite Mezzanine Level entrance at 2nd and Main Streets, viewed from across Downtown Commons.
**Photo 02**: Approaching the main entrance at 2nd and College Street, which also serves as the APSU Basketball facility entrance and a vibrant pregame event activity space.
**Photo 03**: Ford Ice Center Lounge, offering views of the practice rink and access to snacks.
**Photo 04**: Section cut through service areas, the main concourse and Suite Level meeting spaces, and the main entrance at 2nd and College Street.
# Image 12
**Photo 01**: The opening event during the annual Professional Bull Riders Corey Rasch Invitational.
**Photo 02**: A view along the Suite Level corridor, highlighting circulation and premium access areas.
**Photo 03**: Promotional display for one of the programs offered at the Ford Ice Center; professional skater Scott Hamilton’s “Learn to Skate” program.
**Photo 04**: Section cut through the main bowl and adjacent Ford Ice Center (right), highlighting seating, circulation, and the relationships across multiple levels.
# Image 13
**Photos 01 & 02**: View of the next-generation, state-of-the-art ice plant supporting the Ford Ice Center operations.
**Photo 03**: Public art installation, _Always the River_, created by artist Cynthia Thompson.
**Photo 04**: Section cut through service areas serving the main bowl and adjacent Ford Ice Center, highlighting the ice plant, circulation, and multi-level relationships.
# Image 14
**Photo 01**: Section cut throughthe Ford Ice Center and ASPU Basketball Program facilities, highlighting the ice plant, circulation, and multi-level relationships.
**Photo 02**: APSU Basketball practice gymnasium.
**Photo 03**: A family enjoys learning to skate together at the Ford Ice Center, highlighting its community-focused programming.
**Photo 04**: The Ford Ice Center.
General Contractor
Skanska
Consultants
TTL, USA
Hawkins Partners
Walter P. Moore & Associates
Smith Seckman Reid
S20 Consultants
Venue Solutions Group
Photography Credit
Image 01 / Photo 01: Jordan Powers Photography
Image 03 / Site Plan: Rufus Johnson Associates [RJA]
Image 04 / Photo 01 (Site Retention Aerial-left): Walter P. Moore
Image 04 / Photos 02 - 04 (Retention System-right top to bottom): RJA
Image 05 / Photos 01 - 04: F&M Bank Arena
Image 06 / Photos 01 - 04 (Venue Plans-top): RJA
Image 06 / Photos 05 (Basketball-bottom left) & 06 (Hockey-bottom right): F&M Bank Arena
Image 07 / Photo 01 (APSU Basketball Locker Room-top left): Jordan Powers Photography
Image 07 / Photo 02 (Ford Ice Center Skate Rental-middle left): F&M Bank Arena
Image 07 / Photo 03 (White Claw Lounge-bottom left): F&M Bank Arena
Image 07 / Photo 04 (Event Level Plan-right): RJA
Image 08 / Photos 01 - 03 (left): F&M Bank Arena
Image 08 / Photo 04 (Concourse Level Plan-right): RJA
Image 09 / Photos 01 - 03 (left): F&M Bank Arena
Image 09 / Photo 04 (Suite Level Plan-right): RJA
Image 10 / Photos 01 - 03 (top three images-left & right): F&M Bank Arena
Image 10 / Photo 04 (Section -bottom): RJA
Image 11 / Photos 01 - 03 (top three images-left & right): F&M Bank Arena
Image 11 / Photo 04 (Section-bottom): RJA
Image 12 / Photos 01 (top left): RJA
Image 12 / Photos 02 - 03 (top two right images): F&M Bank Arena
Image 12 / Photo 04 (Section-bottom): RJA
Image 13 / Photos 01 - 04: RJA
Image 14 / Photo 01 (Section): RJA
Image 14 / Photo 02 (APSU Basketball Practice Court) & Photo 03 (Family Skating): F&M Bank Arena
Image 14 / Photo 04 (Ford Ice Center): Convergence Design)
