Nashville: Signature Tower sketches

[it's just dave]

I attended a presentation Thursday, Nov. 18 with Lucien Lagrange and Signature Tower's developer Tony Giarantana. The final design of the building not completely set, but I found these architectural sketches from Mr. Lagrange's firm interesting.

I'll try to translate the architect's notes from each panel of the composite I made from the presentation.

1st Panel" Top to Bottom:

--2-story expansion, setbacks at penthouses

--punched vertical windows, emphasize verticality

--more glazing

--corner window, floor to ceiling glazing

2nd panel:

-- Top glass jewel, lit up at night

-- terrace spa level

-- corner window/ views and relationship to (SunTrust) Financial Center

-- terrace @ ballroom level

-- views from Muse area condos

-- entry garden

3rd panel

--jewl at top, lit at night

--curved front, metal colums and spandrels

--setbacks/ line noting the scale of existing Nashville highrises

--punched opneings vs. clear glazing floor to ceiling

--corner windows/erode corners/maximize views

--bookends/monolithic

--scale of base relates to context

left side: lower floors, solid. Upper, glassy.

Street Level Sketch on the lower grade of 5th Avenue. Mod condos/entry garden/restaurant

Mr. Lagrange pointed out that each component of the building will have individual identities depending on the purpose, i.e. the boutique hotel lobby won't be like the office lobby or the condo lobby etc. This sketch illustrates how he plans to do give each area its own identity and traffic center:

The tower itself. Am anxious to see the final design, but will have to wait. It's time for me to put this topic away until later in 2005 when things begin to materialize. But this is the preliminary rendering:

[MLBrumby]

[Thank you, Dave, for the wonderful information. It seems to be quite handsome for such a large building. I noticed in the street elevation sketch that the Cumberland is not too much shorter than this building. Estimating that several of the existing towers are at least half again as tall as the Cumberland, this new one should fit in just fine.

I was just thinking that Church Street is really coming back. With the Veridian and all the other adaptive reuse projects along Church and 5th (and now this one), then Church is going to be a bustling center of activity again. Incidentally, have you heard anything about the new Federal Courthouse lately. The money has been appropriated ($125 million) and architect selected (Michael Graves). Given the footprint at 1 acre (approx. 40,000 sq. ft.) and the targeted size of the building (480,000 sq.ft.), it figures to be at least 12 stories. However, due to security setback requirements, it will more likely sit on .6 acres (27,000) which would dictate a building approaching 18-20 floors tall. That's merely scuttlebutt that I have picked up from a developer colleague. I'd appreciate anything you have on this.

BTW: I don't live in Nashville, so I'm a bit removed from the latest info. Love your city though. Thanks.

[it's just dave]

Thank you ML. I really happy about what's happening to Church Street. Having grown up in Nashville, I know what the street looked like in the 60s when it was full of life. Major department stores, smaller retailers, three large movie theaters and lots of traffic, both vehicular and pedestrain. It died a painful and unattractive death in the 70s. I think the redefintion will be a good transformation, the removal of the 70s type serpendine and returning the street to a straight two-way thoroughfare will help enormously. The work is already beginnning on that and the Capitol Blvd redesign.

The Federal Courthhouse is currently in a holding pattern. There was some shuffling of budget timing and Nashville, along with many other cities, see their construction schedules delayed. Hopefully, this delay will not to too long. I'm anxious to see the drawings, but I like your assessment of the project as you see it.

You mentioned the scale of the Cumberland, the new Signature, and the other towers. I'm including this scale rendering to give you an idea of the size difference in the Cumberland and the new one. The Cumberland, although rising 23 stories, is still a bit of a munchkin building as the illustration will show.

[MLBrumby]

Thanks for the great info.

You're right about the Cumberland next to Signature. That's a tall one. It's also almost three different buildings in one.

[BrandonTO416]

Thank you very much for the post Dave. I'm happy to see the renderings, comparisons, and the diversity of the building. Its great in that this will be the first truly multi-use single building in Nashville. You think of cities like Chicago when you have buildings like the Hancock which serve as a condo, office, and etc. in one. Great to see a multi-use major skyscraper coming to Nashville. I'm confident this will be built simply because Giarratana is behind it. The 23 story Cumberland wasn't supposed to be built, but he overcame obstacles. And those obstacles are fewer today then they were in the mid 90's.

[wolfdawg54]

Signature Tower will be an amzing building in the Nashville skyline. I can't wait to visit.