When designing Olmsted Nashville, the developers at CF Real Estate Services wanted to create an authentic space that embodied what it meant to be “Nashville made” without playing too much into the honky-tonk and country music scene the city is known for.
The result was a 328-unit mid-rise that focuses on incorporating a local flair while standing out against other apartment buildings going up in the area.
Drawing on the neighborhood’s industrial roots, brick and masonry details give the structure a sense of authenticity. The eastern façade is broken into nine different “buildings,” each with its own material mix, architectural details, and color scheme to “create the appearance of buildings that came together organically,” says the firm.
But the development isn’t complete without a modern twist—at the most prominent corner stands a striking all-black, modern façade.
Many of the products and designs in the amenity spaces hail from local artists or businesses, including custom chandeliers by Southern Lights Electric, signage and decor by Sideshow Sign Co., a large custom art piece by 1767 Designs, and model units styled by fashion designer Savannah Yarborough, all native to Nashville.
The building is anchored by its ground-floor common room, The Collective. The 2,800-square-foot amenity is a gathering, events, and coworking space. The designers used seven 9-foot-diameter concrete pipes stacked in a honeycomb pattern to create individual coworking alcoves with seating for residents across two different levels. The unusual pipes can be seen from the sidewalk through a 20-foot glass curtain wall.
The venue includes seating for 100 people through a mix of café tables, couches, lounge chairs, worktables, and booths. Plus, the space can be opened up to the outside via garage doors, for an open-air feel. The community hosts weekly events in The Collective for residents, often putting on singer–songwriter nights or other music events, poetry readings, speaking engagements, or fashion shows.
The project’s sloping site presented the ideal foundation to create The Collective. It had a grade change of 20 feet between its north and south ends, so the team utilized the slope to incorporate a mezzanine in The Collective, the mailroom, the fitness center, and three ground-floor units, also creating dramatic 20-foot ceiling heights throughout the spaces. (The two-story fitness center also features a 20-foot-tall climbing wall.) The Collective’s mezzanine is designed in a U-shape so that spectators can look down from above during events.
Other amenities include a large pool deck, a rooftop patio and clubroom area, a pet spa and dog run, and three levels of underground parking.
