The Tennessean
By Sandy Mazza and Sherah Ndjongo
Tennessee is well-known for its lush rolling landscapes, less so for its urban skylines.
That reputation is changing in Nashville, the state's most rapidly growing city by far, as downtown developers take cues from innovative architectural designs around the world when envisioning their future high-rises.
Historic Preservation and Views are Key
Sustainable architecture has become a major industry that attempts to halt humanity's negative effects on the environment. It includes preservation of historic buildings as well as recyclable materials and energy-efficient technologies.
There are a number of large adaptive reuse projects at historic sites including World War II-era sock factory May Hosiery Mill in Wedgewood Houston, which maintained existing brick and steel grids from original windows. The buildings were united using egress balconies and stairs where they previously linked together by AJ Capital Partners.
Jack May visits his family's old factory May Hosiery Mills on Chestnut St. The facility is being renovated to house Apple Music, Soho House, and other businesses.
Now, Apple Music offices and posh boutique hotel Soho House Nashville are situated within the renovated mill. It pays a direct homage to its early 1900's industrial roots from a design perspective, with a reworked timber floor sourced from the bygone factory to an installed metal work screen and the original exposed ceiling. Remnants of the past are not only embraced, but spotlighted.
The locally-based Dryden Architecture and Design, which worked on the associated May Hosiery Co-Op retail experience for 11 vendors, described the project in its online portfolio page as a "juxtaposition between new interventions and existing built components."