225 Polk, a former Nashville Public Library building, has undergone an adaptive reuse project to become the new HQ for Hastings Architecture. The building also houses the United Talent Agency and space for McAlpine, a residential architecture and interior design firm. Hastings occupies 24,000 sf of the building with space for the team of more than 85 architects, interior designers, and planners.
The building’s facade is composed of Georgia Cherokee marble panels and 16’ tall glass. All of the marble was cleaned, repaired, and/or replaced with new, perfectly matched marble from the original marble quarry. The original terrazzo floor in the lobby was refurbished, as was the terrazzo-clad monumental stair connecting the two main floors. The architectural interventions of the adaptive reuse were limited to a black and white color palette with walnut accents inspired by the original building’s interiors.
The Athenaeum, a 1,500-sf community room is accessible to the public and intended for use by community organizations and non-profit groups located on the first floor off the main lobby. The Athenaeum seats 100 and has standing room for up to 300 people.
See Also: The world’s largest cricket stadium opens
“This structure was built in 1965 to serve the people of Nashville as a public library,” said William Hastings, Partner at Hastings, in a release. “It was important that our design ensured that part of this historic building would remain accessible to the public and provide the community with a gathering place.”
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
Top of the rock—Observation deck at Rockefeller Center
Opened in 1933, the observation deck at Rockefeller Center was designed to evoke the elegant promenades found on the period's luxury transatlantic liners—only with views of the city's skyline instead of the ocean. In 1986 this cultural landmark was closed to the public and sat unused for almost two decades.
| Aug 11, 2010
200 Fillmore
Built in 1963, the 32,000-sf 200 Fillmore building in Denver housed office and retail in a drab, outdated, and energy-splurging shell—a “style” made doubly disastrous by 200 Fillmore's function as the backdrop for a popular public plaza and outdoor café called “The Beach.
| Aug 11, 2010
Integrated Project Delivery builds a brave, new BIM world
Three-dimensional information, such as that provided by building information modeling, allows all members of the Building Team to visualize the many components of a project and how they work together. BIM and other 3D tools convey the idea and intent of the designer to the entire Building Team and lay the groundwork for integrated project delivery.
| Aug 11, 2010
Inspiring Offices: Office Design That Drives Creativity
Office design has always been linked to productivity—how many workers can be reasonably squeezed into a given space—but why isn’t it more frequently linked to creativity? “In general, I don’t think enough people link the design of space to business outcome,” says Janice Linster, partner with the Minneapolis design firm Studio Hive.
| Aug 11, 2010
Great Solutions: Products
14. Mod Pod A Nod to Flex Biz Designed by the British firm Tate + Hindle, the OfficePOD is a flexible office space that can be installed, well, just about anywhere, indoors or out. The self-contained modular units measure about seven feet square and are designed to serve as dedicated space for employees who work from home or other remote locations.
