Project Overview
In the heart of Nashville, Tenn., is 1111 Church Street, a new 25-story apartment and retail tower that delivers excitement and activity to a dense, rapidly evolving neighborhood. The development activates an unused alley, transforming it into a pedestrian-friendly mixed-use space that stands as a testament to modern urban planning and timeless architectural design. And while much of the attention on 1111 Church Street centers on the shopping and living spaces rising from the streets of Nashville, the entire development is supported extensively by a multilevel parking structure that features nearly 500 spaces for residents, tenants, and visitors. The parking structure forms the architectural and functional backbone of the site, serving as both vehicular infrastructure and a highly visible public interface. Wells, working closely with architect Earl Swensson Associates and engineer Structural Design Group, partnered on an approach for the parking structure featuring 174 architectural precast concrete wall panels totaling more than 22,000 ft2.
Designing for Density in Music City
Precast concrete was selected for the façade at the 1111 Church Street development primarily for its aesthetic versatility and ability to simultaneously satisfy structural, impact-resistance, and barrier-performance requirements. Durability, aesthetics, and overall building performance were also key drivers in the selection of precast concrete. Gray architectural precast concrete panels with a deep ribbed pattern and carefully modulated thicknesses—tapering from 8 to 4.25 in.—generated a dynamic façade that complemented the tower’s industrial-modern design. The panels were engineered not only to align with the sloped structural frame of the parking structure but also to serve as a code-compliant vehicle restraint system—eliminating the need for additional crash walls in some areas and supporting a more streamlined perimeter.
“We were able to use the precast panels for impact resistance as required by code for vehicles,” says Lee Davis, principal at Earl Swensson Associates. “This allowed for us to remove extraordinary costs from barrier cable railing from the entire project.”
Advanced building information modeling coordination was essential to the project’s success. Every precast concrete panel—including reinforcing, lifters, and connection embeds—was modeled directly in Revit to generate production drawings and streamline coordination among the structural and architectural teams. Production tickets were generated from the model, improving shop drawing accuracy and reducing requests for information in the field. Complex units required multiplane projections and varied finishes, modeled in full detail and fabricated without compromising schedule or accuracy. This digital-to-fabrication workflow contributed to faster approvals and minimal rework.
The architectural precast concrete façade provided a clean, resilient finish at the 1111 Church Street parking structure along with minimal ongoing maintenance and durable impact resilience. The façade plays an important placemaking role, activating an underused alley and anchoring the tower’s connection to the city’s elevated viaduct edge. Along the structure’s Church Street elevation, the precast concrete panels’ deep horizontal reveals and sharply tapered forms create a sense of motion and texture across the structure’s levels, sculpting light and shadow throughout the day. This draws attention to the retail activity below while signaling the energy of the space to both pedestrians and drivers. Additionally, precast concrete enabled off-site fabrication and rapid on-site erection, reducing trade overlaps and construction time. This enabled the project to proceed efficiently within a tight urban site.
“This project needed a subtle way to seamlessly integrate into the urban fabric in a rapidly growing part of Nashville,” Davis says. “The garage’s precast concrete panels were key to helping us accomplish that.”
Mason Nichols is a Grand Rapids, Mich.-based writer and editor who has covered the precast concrete industry since 2013. |