Nashville needs an environment that can support a healthy lifestyle.  With some of the greatest entertainment venues in the world, there are more than enough opportunities to indulge, but not nearly enough space promoting health.

     We have created a complex that can house the necessities of a healthy lifestyle on both the large and small scales, from farming healthy produce, to exercise fields, to swimming pools. An environment like this encourages healthy living and makes it fun while offering a new space that Nashville can indulge in...guilt free.

The form is designed to contain an abundance of active programs through a modular system that allows for flexibility in programmatic space at all scales. This steel and concrete megastructure is covered with a porous membrane that allows light and sometimes water to be transmitted through it.  When flooding occurs, the system remains resilient because of its ability to adapt when most other structures would fail.  The entire lower level is comprised of natural wetlands and swimming pools, therefore, when the area floods no damage is incurred. This level provides huge amounts of space for floodwater to gather, as well as runoff from the city, while the remainder of the spaces can remain functional. In these wetlands, Plants can imbed themselves into the porous membrane and filter the water coming into the pools from the Cumberland River.

     These natural wetlands on the lower level of the site are important in fostering biodiversity and ecological growth in a once contaminated site. These wetlands not only help to continually filter the Cumberland River, but they also provide a habitat for local wildlife. Just as importantly, these wetlands become a serene escape from urban life; creating a place to go kayaking, fishing, biking, and hiking.

     The series of systems ranging from sports fields to wetlands weave together to create spaces that inspire and promote healthful lifestyles for both humans and the natural environment.