Nashville gets 'first

The Goettsch Partners-designed 34-story Alcove sets standard for design, amenities, and local context.

Global architecture firm Goettsch Partners (GP) announces the completion of Alcove, a new residential tower in Nashville, Tenn., developed by Giarratana LLC. Located at 900 Church Street, adjacent to the 17-acre, Amazon-anchored Nashville Yards development, the new 34-story, 419-ft-tall apartment tower includes 356 units.

With the architecture and interiors designed by GP, the residence is a first-of-its-kind for Nashville, featuring amenities such as a fitness room, rooftop game room, two pools and several communal alcoves. The building also offers connections to greater downtown Nashville through public transit and bike access and has a Walk Score of 98.

The building is composed of a series of stacked, shifted cubes—mirroring Amazon’s signature boxes—organized in pairs on four levels. An intricate window wall features two varying shades of glazed metal panels that frame floor-to-ceiling glass for each unit and provide a distinctive contrast for the cubes.

The tower footprint maximizes the site, providing 32 studios, 224 one-bedroom units, and 100 two-bedroom units. While the bold form of the tower appears to have a dynamic layout, a consistent floor plate runs throughout the entirety of the building, with only slight movements. The unique stacked arrangement and subtle shifts open inner sections of the building, carving out four 75-ft-tall signature alcove terrace spaces and creating distinctive moments on the exterior.

The warm-toned communal terraces—two located on the east side of the building and two on the west—each serve seven floors. Comfortably furnished, they provide areas for residents to work, socialize and enjoy outdoor space. In addition, the building’s top-of-the-line Mitsubishi elevators open onto each floor with direct connections to the terraces, greeting residents with natural light and dramatic views of Nashville.

“The developer’s goal of ‘visually stimulating’ architecture drove the design of the project, as well as the desire to create unique spaces and vantage points in the center of the building,” said Vladimir Andrejevic, AIA, principal and senior project designer at GP. “At certain points, you step off the elevator and immediately overlook the city.”

In bringing a contemporary residential option to Nashville that did not previously exist, great importance was placed on the experience of moving throughout the building. The glowing lobby connects directly to the street and provides transparency, inviting residents and visitors into the core of the building. Within the lobby, elevator bay and other shared spaces in the building, works by local artists and makers are featured to connect back to the city.

Artist Mary Bentley’s Downtown Series features abstract drawings of downtown Nashville’s street grid, inspired by walks with her grandfather and the view of her hometown from above through Google Earth. The all-woman team worked with local custom wall-coverings designer New Hat and Red Rock Tileworks to bring Bentley’s drawings to life as a stunning mosaic wrapped around a 30-ft-tall lobby column. The artwork is essential in rooting the building within its local context and giving back to Nashville by supporting hometown talent.

“We strongly believed that integrating this project closely with the community was vital from the start,” noted Tony Giarratana, president of Giarratana. “Having an all-woman team come together as the right talent for the interior art design, craftsmanship and construction was a bonus.”

With evolving priorities for multifamily housing placing greater focus on healthy bodies, minds, and communities, the architecture and verticality of Alcove are fueled by these new priorities, creating an entirely new residential experience for Nashville. On the 34th-floor rooftop, modern amenities include a fitness room, private dining room with a catering kitchen, game room, and resident lounge. Also located on the rooftop is an outdoor pool deck featuring a large saltwater pool and a separate, clear acrylic-bottom pool that dramatically overhangs the 27th-floor amenity terrace on the west side of the building. Grilling and seating areas are located on the east side of the rooftop deck.

Additional amenities provide work-from-home options, including a conference room with video capability and a co-working space with built-in technology and various seating options. Outside, a 3,300-sf dog park serves residents as well as the public.

On The Building Team:Developer: Giarratana LLCArchitect: Goettsch PartnersLandscape Architect: Barge Design SolutionsGC: AECOM

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Mastry Ventures and LENx, the venture arm of homebuilder Lennar, have co-invested in Vessel Technologies’ next-generation housing product.