Located on the edge of campus, this seven-story residence hall creates a new southern gateway for Trevecca Nazarene University. More than just a residence hall for students, this building will become a campus beacon in the City of Nashville, Tennessee. Approached as a design-build project with the MEP consultant, this building, which is 90% dedicated to residential apartments, maintains both efficiency for constructability and functionality of space.

Exterior masonry is used to honor the traditional buildings on the northern campus, while exposed steel frames and fiber cement cladding complement the more modern, industrial side of campus to the south. With 302 beds, the building features apartment style units with full kitchens and student lounges, along with a fitness room, multipurpose room, central laundry, grand outdoor courtyard and a two-story apartment for the residential director. The tallest building on campus, the new residence hall could not overpower the existing campus. By creating a split floor design, in which one side of the project is eight stories and the other is six stories, the stepped-down building massing provides the residential space needed while honoring existing campus heights.

Designed on a site with over 40 feet in grade change, the building’s support spaces are built into the hillside and new communal areas are located along the building’s exterior. This drastic slope enabled the creation of amenities that support student life and provide a sense of community, such as the exterior courtyard and the individual student lounges located on each floor.

Photos: © Attic Fire Photography