Riverfront Amphitheater
Nashville, Tennessee | February 10, 2023
Introduction
In the heart of downtown Nashville, Tennessee, a state-of-the-art amphitheater and 11-acre park now welcome the community where a trash-burning, thermal transfer facility once stood. The stunning, LEED silver certified structure of the performance stage/building, designed to anchor the expansive, outdoor space, is a hub of live music and city events, and each and every act that performs there is welcomed by Crossville tile collections used throughout. Tile, with its aesthetic, sustainable, and performance advantages, is at the heart of this inviting venue in the heart of Music City.
The Story
After the city’s thermal transfer plant was torn down in 2004, the prominent site near the bank of the Cumberland River sat vacant for more than 10 years. Nashville’s civic leaders, business community, and citizens worked together to develop a master plan that addressed a growing need for green space in the city’s downtown. Through combined efforts, the city began a $52 million project backed by the mayor’s declaration that the amphitheater must be a word-class venue befitting Nashville’s heritage as Music City.
Built to the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Silver certification, the amphitheater is a 36,000 square feet space encompassing two floors and accommodates 6,500 people. It is built into a slope with a 35-foot grade change that creates a natural bowl while providing unobstructed views of the surrounding city and river.
Following in the footsteps of the mayor’s edict of the amphitheater being a world-class facility, the designers of the structure selected Crossville Porcelain Tile Panels by Laminam to be installed in the entertainers’ restrooms and changing areas. Crossville’s technologically advanced, aesthetically innovative panels are large in outer dimensions yet lean in profile, allowing them to effortlessly skin the walls for the dressing room and welcome areas. To enhance the overall look of the amphitheater’s interior, the designers chose the Filo Collection, a product that captures the raw appearance of industrial chic metal with an intriguing, chain-mail texture for a style befitting an urban music venue.
In addition to the porcelain tile panel skinned walls, the designers added decorative flair with Crossville’s Sideview Glass mosaic tiles. These richly faceted metallics create a play of light from every angle and add a memorable touch of glamor to the interior design.
Flooring selection incorporated one of Crossville’s most popular collections, the Shades Series. Manufactured in the U.S., the Shades series contains up to 20% pre-consumer recycled content and is Green Squared certified through the Tile Council of North America for its proven standards of sustainability.
Conclusion
Suffice to say, Crossville’s exceptional tile collections offer some of the most powerful performances at Nashville’s long-awaited downtown amphitheater and certainly answer the goal for truly world-class quality that city leaders set out to achieve.
