Great Gulch segment on the WSMV 4 evening news yesterday. The Gulch master plan rendering seen on this video was created by Smith Gee Studio thanks to Fleming Smith IV. It is so great to see the Gluch master plan continue to grow as a true urban neighborhood.

Ryman Lofts news article in the Tennessean; October 11, 2011

written by Andy Humbles

Metro Nashville and Smith Gee Studio celebrate MDHA’s Ryman Lofts groundbreaking. Click headline for news article in the Tennessean.

Metro Nashville and Smith Gee Studio celebrate the groundbreaking of MDHA’s Ryman Lofts at Rolling Mill Hill; click headline for News Channel 5 video segment.

When a tornado devastated the seamier side of Nashville, AIA helped the town redefine its future

On April 16, 1998, a tornado touched down in Nashville, Tenn. It tore through downtown before hopping across the Cumberland River to East Nashville, toppling some 20,000 trees citywide and damaging hundreds of homes and businesses. East Nashville, a patchwork of quirky neighborhoods and about 25,000 people, took the brunt…

There is no evidence of that devastation today. Instead, new growth knits together this eclectic string of communities. There are historic mansions, humble bungalows, hip restaurants, and a smorgasbord of small businesses. Musicians rub shoulders with physicians, and trendy boutiques share streets with not-so-mainstream bars.

In 1998, the city partnered with the AIA to do a four-day charrette with a Regional/Urban Design Assistance Team (R/UDAT). Since 1967, R/UDATs have led interventions in more than 140 communities, matching interdisciplinary professionals from around the country with local experts to strategize around a common vision.

“The organizers looked at other options to see who could help, and the big reason they chose the R/UDAT was its emphasis on community participation,” says Hunter Gee, AIA, principal of Smith Gee Studio, Nashville. He chaired the local steering committee, organized by Carol Pedigo, Hon. AIA, executive director of AIA Middle Tennessee, who also sat on the tornado recovery board. At the time, Gee says, “I was just a young pup that agreed to take on this challenge.”  >read more<

Greg Tidwell, with Smith Gee Studio, which is working with Kimley-Horn on the plan as a subconsulting firm, said setting design guidelines for new buildings or additions to existing buildings would help set fair and even expectations for new developments, set minimum standards for structures, promote a development pattern and enhance the character of a particular area over time.

“Most often when you talk about design guidelines, it’s a very small, defined area,” Tidwell said. “Usually they’ll be placed over what we call the overlay district.”

…The recommended design guidelines are to be incorporated into the master plan, Tidwell said. The planners said they intend to unveil the final report on downtown revitalization in mid-February.  >read more<