Case Studies

Many cities are looking for ways to encourage redevelopment of underutilized properties and bring new life and vibrancy to their central business district. As the first multi-tenant Class A office building of its size in downtown Nashville in 20 years, SunTrust Plaza has played a part in the realization of this goal.

Completed in December of 2007, SunTrust Plaza is a 345,000-square-foot mixed-use office building that replaces a surface parking lot. The first floor includes retail space and a fitness center with 12 floors of office space above and 500 parking spaces on five levels below-grade. The below-grade parking structure has created more than five times the spaces than were previously available on the surface lot.
There were many influences that contributed to the design of SunTrust Plaza. These included the topography of the site, required circulation, adjacent context including the historic Ryman Auditorium and the L&C Tower, Nashville’s first skyscraper located just a block away. According to Chuck Gannaway of Hastings Associates, “When it came to selecting exterior materials, granite was an obvious choice. The durability of granite as a cladding in a downtown environment works very well.”

For the exterior facing curtainwall system, Hastings Architecture Associates chose Carnelian^® and Sierra White^® granite. “We wanted to create a three-story base for the building and the Carnelian^® granite is a deep, rich color that also provides a nice complement to the brick of the Ryman Auditorium,” said Gannaway.

Carnelian granite was also used for the exterior coping, fountain coping and fountain facing. A combination of Carnelian and New Venetian Gold granite was selected for the interior paving, interior base and interior facing.

For countertops in the restrooms and locker rooms, Uba Tuba granite was selected. Absolute Black granite was utilized for the countertops in the lobby as well as the interior aprons.

Another architectural feature that was incorporated into the building was the use of a dual finish on selected pieces of granite. In this case, a Thermal strip was created on polished pieces of granite on the north and south facades located at column lines from the ground to the twelfth floor.