There are retail tenants on the first floor. Was that a challenge during construction?
Eric: It was an extreme challenge to try to keep the retail tenants below in operation during the construction. For example, even during the construction of the new skin, demolishing the exterior masonry veneer in order to build the new façade while you have public entering and exiting the retail stores was a feat in itself. Routing new plumbing lines above the retail ceilings had to be implemented after hours under the supervision of retail staff. Much of the construction happened around their busiest seasons—some of it was Christmas and summertime. Coordinating with the contractor and the developer, and the developer coordinating with the existing tenants, and then providing public access was an extreme challenge. Renovating the parking and circulation was also a large part of the project, correct?
Eric: The parking was a pretty big challenge. Existing parking was stripped, new islands and lanes were put in, and everyone navigated the changes well. It was organized thoughtfully, even though it was a large undertaking. Jeff: Before renovation, there were multiple one-way ramps and merges that came off of the road and into the site. The design created an enormous amount of circulation that was inefficient and
confusing, even dangerous. We simplified the circulation, created more clearly defined access points, and added a traffic signal. We recaptured a lot of the space that had been devoted to the ramps and used it to create rain gardens and green space. This also allowed more efficient parking, which contributed to the additional outparcels and thereby improved the density of the space. And retailers like restaurant outparcels because they increase the number of different people that will visit the site. Steve: And I think an added benefit was that it created a clearer hierarchy to the site, which is something good for Vanderbilt’s patients and its patient care delivery. An easy-to-navigate site helps avoid some of the stress that comes with going to the doctor through these clinics. Giving hierarchy to the site, providing clear wayfinding, and designating the closest entrance to your clinic helped diminish patient anxiety. What were your drivers to restore some of the green spaces to the campus?
Steve: The property was originally developed as a log cabin or a plantation area. There were 98 Oaks, and the woman that lived there planted two acorns and called it One Hundred Oaks. Through this redevelopment we have been able to return it to 100-plus Oaks, not including the additional landscape.
Enlarged skylights add abundant reflected natural light in the waiting areas. Use of skylights, lighting occupancy censors, and task lighting aid in reducing energy consumption below ASHRAE 90.1 baseline performance. g resha m, s mith an d partners
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