The Donelson Branch of the Metro Nashville Public Library system serves as the community centerpiece for this Nashville neighborhood. Positioned within Donelson Plaza—a 1960s-era shopping center and longtime local landmark that is being transformed into a modern, transit-oriented urban town center—the library and its community lawn are key to larger efforts to revitalize this unique part of the city.
Inspired by the mid-century character of the surrounding area, the architecture draws from “atomic age” motifs and graphic design to define simple yet playful geometries. The restrained material palette of brick, glass, and breezeblock tell a story of composition and collage. Panels of white brick emulate argyle patterning commonly used in graphic design of the era while breezeblock, a midcentury staple, acts as passive shading for the exposed southern façade.
Pursuing LEED Gold Certification, Donelson Library’s commitment to its context and sustainable strategies strongly informed the architecture. Responding to the axial connection to Lebanon Pike and the site’s solar conditions, the southern (front) façade “breaks” to create a protected and shaded entry beneath the flying roofline above. This new front porch celebrates the traditions of southern oral storytelling as a place for people to gather beneath a “haint blue” soffit—a trademark of porch ceilings throughout the southeast.
The interior floor plan follows the established axis, with service and staff areas to the west and open library space to the east. While the long east and west facades employ strategic window placement for daylighting and views, the northern face takes advantage of naturally diffused sunlight with a fully glazed double-height reading space.
Working towards the building’s aggressive site 35 Energy Use Intensity (EUI) target (a 65% reduction from Zerotool 101 EUI Benchmark), a 33.3 kW rooftop photovoltaic array provides passive power through a grid-optimized strategy suited to Nashville’s climate. An on-site sustainability dashboard “Socket” educates users on the building system’s performance and sustainability features including the Energy and Water Use Intensity data from the Building Management System. This program provides invaluable insight into operations and efficiencies that can not only inform the Library’s operations but also future public facilities.
Utilizing a change in grade across the long dimension of the site, primary parking is accommodated below the building, allowing for a front lawn featuring reading areas, space for library programming, and artwork commissioned in collaboration with Metro Arts Nashville. Beneath the surface, the lawn boasts thirty geothermal wells plunging 500 feet deep, using the temperature of the earth to naturally heat and cool the building year-round.
A testament to the community’s past and future, the Donelson Library tells a story of innovation and heritage. This critical piece of civic infrastructure is poised to be a vibrant hub for learning, gathering, and storytelling.
Category:Green ArchitectureYear:2025Location: Nashville, Tennessee, USAArchitects:Hastings Architecture Associates, LLC.General Contractor:Messer Construction Co.Design Team:David M. Powell, Laura Hollier, and Emilee Wilson HammClient:Nashville Public Library and Department of General Services, Metro Government of Nashville and Davidson CountyPhotographers: Nick McGinn, McGinn Photography
