S9 Architecture converts former Nashville slaughterhouse into "modern industrial village"
American studio S9 Architecture has converted an early 20th-century slaughterhouse site in Tennessee, USA, into the mixed-use Neuhoff District.
Located in Germantown, a former working-class neighbourhood in Nashville known for its historic warehouses and Victorian-style buildings, the adaptive-reuse development is on a bluff overlooking the Cumberland River.
New York-based firm S9 Architecture set out to transform a 14-acre (5.6-hectare) site into a "vibrant micro-neighbourhood" with space for offices, residences, retail and a hotel.
The centerpiece of the site is a former slaughterhouse complex, which had sat abandoned for decades. The Neuhoff District is named after the meatpacking company that ran the plant.
S9 Architecture, which designed both the project's master plan and the buildings within it, said the goal was to foster a sense of exploration and make the Neuhoff District a "destination within Nashville".
The firm collaborated with the local offices of Smith Gee Studio and HKS, along with the Brooklyn's Future Green Studio.
"The design ethos, starting from the master plan, aimed to create a series of interconnected places to integrate into the existing neighbourhood while encouraging exploration for tenants, residents and visitors," the team said.
The new district is meant to draw a mix of businesses.
"Neuhoff is designed to foster a diverse community of tenants – from corporate workplaces in fields such as construction, design and law to independent retailers, restaurants, cafés, dessert shops and bars," the team said.
The site is being re-developed in three phases.
The first phase, now complete, included the preservation and stabilisation of certain historic structures, while selectively demolishing others.
The slaughterhouse buildings were converted into office and retail spaces, while an office tower and two mid-rise residential buildings were constructed.
A network of landscaped outdoor spaces were also added to the site.
"The renovated slaughterhouse stands as the focal point, with a porous ground floor leading to a river bluff overlook," the team said.
"Surrounding it, the new buildings form a modern industrial village prioritising pedestrian-friendly environments, with shared streets and structured parking relegated to the site periphery."
Many original building elements – such as concrete framing and brick facades – were retained and restored.
While five of the slaughterhouse buildings were saved and repurposed, two were razed due to being structurally unsound. One was replaced with a courtyard, and the other was replaced with a sunken outdoor amphitheater, which occupies a space that formerly was a cellar.
Original stone and concrete walls line the open-air space. A metal bridge passes overhead.
Next to the former slaughterhouse is the 14-storey office tower with a glazed exterior. One side faces the river and has a stepped form, while another side is angled and cantilevers over a road running through the development.
Across the road are the pair of mid-rise buildings, which are clad with brick. The ground level holds retail space, while the upper levels contain a total of 542 rental apartments.
The next phase of the mixed-use project will entail construction of a second tower and the conversion of an industrial building into a boutique hotel. A third phase will include additional low-rise office and residential buildings.
S9 Architecture was founded by Navid Maqami and John R Clifford in 2011. Other projects by the studio include a nonprofit organisation's headquarters in Ohio made of mass timber, and a tall residential building in New York with a wavy, gridded facade.
The photography is by Seth Parker and Christopher Payne.
Project credits:
Design architect and master planning: S9 Architecture
Architect of record: Smith Gee Studio, HKS
Landscape architect: Future Green Studio
Interior designer: S9 Architecture, Husband Wife
Structural engineer: Uzun + Case
Lighting design: Niteo
Signage and wayfinding: Airspace
General contractor: JE Dunn
Steel fabricator: SteelFab, Snake Steel
Facade installation: GS Steel
Glass: Viracon
Glass installation: Momentum Glass
Curtain wall: Old Castle Building Enveloper
Client and developer: New City Properties
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