All posts tagged ballpark development

The new US$47m AAA ballpark for the Nashville Sounds will become an iconic destination for both the city and for Minor League Baseball. The design of First Tennessee Park is inspired by both the rich baseball heritage of Nashville and an exciting new era of baseball in the city. As part of a visionary master plan for Sulphur Dell, the site of the original home of professional baseball in Nashville, the ballpark will be integrated into a new mixed-use and residential development that will enliven the district 365-days a year.

The ballpark’s site allows for a seamless transition from its outfield to Nashville’s growing network of greenways, which connects the city with walking, running and bicycle paths.

The ballpark’s architectural precast concrete and zinc metal panel façade reflects the musical history of Nashville with the abstract use of motion and colour, while also responding to its civic context. Music City is reflected in the design of the interior spaces, from the 30’ tall reclaimed wood wall in the main lobby to musical themed suites that capture the culture and identity of the city.

The park will also sport arguably the most iconic scoreboard in all of Minor League Baseball (MiLB), in the form of a guitar-shaped videoboard, measuring 142ft-long by 55ft-high.

The ballpark’s official inauguration takes place today, April 17, 2015, seeing First Tennessee Park become a year-round destination, elevating the fan experience and extending the city of Nashville’s brand.

Project Stats

Total Project Cost: US$47m
Seating Capacity: 10,000
Groundbreaking: January 27, 2014
Oopening Day: April 17, 2015
Total Square Footage: 140,171sqft
Concourses: 360-degree circulation with concourse width varying from 24’ to 35’ wide
Restrooms: 8 women’s rooms with 94 total water closets and 42 lavatories; 8 men’s rooms with 21 water closets, 40 urinals and 31 lavatories
Concessions: 6 permanent concession stands with 49 total points of sale, plus another 9 points of sale at the outfield bar, three at the club bar and 15 portable concession cart points of sale for a total of 76. The foodservice ratio is 1:120
Sustainability: LEED Silver Certification. Designers applied sustainable techniques throughout the design, impacting construction and operations of the facility. Sustainable features include a green roof, rainwater harvesting and a rain garden
Suites: 4 field level suites, each with 33 exterior seats and interior lounge space to accommodate an additional 22 patrons; 18 club level luxury suites, each with 12 outdoor balcony seats and 4 indoor drink rail seats
Club: 5,080sqft club space with a formal bar, buffet and table dining; 600sqft of outdoor patio with drink rail space and high-top tables. The club seating and luxury suite patrons have exclusive access to the club level bar and social area
Additional Premium Amenities: Premier seating with fully padded seats in the first 10 rows of box seating. Two club level party decks accommodate 100 patrons each. Three separate outfield group seating areas with party terraces and shade canopies provide a unique experience. In addition, the design includes a centre field bar with a social space targeted to Millennials
Lighting: 100 FC infield lighting and 70 FC outfield lighting using a 6 pole system with infield towers integrated into the roof structure
Clubhouse: 5,086sqft home team clubhouse, including a 480sqft weight room and ample team storage; a 2,154sqft visiting team clubhouse and two
interior lane batting tunnels are also incorporated
Field Maintenance Area: Nearly 7,000sqft space in centre field with groundskeeper’s office, locker room and equipment/playing field storage
Retail: 2,990sqft of retail space with entrances on exterior and within concourse

PRESS BOX: 1,620sqft press box with two television booths, home and visitor radio booths, an auxiliary booth, writing press, press dining counter, video production room, scoreboard control and public announcer booth
Field Dimensions: Left field, 330’; left centre field, 386’; centre field, 403’; right centre field, 388’; right field, 310’

Scoreboard: Iconic guitar-shaped LED scoreboard that measures 142’ long by 55’ high and is 12.5’ above the outfield concourse. Digital display is equal to 860 32” wide screen televisions. In addition, a field level LED out of town scoreboard and 1st and 3rd baseline auxiliary ribbon boards are incorporated.
Site Size: 10.8 acre ballpark parcel with adjacent development sites for future mixed-use development
ADA Accessibility: Fully ADA accessible
Netting: Backstop netting extends dugout to dugout and 45’3” behind home plate, 40’ above playing field
Playing Surface: Natural grass sodded turf – Bermuda Tifway 419, capable of draining 10 inches of rain per hour
Multi-Purpose Usage: Non-game day activities include use of seating berm from adjacent greenway pedestrian and bicycle parkway, as well as hosting concerts and community events

Project Team
Architect of Record: Hastings Architecture Associates, LLC
Design Architect: Populous
Landscape Architect: Lose & Associates
Contractor: Barton Malow/Bell/Harmony, a joint venture LLC
Project Manager: Gobbell Hays Partners, Inc. and Capital Project Solutions
Structural Engineers: Walter P. Moore, Logan Patri
MEP Engineers: Smith Seckman Reid Inc., DF+H
Civil Engineers: Barge Cauthen & Associates
A/V Engineers: WJHW