Archimania
Encyclopedia
archimania is a collective of architect
s and designer
s in downtown Memphis
Tennessee’s South Main Historic Arts District. The group was founded in 1995 and is led by Todd Walker, FAIA
, and Barry Alan Yoakum, FAIA.
The design firm
has been instrumental in reshaping Memphis architecture. Its work is informed by the desire to integrate responsible sustainable design
approaches with a mixture of modernism and regional vernacularism. Although some designs have been criticized by preservationists as being "too out there" and "not Southern enough," archimania adheres to a basic design principle that seeks to knit their unique spaces and architecture into the surrounding environment. Their work creates a rich dialogue about what architecture is and what it can be. Their projects include the Conservation Hall
and a renovation of the Tennessee Governor's Mansion
. They also completed the GE5 townhouses in Memphis where the design "flirts between modern and historic architecture" with "a clean design that captures the interchange between old and new."
The firm has garnered more than 100 design awards. In 2006, the firm won the architectural design competition for Conservation Hall
at the Tennessee Governor's Mansion
. The addition is mostly underground, with as its centerpiece "a meeting room capable of seating 160 guests, more for receptions, backed by a glass-walled oval atrium and courtyard that opens to the sky and channels light through the space surrounding it." One of the goals of the renovation/addition, spearheaded by First Lady
Andrea Conte
, was to encourage energy-efficient operation and minimize its environmental impact. To that end, it was designed as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED) Gold Certified builidng per USGBC criteria. Many of its materials used were reclaimed: the wood for a staircase came from 200-year old logs fallen to the bottom of the Tennessee River
, and materials for floors were retrieved from old, local buildings, including barns.
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
s and designer
Designer
A designer is a person who designs. More formally, a designer is an agent that "specifies the structural properties of a design object". In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, such as consumer products, processes, laws, games and graphics, is referred to as a...
s in downtown Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
Tennessee’s South Main Historic Arts District. The group was founded in 1995 and is led by Todd Walker, FAIA
FAIA
Fellow of the American Institute of Architects is a postnomial, designating an individual who has been named a fellow of the American Institute of Architects...
, and Barry Alan Yoakum, FAIA.
The design firm
Design firm
A design firm is an organization that designs any of a variety of things, in one or more of the design fields, such as graphic design, web design, architecture, engineering, interior design, or industrial design....
has been instrumental in reshaping Memphis architecture. Its work is informed by the desire to integrate responsible sustainable design
Sustainable design
Sustainable design is the philosophy of designing physical objects, the built environment, and services to comply with the principles of economic, social, and ecological sustainability.-Intentions:The intention of sustainable design is to "eliminate negative environmental...
approaches with a mixture of modernism and regional vernacularism. Although some designs have been criticized by preservationists as being "too out there" and "not Southern enough," archimania adheres to a basic design principle that seeks to knit their unique spaces and architecture into the surrounding environment. Their work creates a rich dialogue about what architecture is and what it can be. Their projects include the Conservation Hall
Conservation Hall
Conservation Hall was part of a controversial renovation of the Tennessee Governor's Mansion. It is a subterranean meeting and banqueting facility built under the front lawn of the Tennessee Residence. It brings the Tennessee Residence up to modern standards for State receptions and dinners with...
and a renovation of the Tennessee Governor's Mansion
Tennessee Governor's Mansion
The Tennessee Governor's Mansion, located in Nashville, Tennessee, is the official residence of the Governor of Tennessee and his family. This Georgian-style mansion was built for William Ridley Wills and his family in 1929; the state purchased it in 1949 and it has served as the home of...
. They also completed the GE5 townhouses in Memphis where the design "flirts between modern and historic architecture" with "a clean design that captures the interchange between old and new."
The firm has garnered more than 100 design awards. In 2006, the firm won the architectural design competition for Conservation Hall
Conservation Hall
Conservation Hall was part of a controversial renovation of the Tennessee Governor's Mansion. It is a subterranean meeting and banqueting facility built under the front lawn of the Tennessee Residence. It brings the Tennessee Residence up to modern standards for State receptions and dinners with...
at the Tennessee Governor's Mansion
Tennessee Governor's Mansion
The Tennessee Governor's Mansion, located in Nashville, Tennessee, is the official residence of the Governor of Tennessee and his family. This Georgian-style mansion was built for William Ridley Wills and his family in 1929; the state purchased it in 1949 and it has served as the home of...
. The addition is mostly underground, with as its centerpiece "a meeting room capable of seating 160 guests, more for receptions, backed by a glass-walled oval atrium and courtyard that opens to the sky and channels light through the space surrounding it." One of the goals of the renovation/addition, spearheaded by First Lady
First Lady
First Lady or First Gentlemanis the unofficial title used in some countries for the spouse of an elected head of state.It is not normally used to refer to the spouse or partner of a prime minister; the husband or wife of the British Prime Minister is usually informally referred to as prime...
Andrea Conte
Andrea Conte
Andrea Conte is the former First Lady of Tennessee, the wife of Governor Phil Bredesen . She is a 1968 graduate of the University of Washington and a registered nurse...
, was to encourage energy-efficient operation and minimize its environmental impact. To that end, it was designed as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design consists of a suite of rating systems for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, homes and neighborhoods....
(LEED) Gold Certified builidng per USGBC criteria. Many of its materials used were reclaimed: the wood for a staircase came from 200-year old logs fallen to the bottom of the Tennessee River
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names...
, and materials for floors were retrieved from old, local buildings, including barns.
Notable projects
- Christ Community Medical Clinic, Memphis
- GE5 townhouses, Memphis (2005)
- parkit here, Memphis Airport (2007)
- SkyCottage (Private Residence), Memphis (2007)
- Hannah's House (Private Residence), Harbor Town, Memphis (1999)
- Conservation HallConservation HallConservation Hall was part of a controversial renovation of the Tennessee Governor's Mansion. It is a subterranean meeting and banqueting facility built under the front lawn of the Tennessee Residence. It brings the Tennessee Residence up to modern standards for State receptions and dinners with...
, Tennessee Governor's MansionTennessee Governor's MansionThe Tennessee Governor's Mansion, located in Nashville, Tennessee, is the official residence of the Governor of Tennessee and his family. This Georgian-style mansion was built for William Ridley Wills and his family in 1929; the state purchased it in 1949 and it has served as the home of...
, Nashville (2009) - Habitat for Hope retreat, Shelby Forest, TennesseeShelby Forest, TennesseeShelby Forest is an unincorporated community in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States. The area is located roughly twelve miles north of Downtown Memphis, just west of the Frayser area and eight miles south of Millington...
(2010)