Designing the Cultural Hub for the Music City

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Built EnvironmentBuilt Environment

Industry

Retail & Hospitality

Location

United States

Fifth + Broadway’s two million sq ft mixed-use campus needed strategic acoustic solutions to balance offices, residences, entertainment, and live music in downtown Nashville.

Challenge

The Fifth + Broadway mixed-use project transformed Nashville’s former convention center into a two-million-square-foot urban hub with offices, restaurants, residences, a major museum, parking structures, and live music spaces. Cerami was tasked with developing acoustic solutions to protect tenant comfort and preserve Nashville’s musical vibrancy — while keeping noise from entertainment and high-traffic areas out of homes, offices, and cultural spaces.

Solutions

Our team of experts established the design criteria outlining the acoustic goals for occupied areas of each project component. For the residential tower, we provided recommendations for unit layout and partition type strategy. For both the residential and office tower, we advised on façade strategy and methods to meet the acoustical criteria. In the commercial tower we also completed an interior office fit-out for the tenant AllianceBernstein. We worked with the museum project team to develop recommendations on special assemblies required to meet the noise level criteria and established expectations for mitigating noise levels. We also developed acoustical recommendations for MEP systems, heavy equipment rooms/penthouses and architectural systems. Furthermore, our team assisted with the lease language and designed sound separation between the development’s retail tenants, ensuring there would be no noise transference.

Services Performed

The team defined project-wide acoustic design criteria, advised on residential layouts, partitions, and façades, and designed museum assemblies to control noise. They completed fit-out acoustics for a major office tenant, developed MEP and heavy equipment noise controls, and ensured sound separation between retail spaces and venues.

Results

Fifth + Broadway now anchors downtown Nashville as a cultural destination where offices, homes, dining, and live performances coexist without noise conflicts. Cerami’s acoustic design helped shape a thriving, connected community true to Music City’s reputation. The finished development is a center for all parts of life — combining elements of work, entertainment, and culture for the ultimate community.

2M

Sq ft cultural hub

385k

Sq ft Class A tower