BIG Unveils Nashville Performing Arts Centre Wrapped in Aluminium Pipes

This article examines Danish studio BIG’s bold plan for a new Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC) in Nashville. The building is positioned along the river and conceived as a public pavilion that blends theatre architecture with a riverside landscape.

The design features a sweeping façade of bundled aluminium tubes that resemble a theatrical curtain. Two long volumes house a grand hall and a dance/opera theatre.

The project aims to replace the current TPAC facility near the State Capitol. It seeks to connect old and new Nashville through accessible routes and transparent, city-facing spaces.

Renderings were released by Bloomimages to illustrate the proposal.

Design concept and curtain façade

The signature gesture is a metal “curtain” made of bundled aluminium tubes that evoke organ pipes or chimes. This motif resonates with performance culture and urban drama.

The curtain undulates from vertical to horizontal, narrowing toward the middle of each elevation. This reveals expansive glass that opens to the city, the river, and the surrounding grounds.

Beyond this surface, the plan places two long, slightly angled volumes—a grand hall and a dance/opera hall—on a site that steps down from a trussed bridge toward the water. This creates a dramatic civic axis and grounds the building in its riverside context.

The arrangement prioritizes a clear sequence from arrival to performance. It also modulates views and daylight into the interiors.

• Bundled aluminium curtain as a kinetic façade gesture
• Two main volumes for grand hall and dance/opera spaces
• Integration with public realm via river-facing glass and circulation
• Accessible routes from multiple approaches including paths above and below the bridge

Materiality and façade details

The façade uses a shimmering metal curtain that compresses and expands across elevations. This reveals broad glass expanses.

The play between the metallic skin and transparent openings articulates both performance interiors and the adjacent riverfront. It invites public views while preserving intimate theatre experiences.

Spatial strategy and public realm

At the heart of TPAC’s plan is a grand lobby and cascading atrium that connect the two primary volumes. An entrance aligns at river level and is complemented by staircases and mezzanines that distribute visitors to the theatres.

The scheme emphasizes accessibility from multiple approaches. This reinforces the building’s role as a daily public pavilion.

By elevating pedestrian connections and creating porous edges, the design turns the theatre into a civic place. Everyday life and performance coexist, encouraging foot traffic and interaction with the riverside landscape.

Theatre spaces and architectural details

TPAC will house four performance spaces in total. The Broadway Theater’s audience boxes are conceived as “floating wood-clad trays” that cluster galleries above the main floor seating.

This produces a distinctive spatial hierarchy and a playful interior vocabulary. The result is a space that feels both intimate and expansive.

Context, impact, and visualizations

As Nashville continues to grow, the TPAC project represents a new home for performing arts in the state. It will replace the current facility near the State Capitol.

Bjarke Ingels describes the scheme as a gesture to connect “the old and the new Nashville.” He acknowledges the city’s evolving identity.

The renderings released by Bloomimages offer a glimpse of how the riverside site could become a landmark. The design blends theatre, landscape, and public life.

 
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