Ford Ice Center, Nashville, Tenn.
Retrofit Team
Architect: HBM Architects, Cleveland
Fiber Cement Panel Installer: Dixie ICF, Louisville, Ky., (502) 493-0711
Materials
The original façade of what once was a mall featured a beige brick exterior, which didn’t meet the aesthetic sought by the design team. “The building needed to be visually appealing to the end user,” says Tim Hamilton, owner of Dixie ICF who installed the custom panels on the exterior of the building.
To create a more energetic feel, the team turned to the vibrant colors possible with Illumination Series fiber cement panels. Using Nichiha’s Color Xpression system that matches any paint manufacturer’s standard colors, the hockey center features blue Illumination panels with gold accents, a nod to the city’s Predators National Hockey League team. The community center has blue mosaic panels, and the library features white panels with mosaic glass. A total of 32,000 square feet of panels was installed on the former mall in a six-week period.
“We used Nichiha to tie it all together. Now it has a new strong identity for all three parts,” says Dan Meehan, AIA LEED AP, principal with HBM Architects. “The scale of the building was a challenge because it was so large. We needed something to go across all three buildings. Now it gives a great feel.”
Fiber Cement Panels Manufacturer: Nichiha
The Retrofit
Nashville turned a struggling mall into a community asset. The former Global Mall at the Crossings was separated into three different spaces—a hockey practice arena, library and community center—unique to themselves while complementing each other.
“I see this center becoming a hub of learning and recreation for residents in southeast Davidson County, one of the fastest growing parts of our city,” said Mayor Karl Dean when the project was first announced in 2013. “Families will find it convenient to have the ice rink, community center, park and library in one location. This new public facility will benefit nearby neighborhoods and the surrounding retail and commercial area by attracting more people to the vicinity and creating a more stable business environment.”
Photo: Nichiha