Nashville Farmers’ Market Grand Entrance
The long-anticipated renovations to the Nashville Farmers’ Market (NFM) brought improved accessibility and operations, as well as increased programming and newly created leasable space for the growing number of businesses operating at the Market. The most prominent renovation feature includes the transformation of the northern and southern entrances into graceful facades that include a welcoming entrance canopy, public art, as well as new signage and lighting.
Among the enhancements was a new area for a compost container and enclosure as part of the NFM’s plan to be a “zero-waste” facility by 2020. Generating over 10,000 pounds of compost per month, the new compost recycling collection area greatly increased the capacity of compostable material along with improved recycling.
This high-volume operation necessitated a creative solution in providing full-service access amid the pedestrian-heavy market. Benesch oversaw the demolition of the existing loading docks, provided the layout for structural and architectural components, designed the grading and drainage for new concrete plazas, managed the resurfacing of the parking lot, and directed the utility relocation and coordination for existing and future interior tenants.