Tennessee State Museum

Our team began work on the new Tennessee State Museum at the Due Diligence stage. S&ME, while under contract to the State of Tennessee, performed a boundary and topographic survey and a geotechnical investigation. By performing this work directly for the State, we could complete these tasks before the eventual Design Team was selected. This allowed the Design Team to begin as soon as they came under contract. S&ME was fortunate to be part of the EOA Design Team and provide the continuity between the Due Diligence and final design. The Geotechnical Investigation found that for the site selected, the new museum would be built on fill material that was placed many years ago. Our geotechnical engineers developed recommendations for the foundations that would penetrate the fill material and support the museum’s heavy loads.

As part of the Design Team for the project, S&ME was responsible for all aspects of the site design and permitting, including site layout, grading, drainage, and utility design. The project’s stormwater management was designed to provide a sustainable, holistic approach to water quality for the site. Not only does the site comply with Metro Nashville’s Low Impact Development (LID) requirements, this site goes beyond those requirements to provide cleaner stormwater runoff before it discharges downstream into the Cumberland River. Pedestrian circulation for the site was designed to make navigating the site “intuitive” and allow for easy accessibility to all site areas. S&ME worked closely with all Metro and State agencies throughout the permitting process to ensure that all agency concerns were addressed, resulting in the timely review and permitting.