2019 AIA Memphis Design Award Winner!

An adaptive reuse conversion of a 110 year-old historic office building into a 58 room upscale boutique hotel located in Downtown Memphis.  The building is on the National Register of Historic Places, and as part of the renovation the building's original historic features were maintained.  The hotel consists of a mixture of King and Double-occupancy rooms and suites, as well as a restaurant and bar with a full service kitchen.  The entrance lobbies of the building have been unified to recapture the spatial arrangement of the original historic design. The new design elements and quality finishes of the public spaces are distinctively modern yet complementary to the historic ornamentation that remains.

Photography by Chad Mellon

The building is comprised of three programmatic volumes each with its own simple mass, material, and function. The surgery and support spaces are housed in the white brick box. The second volume is wrapped in ribbed metal and contains the pedestrian drop-off, entry lobby, reception, and business office. The metal wraps the entire public portion of the building which fronts the street. Where the metal wrapper is removed, a playful tri-colored pattern of fiber-cement panels is introduced at the pedestrian area. The third volume is a small wood rainscreen-clad projection that encompasses the waiting area; a smaller more intimate scaled space which is positioned towards the north for indirect daylighting. The goal of the project design was to create “a modern vision for the vision impaired”.

Photography by Bryan Allen and Bruce Cole

Artfully recrafted into a unique hospitality experience, 149 Madison combines the history of a 100 year old downtown building with modern decor and the comforts of home. Consisting of exterior renovations plus the complete build-out of two modern apartments at the 2nd level of this historic structure, the design brings this once overlooked property back to relevance as an overnight destination spot within the heart of the city.

The Snowden Grove Tennis Center, in Southaven Mississippi, is an expansion of an existing tennis complex. The existing center consisted of 4 outdoor tennis courts and a 40 year old metal building that served as a multi-purpose community facility. The expansion includes 8 new outdoor courts, a central rest room structure, and spectator shade structures. By removing the walls of the existing 7,000sf metal building and placing a smaller glass volume beneath the existing roof and structure, the gleaming new pro-shop offers retail, locker rooms, a cafe and an expansive covered porch area to host large tournament crowds.

Photography by Chad Mellon

An abandoned building on Broad Avenue is transformed into the new creative workspace for a tech and marketing firm. Simple Focus wanted to provide an inspiring collaboration space for their team to work as well as provide a space that could open up to the community and street. The ground level is utilized for group meeting areas, a gallery, kitchen, and a fitness studio. The sculptural plywood stair offers an impromptu gathering and viewing area for large groups. The clear storefront and glass garage door offer opportunities for engaging the street. The second level contains the offices and open work areas for the creative team. The stair well becomes a symbolic connection of the firm’s work with the community.

Photography by Chad Mellon

Furnishings by Office Interiors- Memphis

Serving as the corporate headquarters for a national specialty courier business, this 10,800 sf facility accommodates current staff and operations with room for expansion. An attached drive-through garage allows for rapid processing of shipments and deliveries.

Enclosed within is a clean, bright, and streamlined interior design that coordinates with the vision and operations of this fast moving and efficient business model. 

Daytime Photography: Chad Mellon

Night Time Photography: Claudia Lopez Rhea Photography

Furnishings by Office Interiors - Memphis

After sitting empty and underutilized for years, the former chapel and medical ward for Desoto County’s adult detention center has been converted into a juvenile courtroom and related administrative offices. Privacy and efficiency of transport to a court facility a few blocks away had become difficult to manage. The project makes it easy to provide safe, efficient, and secure transport to the new onsite courtroom. The courtroom aims to inspire improvement in the lives of the juveniles it serves, so the exposed CMU walls and lay-in tile ceilings were replaced with a modern installation of wood ceiling and wall panels.  To improve acoustics and create visual interest in the tall space, perforated acoustical wood panels were installed on a folded ceiling plane.

Photography by Chad Mellon

UrbanARCH is currently designing a major renovation and expansion of the Memphis International Airport. The design concept for the modernization of Concourse B will dramatically improve passenger experience. In partnership with Alliiance, the project will create wider concourses, larger gate hold areas, and increased day lighting from high volumes of clerestory glazing. 

This 2500 sq ft. office space is situated in the historic South Main District in Memphis, Tennessee.  UrbanARCH converted this dilapidated building that had been unoccupied for nearly 20 years into a modern office space without compromising the aesthetics of the existing Art Deco façade.   The exposed existing plaster perimeter walls are contrasted against the new contemporary interior construction. Careful design consideration was given to event the smallest of details to create an engaging and exciting workplace.  This project was awarded the 2014 AIA-Memphis Award of Excellence.

The Southaven Senior Center is an activity center for senior adults located in Desoto County Mississippi.  This 20,000 sf facility accommodates the City and County's growing population of senior adults with activity spaces that include dance, aerobics, and yoga. Other amenities include a juice bar and cafe, a book exchange library, lounge spaces, and an outdoor activities yard.  The largest gathering space is a multi-purpose room that can be sub-divided into three smaller activity rooms as needed and can accomodate banquets as it includes an adjacent catering kitchen.

Photography by Chad Mellon

Olive Branch, Mississippi is one of the fastest growing cities in the United States. This  35,000 s.f. City Hall was developed to address expanding city administrative functions to keep pace with city growth.  The new City Hall is situated in Olive Branch's historic downtown district.  The traditional design is inspired by historic courthouses of the Old South and compliments adjacent historic buildings.  The building houses the mayor's administration, city planning and city utility offices.  The project helped to create a distinct government center for the city while still preserving the rich architectural history of the area.

This 10,500 seat outdoor amphitheater in the City of Southaven, Mississippi was designed and developed on a fast track construction schedule.  Located on a flat site, the design required extensive earthwork and segmented block retaining walls in order to achieve ideal sightlines for concert goers.  This complex, including box office, stage enclosure, restroom buildings, concessions and V.I.P. pavilion provides a popular music venue for the entire mid-south region.  The newly completed stage enclosure's exterior design is inspired by the aging siding of typical wood barns and agricultural structures of the area.

The Fillin' Station Grill is a 5,600 s.f. casual dining restaurant in Southaven, Mississippi.  The building design draws inspiration from roadside garage and gas stations prevalent in the early to mid 20th century.  The psuedo-industrial material pallette and decor create a comfortable and interesting visual experience. The restaurant is situated adjacent to a large motorcycle dealership and shares a common courtyard/plaza area with the dealership.

Corky's is one of the most recognized names in American Bar-B-Q.  This restaurant prototype is designed to be adaptable to future franchises in other locations.  Site planning, location and aesthetics were all considered to meet the needs of an evolving business model.  The building design and interiors invoke images of Mississippi juke-joints, but provide for a comfortable and casual dining experience.

This 5,200 sf custom themed pizzaria restaurant incorporates bright colors along with unique art and furnishings in order to create a high-energy, engaging atmosphere.  The careful integration of custom art installations, custom millwork fabrications, and durable finish materials results in a highly functional eatery within a fun, family friendly atmosphere.

Snowden Grove Park is nationally known as one of the premier youth baseball parks in the country. The park serves as the host of the Dizzy Dean World Series each year.  UrbanARCH transformed three of the four groups of fields into active mini-stadiums complete with fixed seating, permanent overhead canopies and new concession buildings and press-box facilities.  

Photography by Chad Mellon

Doc's is not just a wine store.  This 9,000 sf retail wine and spirits outlet features reclaimed wood floors, glass tile, and a subtle-but-modern color pallete to create a warm, upscale, inviting interior environment for its customers. The store features a custom growler station with 28 beer and wine taps mounted on recycled wine barrell tops.  Blue wine bottles adorn custom built light fixtures in the center of the space. Existing ceiling planes were cut away to increase the sense of volume within the space.  

The site for this automatic carwash is a very narrow parcel of land wedged between Memphis’ busiest East/West thoroughfare (Poplar Avenue) and the Norfolk-Southern Railroad tracks. Inspiration was drawn from the train cars passing the site several times daily as well as from the simple fact that the building is an automated machine. The concept was focused on a design philosophy of creating a unique building by using simple forms and allowing the building to speak for itself by being honest and open about the function within. To do this, the design opts for a more contemporary interpretation of the carwash as a machine with clean lines and simple forms.

Meeting the demands of one of the fastest growing cities in the state, this 17,000 s.f. police station meets the needs of a rapidly expanding police force.  The modern design reflects the progressive nature of the high-tech facility needed to serve a growing community.

Situated within Horn Lake's Historic District, the Depot appropriately responds to the historic context of adjacent buildings and railroad. This 12,500 sf building contains Horn Lake EyeCare as it's anchor tenant and provides additional bays for neighboring tenants.  Deep overhang and exposed steel details accentuate the psuedo historic industrial aesthetic.

The Steve's Tire and Auto brand blends modern auto maintenance with a clean and inviting style of architectural and interior design.  Adapted for either existing building transformations or new buildings, the prototypical façade treatments and interior features are consistent with the Steve's brand identity.

Located alongside the Illinois-Central Railway in Hernando, Mississippi, this 13,600 s.f. retail center is inspired by historic train depots.  This project successfully creates a new landmark and serves as an entry marker to the Hernando Historic District. 

Dewitt Spain Airport serves the Memphis Metro Area as a municipal airport.  The project involved many improvements including a new covered drop-off, covered walkway from parking to the entry, and the conversion of portions of an existing hangar into a flight school.  Ipe wood slat panels are utilized to create a friendly and welcoming entry experience. 

The 14,000 s.f. Court House serves the Olive Branch Municipal Court.  The "Classical Design" compliments the city's historic architectural district within the existing city government complex.  The building massing and façade treatments are stately and bold to reflect the importance of the judicial function within.

Conceived as a dining room expansion that could also support other activities, this project successfully blends new with existing while adding dramatic daylight to a previously mundane interior space.  Sustainable features of the project include a white reflective roof surface, LED lighting, and energy efficient variable refrigerant flow HVAC systems.  In addition to those energy saving features, the cafeteria addition included the use of "View" dynamic glass that adjusts tint electronically to respond directly to sunlight intensity and reduce heat gain.

This outdoor amphitheater project is designed to retain and compliment as much of the natural features of the site as possible. The seating bowl will require minimal sculpting to fit within a natural valley. The stage is situated to allow the existing lake to serve as the backdrop. Planned features include new dressing/green room facility, new rest room buildings, and loading facilities. 

A few UrbanARCH projects not yet completed.  Stay tuned for updates as these projects become reality. 

-Tupelo Cotton Mill, Tupelo MS

-Private LakeHouse, Paris TN

-VIA, Memphis TN

-Tennessee Eyecare & Surgery Center of Lenoir City, Lenoir City TN

-Comeback Coffee, Memphis TN

-MOGA Wolfchase, Memphis TN

-Smile Center, Southaven MS

-Silo Square Development, Southaven MS

-Taco Felix Restaurant, Southaven MS

-339 Front St. Mixed-Use Conversion, Memphis TN

-Farmhouse, Paris TN

-Crosstown Court, Memphis TN