Title: Loghaven Artist Residency Visual and Performing Arts Studios
Location of Proejct: Knoxville, TN
Project Completion Date: January 2020
Firm Name: Sanders Pace Architecture

Short Description: The Visual and Performing Arts Studios are the first purpose-built studios on the Loghaven Artist Residency campus. Similar in form but different in function, the companion buildings incorporate performance and technology requirements specific to the disciplines working within. The open studio spaces within the buildings are offset in response to site topography with panoramic windows oriented to maintain privacy while providing views into the tree canopy and the Smoky Mountains beyond.

Architect's Statement: Project Square Footage: 2,810 SF (1,405 SF Each)
Project Total Cost: Withheld

The Loghaven Artist Residency is a multidisciplinary artist residency occupying 90 acres just 2 miles from downtown Knoxville. The site consists of 5 historic log cabins dating from the 1930’s which have been rehabilitated into residences for visiting artists, a new Gateway Building which provides communal artist spaces along with a multidisciplinary studio, and two studio buildings purpose-built for visual and performing artists. Completed in late 2019, the project is the culmination of years of planning, research, and coordination between a charitable foundation and the design team. Threatened with development, the property was initially acquired by the foundation in 2008 with the goal of preserving the site for future generations. From the outset goals and priorities were established including:

- The rehabilitation strategy that included the preservation of the original 1930’s era log cabins originally constructed by Myssie Thompson as rental homes for her family;
- An ecological strategy that preserved and enhanced the existing character of Loghaven Drive and the surrounding 90 acre property;
- A strategy for new construction which contrasts but complements the character of the originals, reinterpreting the typology, scale, and materiality of the original buildings in new ways.

The site is programmed with 3 primary functions including artist cabins, a Gateway Building, and dedicated artist studio space. These programs are all interconnected by a combination of original roads and paths and a newly constructed trail system which weaves through the forest and woodlands flanking both sides of a ridge.

In order to provide adequate space for dancers, performing artists, screen printers, and others who may not be able to work in the cabins it was decided that discipline-specific studios should be built on the Loghaven campus in preparation for the first residency. Located just a short walk from the Gateway Building through the woods of Loghaven, the Visual Arts Studio and Performing Arts Studio were designed as companion buildings with flexible open workspaces that can accommodate these artists.

The gable form so familiar and ubiquitous to Loghaven was chosen for both studio volumes. These forms allow a discreet site presence and relate to the forms of the existing cabins while also achieving the volumetric requirements of both the visual arts and performing arts spaces. These studio volumes are anchored to the hillside by the service spaces housed below the primary structures, taking advantage of the sectional opportunities of the sloping site.

Similar to the Gateway Building, the studios strive to reinterpret the material language of the cabins in a more contemporary way. Here board formed concrete takes the place of the rustic stone base of the cabins and a dark stained shiplap cypress rainscreen siding system is used in place of logs. A bonderized standing seam metal roof matches those on the cabins, but here it is detailed without eaves and incorporates internal gutters to further emphasize the simple gable form.

While the Performing Arts Studio and Visual Arts Studio are similar in form, each incorporates technology and other requirements specific to the disciplines housed within. The buildings are offset in response to the topography of the site. The large panoramic windows are located to capture views into the tree canopy and to the Smoky Mountains beyond while also maintaining privacy for the occupants. Both buildings feature open studio spaces oriented towards the existing treeline. The support spaces for the buildings act as a buffer between the entry and the studio space, further enhancing the sense of privacy.

The Performing Arts Studio includes a sprung floor to limit fatigue commonly associated with dance and other performing arts. Large expanses of glass provide framed views opening to the surrounding wooded landscape and distant views to the Smoky Mountains beyond. Continuous strip lighting accentuates the long space and provides even lighting for performance activities. A continuous mirror is provided along the south wall and can be concealed by a curtain if desired. Supply and return grilles in both studios are integrated into a single slot to minimize their visual impact on the space.

The Visual Arts Studio incorporates ventilation, a large press, a graphics processing sink, and high resolution printing capability along with adjustable track lighting in multiple color temperatures. Interior materials, utilitarian in nature, were selected based on function and ease of maintenance. The polished concrete floor can accommodate a variety of visual arts activities. The space also features two north facing skylights to provide ample natural light in the space.