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In 2019, the Tennessee Housing Development Agency reported that over 45% of Nashville renters are housing-cost-burdened: spending more than 30% of their income on housing-related expenses. With rents rising 15% in the past year alone and a projected 50,000-unit deficit by the year 2030, Nashville’s housing crisis shows no signs of slowing.
Combining 174 micro-units (approximately 200sq ft each) with shared common areas spaces such as the kitchen, lounge/living room, and outdoor spaces, the project creates a co-living model centered around community and affordability. The unique balance of shared public spaces with smaller private spaces brings to market a model of affordable housing options for downtown living in one of Nashville’s oldest neighborhoods.
The concept of disruption & community shapes the historic Rutledge Hill neighborhood & is mirrored in the architecture of Rutledge Flats. One of the oldest planned areas in Nashville, it has been divided, combined, and exquisitely interrupted by connectors & alleys as it adapted to community changes. Rutledge Flats similarly seeks to adapt the multi-family housing model to a new way of urban living by harnessing the concept of disruption in its facade patterning adapted from the neighborhood grid. It is also apparent in the lack of parking on the site, which was intentionally omitted with the aim of fostering a broader sense of community for the residents & disrupting the typical inclination for car dependency, & instead helping to promote more community interactions with neighbors.
The development of Rutledge Flats offers a new congregate housing model in Nashville that begins to address the desperate need for attainable housing in the city. As a housing typology new to Nashville, the design celebrates the congregate housing model’s inherent sense of community and challenges the perception that housing must choose between affordability, proximity, and design. This is seen in the variety of indoor and outdoor gathering spaces, as well as the hand painted murals created by local artist Tess Davies. By combining 174 micro-units (of approximately 200sq ft each) with shared common areas spaces such as the kitchen, lounge/living room and outdoor spaces, the project creates a co-living model centered around community and affordability. The unique balance of shared public spaces with smaller private spaces brings to market a model of affordable housing options for downtown living in one of Nashville’s oldest neighborhoods.
We were able to achieve our affordability goal with 100% private funding by using a micro congregate housing model. Our vision, combined with strategic design, successfully brought to market this hyper-efficient and economical project.
HASTINGS Architecture is an award-winning design firm based in Nashville, TN. Established in 1985, the company has achieved recognition as a leading design firm in the industry. Highlighting our firm’s commitment to design excellence is our ranking at #3 in Architect’s Newspaper’s Best of Practice Award in Architect Magazine’s current list of the top 50 national firms. With a focus on delivering thoughtful and sustainable architecture, our diverse team of professionals brings thoughtful curiosity and environmental responsibility to all our projects. Allowing us to consistently deliver innovative solutions for our clients with architecture that leaves a positive impact on the community it serves.
