Since Franklin City Hall is on one of the most prominent sites in downtown Franklin, the building’s relationship to the rich historical fabric has been the driving force in the development of the exterior design. Studio Eight Design along with our architectural partners, OHM Advisors, and team of over thirteen consulting firms have been on a multi-year journey of continual collaboration in developing the design of this landmark building in the heart of downtown Franklin. Our team has worked closely with City staff team representatives, gaining input from the community, staff, Historic Design Review Committee, and Board of Mayor and Aldermen all along the way to achieve consensus among the many stakeholders involved.
We began with a year-long public outreach and Master Planning phase in 2020 with the goal of developing a master plan that would complete Franklin’s historic Public Square. The existing one-story former shopping mall has been an anomaly in the rich historic downtown fabric for over four decades. Keeping City Hall on this site provided the amazing opportunity to repair the fabric of this prominent quadrant of Franklin’s Square with a new City Hall that will serve the citizens of Franklin for generations to come.
The new City Hall building is an approximately 97,000 square foot three-story building with a subgrade parking garage that spans the entire length of the site. The project includes a one-acre park on the corner of Third Avenue and Church Steet serving as a gateway element into historic downtown from the Highway 96 vehicular corridor. A commercial use is incorporated into the first floor of the building adjacent to the park. The commercial use and park will help draw pedestrian foot traffic down this portion of 3rd Avenue, continuing the vibrancy of Franklin’s historic Main Street and Public Square. Throughout the entire process, our team has strived to maintain the delicate, and sometimes challenging balance between preservation and progress in the design of this important Civic building located in the center of historic downtown Franklin.
Project Team:
Architectural Planning and Design: OHM Advisors (Architect of Record) and Studio Eight Design (Architectural sub-consultant)
Civil Site Design: CT Consultants, Inc.
Land Planning, Landscape, and Irrigation Design: Kiser Vogrin Design (KVD)
Interior Design: BRAND Interior Design, LLC
Structural Engineering and Design: Genesis Engineering Group, LLC
Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing Engineering and Design: Genesis Engineering Group, LLC
Fire Protection/Life Safety Design: Genesis Engineering Group, LLC
Specifications Consultant: Specs and Details
LEED Facilitation, Sustainability, and Energy Modeling Consultant: Optimized Design Solutions and Energy Studio
MEP Commissioning: Facility Diagnostic, LLC
Fundamental Building Envelope Commissioning: Working Buildings
Integrated Automation/Telecommunications: Enfinity Engineering
Security Consultant: SRMC, LLC
Architectural Lighting Design: DHS Lighting Design
Acoustical Design: Necomb-Boyd
