Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Located inside the largest, non-gaming hotel in the United States, Soundwaves is a water park designed by Scott Sickeler and the design team from BLUR Workshop that interweaves water features, with unique vantage points and smaller sub-spaces, each with its own personality.
Soundwaves has recently been awarded a 2022 American Architecture Award by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
One of the goals of Soundwaves was to create a water park that would appeal to adults, as most other water parks in the U.S. are geared toward children.
A water park that is sophisticated and beautiful would appeal to a larger audience, be an exciting differentiator, and be an asset, rather than a detraction to the client’s core business.
Careful attention was paid to every design choice to avoid the industry-standard and industry-standard products.
The architectural vocabulary of the project is made up of sculptural walls and forms with waterfalls, natural wood, and lush landscape, highlighted by the daylight streaming in.
The chlorides in the water features create an indoor atmosphere that is harsher on materials than that of a coastal environment.
Thus, a mechanical system was also designed to minimize guests’ exposure to chlorides.
Air is pushed across the water surfaces to move the chloride-laden air into large return plenums to immediately filter it, increasing the comfort level of guests.
Glulam wood beams were used as the main structural members in lieu of steel for their resistance to corrosion.
They provided the added benefit of adding warmth to the space.
ETFE pillows were used instead of glass skylights because this resulted in a much lighter roof system, requiring less structural material to support it.
The three-layered construction of these pillows, organized in 100’ long panels, allows for an independent structural diaphragm, while still allowing natural daylight inside for the landscape and guest experience.
The water park is located inside the largest, non-gaming hotel in the United States, known for its lush, daylight-filled, glass-covered atriums.
That context was used to establish the architectural vocabulary of the water park.
Vertical green walls were introduced to recall the lush landscaping in the rest of the hotel.
Not only did they create a beautiful and memorable environment, but they also did it without taking up precious floor space.
They were positioned throughout the water park and are used to conceal the typically unattractive elements, such as the slide tower stair.
Much of the overall planning and the compactness of the water park was due to the location of a blue line stream, on the northern edge of the site.
The piece of property available for the water park was much larger than what was ultimately used.
The goal of preserving this stream led to the unique, three-level arrangement.
The vertical stacking of the three levels was used to create spaces for active play, areas for younger children, and ultimately, at the top, a perch with an adult-only bar, pool, and outdoor terrace.
The three-level design also allowed for the interweaving of the water features, the ability for guests to have unique vantage points of the whole facility, and the creation of smaller sub-spaces, each with its own personality.
Project: Soundwaves
Architects: BLUR Workshop
Lead Architect: Scott Sickeler
Design Team: Liz Neiswander, Scott Morris, Peter Green, Tim Keepers, Jonathan Massie, Max Neiswander, Sunny Blount, James Patrick, and Lucinda Aaron
General Contractor: D.F. Chase, Inc.
Client: Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc.
Photographer: Justin Cordova