With rise of online shopping and changing consumer preferences, American malls have increasingly fallen out of fashion. Originally built in 1968, Nashville’s One Hundred Oaks Mall was in serious decline and in danger of becoming another casualty of suburban blight. Gresham Smith became the glue in a serendipitous relationship between Vanderbilt Health and the developers, reimagining the deteriorating retail center into a successful, mixed-use medical office destination. We master planned, programmed and designed the 880,000-square-foot project, creating a patient-friendly clinic that brings convenient, top-tier medical care to the Nashville suburbs.
880k
square feet
22
specialty clinics
5
awards
A Diamond in the Rough
Despite its unconventional location, the One Hundred Oaks location had a lot going for it: it was close to Vanderbilt’s main campus as well as downtown Nashville. However, the mall’s site was cluttered and confusing. Multiple one-way ramps and merges weren’t easy to navigate. Our team simplified the site’s circulation, adding clearly defined access points and a traffic signal for an easy-to-navigate site. We also recaptured a lot of the space devoted to ramps and implemented sustainable infrastructure such as rain gardens, bioswales and green space. Our team was also able to add additional parking to the site and a walking trail.
Creating a Clinic
Of the mall’s nearly 900,000 square feet, 450,000 square feet is dedicated to Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s clinical and administrative support operations. With a focus on wellness and convenience for the community, the patient experience and safety were drivers throughout the design process. The facility offers 22 specialty clinics with standardized rooms, which enhance patient safety and create flexibility. Kiosks allow patients to check themselves in, check their MyHealth account and check the availability of doctors and appointments. The space’s skylights, earth-tone walls and comfortable furniture are a vast departure from sterile hospital spaces and look more like a casual café than a doctor’s office.
A Shining (Green) Star
Throughout the renovation our team maintained the existing structural elements, recycled construction waste, used regional materials and low/no VOC paint and installed efficient mechanical and lighting systems. Our sustainability efforts led to USGBC LEED-CI Certification and a Green Star Award from the USGBC Middle Tennessee Chapter.
Honoring the Oaks
As a tribute to the original property, we planted 100 oak trees on the site and turned much of the asphalt into inviting green space. Additionally, our team’s wayfinding and identification graphics play off the historic site’s name while establishing a clean, modern look and feel for Vanderbilt’s new medical mall space.Gallery
Project Contact
Our team designs with genuine care for ingenious solutions.
