Nashville, Tennessee – oneC1TY Nashville is pleased to announce the completion of the centerpiece of the project’s community open space – The Yard Stage and canopy. With innovation, technology and sustainability as guiding principles for the overall development at oneC1TY, this state-of- the-art structure is a natural fit. The Yard Stage is a community gathering place on the 19-acre, mixed-use development focused on mindful, healthy living made easy. It is a place for all types of community events and gatherings – from daily conversations between neighbors and tenants, to outdoor fitness and wellness sessions, to picnic lunches and movie nights, and concerts with space for up to 2,000 visitors.
The Yard Stage’s canopy was fabricated utilizing a new method of 3D printing called Cellular Fabrication, creating an open cell matrix with both structural integrity and a lightweight product that mimics geometries found in nature. The structure is made entirely from a pelletized thermal plastic – a carbon fiber reinforced Polymer called ABS, or Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene. In keeping with oneC1TY’s commitment to sustainable practices, the structure is 100% recyclable at the end of life and produced no more than one pound of construction waste in the process. Engineers eliminated the need for a steel structure typically required for a similar span with a generative, form-finding technology that employs geometry to realize the optimal form, structure and matrix design. The Yard Stage canopy will be one of the longest 3D printed spans in the world, as well as one of the tallest 3D printed structures in the United States. The canopy was printed by two of the world’s largest free-form, industrial robots originally built for the auto industry and modified with proprietary mechanics and polymer extruders for material deposition. The structure was fabricated for oneC1TY by Branch Technology, located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The structural engineer was Thornton Tomasetti’s New York office. A video detailing the process is found here.
In envisioning The Yard Stage, oneC1TY’s team was inspired to find ways to celebrate innovation, the arts, and to create a place for the community to come together on the campus. Much of the team’s inspiration came from the late Kitty Moon Emery, the long-time community and business leader in Nashville who died last year. Emery was a friend of oneC1TY in her role as Chief Operating Officer of the Global Action Platform, the nonprofit university-business alliance dedicated to increasing worldwide access to food, health and prosperity that has had a multi-year relationship with oneC1TY. oneC1TY intends to dedicate the venue to Emery.
Look for upcoming event announcements at oneC1TYNashville.com.
