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The nonprofit Tennessee Performing Arts Center® unveiled today the first comprehensive designs for its landmark new campus in Nashville, marking a major milestone in the creation of a world-class cultural destination in Tennessee that will serve artists, audiences, students, and communities across the state and beyond.
Designed by the internationally renowned architect Bjarke Ingels and his firm, BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group, TPAC’s future home on the Cumberland Riverfront will also serve as the cultural anchor for Nashville’s East Bank – one of the most ambitious urban redevelopment projects in the United States today. The building project is made possible through a major public-private partnership, including significant support from the State of Tennessee and ongoing collaboration with Metro Nashville.
The new 307,000 sq-ft performing arts center will feature four dedicated venues designed to support a wide range of performances: a grand Broadway hall hosting TPAC’s annual series of marquee touring productions; a dance and opera hall featuring performances by TPAC’s resident companies and more; a flexible black box theater; and an intimate cabaret hosting musical performances that reflect the spirit of Music City.
The campus further prioritizes expanded arts education and community programming spaces. It will include permanent classrooms and adaptable rehearsal studios for performances and workshops, serving as an incubator for the region’s growing arts community. A direct connection to the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge will link the campus to the city’s downtown, reinforcing its role as a civic destination and gathering place.
Jennifer Turner, President and CEO of TPAC, said: “This new center represents the future of the performing arts in Nashville and across our state. For more than four decades, TPAC has brought world-class performances and transformative arts education programs to Tennesseans. Our new home will allow us to welcome more audiences, support more artists and expand the impact of the performing arts in communities across Tennessee.”
Bjarke Ingels, Founder & Creative Director, BIG, said: ““The new home for the Tennessee Performing Arts Center is designed like an urban and cultural connection – between the east and west bank of the Cumberland River, between the old and the new Nashville, and between all of the performing arts. Visually, it bookends Broadway as a beacon from across the river, drawing the cultural life of downtown across to the East Bank. Designed to be welcoming on all sides, the center is accessible from above and below the bridge, making the lobby a cascading public space for the daily life of the neighborhood. The façade is composed of aluminum tubes bundled like organ pipes or steel chimes, undulating from vertical to horizontal to provide openings and canopies for the audience and performers passing through. The result is like a flowing public pavilion in the park that, as the new home for TPAC, provides the inclusive and inviting character that its program and performances deserve.”
Construction of the new campus is expected to begin in 2027, with a projected completion and opening in 2030. TPAC will remain open and active throughout this process in its current home in the James K. Polk Cultural Center in Downtown Nashville – a State-owned building that is being recommissioned.
TPAC selected Bjarke Ingels Group to lead the architectural design in collaboration with Nashville-based HASTINGS Architecture and the nationally recognized performing arts architecture firm, William Rawn Associates.
A Landmark Design by Bjarke Ingels Group
TPAC’s reflective metal facade, composed of an array of aluminum tubes, creates a dynamic, sculptural volume that looks different from every vantage point in the city. Taking cues from an undulating theater curtain, the arches on the exterior lift to reveal the activity within.
Upon arrival, guests are welcomed by a light-filled atrium that draws the energy of the city inside. Two lobbies connect the performance spaces: the main lobby at street-level with views of the river and proposed waterfront park, and an elevated lobby fronting the landmark John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge. A grand staircase, central lounge, and cascading concrete slabs invite patrons to congregate before, after, and in between performances – reinforcing TPAC’s role as a social gathering place within Nashville.
Within the Broadway Theater, floating wood-clad ‘trays’ organize the seating into intimate clusters, each staggered in height for optimized sightlines. The opera and dance hall is designed to enhance the views of the dancers’ feet, while the balconies reinforce a visual continuity with the stage. The Black Box Theater places the audience directly in the performance, eliminating the proscenium ‘picture frame’ that traditionally outlines the stage and allowing for different seating configurations tailored to each production. The Cabaret features a stage that extends into the audience, creating an intimate atmosphere complemented by banquet-style seating.
A transparent rehearsal space offers visitors a glimpse behind the scenes, while a sensory room offers a calming environment during performances. Crowning the building, a roof terrace features sweeping views of Broadway, the Cumberland River, and the Nashville skyline.
Outdoor staircases connect TPAC to the river, integrating the center into Nashville’s new East Bank district and enhancing connectivity with the city beyond. Landscape design by OLIN surrounds the building with diverse plant life and pockets for public outdoor performances, gathering spaces, and play groves.