Tennessee State Museum

The new Tennessee State Museum (TSM) is a replacement facility and the first major new construction project overseen by the State of Tennessee Real Estate Asset Management agency (STREAM) in decades. Planned as a 100-year building, the new TSM’s design incorporates high-quality, high-performance materials and systems throughout to preserve and display historical artifacts and treasures that dynamically demonstrate the history of the state.   

The new TSM uniquely features multiple distinct environments housed under one roof. Both the design and construction of the facility thoughtfully considered widely varied conditions in temperature, humidity, and lighting controls; pressurization and isolation; security and communications; and safety. An active, public museum, TSM features curated exhibits made from artifacts that are owned by the State or borrowed from other facilities, therefore the storage and display environments must remain conducive to preserving items of various origin. The challenge was to meet basic but often conflicting objectives in a facility that is comfortable, functional, maintainable, and energy efficient. 

As a 100-year building, the project team creatively developed a high-performance facility built within the confines of modern construction. The team selected the most durable products, systems, and assemblies for a sustainable structure that prohibited water or air leakage. We performed infrared roof scanning to make sure no water was trapped within the roofing layers, which could increase the risk of damaging sensitive exhibits. 

To adequately address the complexities of such a facility in a sustainable fashion each project team fulfilled expectations that are not typical in most projects. We supplied many of the specialized resources the State needed to address the project’s challenges by helping to assess the quality and performance of building systems from design through the first few years of operation. The project team also included an international team of museum specialists that programmed the project before handing responsibilities off to local management.  

Of all envelope consultants in the state, ours is both the largest and the most diverse in skill set. This uniquely qualified us to provide specialty consulting services for a project with high performance goals and little to no room for error. It was imperative that the new Tennessee State Museum represented the best the state has to offer in both exterior design and interior function, protecting prized artifacts and sharing the legacy of the people who have made Tennessee a beloved home.