The Urban Land Institute recognized Casa Azafran as one of six notable Nashville projects at their 2014 Awards Program. The award recognizes the comprehensive quality essential for ‘excellence in development’ and we are proud to be included in this select group.  We are especially pleased to receive this award because it is such an innovative and unique program. Michael Ward worked intensively with Renato Soto (Executive Director of Conexion Americas, pictured above) from the project inception; designing the program and facility and working in tandem to implement the project.  The facility has been recognized for not only its approach to design but also for its unique contribution to the Nashville community. Watch a cool video about the project HERE

Summer has arrived with a bang, bringing with it many ways to get outside.  We’re a little evangelical about that, but most of us don’t get outside enough, and it is positively good for you, emotionally and physically.  So whatever floats your boat (literally and figuratively) take advantage and get outside to run, cycle, swim, play tennis or golf, garden, walk, or just sit and be still for a spell.

As architects who do a lot of residential work, we strive to enhance the connection from inside to outside: integrating the house with the outdoors through terraces, patios, decks, and porches that make the connection easy and part of your lifestyle; creating outdoor spaces for cooking, dining, entertaining, or just relaxing; planning the site to create spaces for other activities like swimming, lawn games, court games, and so forth. It is obvious that attention to site design and planning is important in making your home attractive, but it is just as important to enhance your enjoyment of your home.

Speaking of outside, this coming weekend is the Williamson County Master Gardener Association annual garden tour.  We mention it because David & Gloria Allard’s garden is on this year’s tour!  David has been puttering around this Gooney Hill for over 30 years, and has a unique assemblage of things, including a vegetable garden that provides the majority of their food from spring through fall, a chicken coop, beehives, and other compulsions.  There are 5 other gardens on the tour, stretching across the center of the county from Brentwood working south along Franklin Road and Lewisburg Pike.  So if you're looking to enjoy the outdoors on Saturday or Sunday, you might want to consider a tour of some gardens.  Details are available HERE.  If you go, GOOD WALKING SHOES ARE A MUST.

Chimborazo Day celebrates the mountain which represents the highest point on Earth. Technically, Chimborazo is higher than Mt. Everest, as it resides closer to the equator where the Earth ‘bulges’. This makes it relatively taller even though it’s smaller overall!