TVA Headquarters

Chattanooga, Tennesee - 1979

A 1,000,000 sq.ft. building complex for Tennessee Valley Authority’s Office of Power in Chattanooga focuses on daylight as a design theme.  A multidisciplinary team integrated the energy imperative with the needs of a large institution to produce a building formed to receive light and respect its urban environment. The low rise scheme respects a neighbor’s solar access and the scale of the surrounding buildings.

The south facade has mirrored light shelves which, coupled with the high 12’ ceilings, channel the light deep into the offices.  The solar courts organize a vast amount of office space around linear internal streets.  These courts have operable louvers which continuously respond to the changing climate and the needs of the building: shading, beaming sunlight, diffusing light, and trapping heat.