Music HQ renovation is pitch perfect

Project: Warner Music Nashville, Warner Chappell Music
Award: Silver, Workspace Interiors - Corporate Offices (Over 10,000 SQM), 2024
Location: Nashville, United States
Design practice: HASTINGS Architecture
Client: Warner Music Group

Situated in the heart of Nashville on iconic Music Row, HASTINGS Architecture’s ambitious re-imagination of the premises for Warner Music Nashville and Warner Chappell Music, two subsidiaries of multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate Warner Music Group, has breathed new life into each. 

“The project preserves Music Row's legacy while offering superior amenities for today's artists, fostering creativity and innovation in a space that honours its storied past. The result is a harmonious blend of tradition and technology, perfectly suited for the evolving music industry,” the architecture studio said.

The judges singled out the "good variety of focused, private creative spaces as well as break out spaces for social interaction", "the well considered design, layout and location of the central performance space" and the "interesting ceiling detail".

"The renovation does a great job of keeping the charm and history of Music Row, really capturing the classic bungalow style and cosy vibe," they said.

Design highlights

The new Warner Chappell Music office harkens back to the residential bungalows that historically housed publishing houses and record labels on Music Row, with its warm and nurturing palette that features polished concrete floors, deep green walls, and coffered ceilings. Walnut wood built-ins and eclectic vintage rugs add texture and comfort. On the ground floor, an open concept living, dining and kitchen space serve as a central organising element. The adjacent ‘pub’ serves as a listening room, performance and meeting space. Twelve writer’s rooms and a writer’s lounge support artists.

Warner Music Nashville, the country label of Warner Music Group, is reimagined with a double-height performance space wrapped in black wood slat walls placed at its heart. A new state-of-the-art recording studio, listening rooms, green rooms, and artist lounges provide space for content creation, more intimate performances, entertainment and artist meetings. The new performance space was created through the design team’s innovative idea of carving into the parking garage built into the base of the building behind the entry to provide a greater, more dramatic performance space to be on display immediately upon entrance into the building.

Photo credit: Garrett Rowland