This spring I returned to Nashville for several architectural photography projects, among them the Village Church and Children’s Memory Garden at Centennial Park.
Again, I had the pleasure of working with EOA Architects and McCoy Design to photograph the Village Church. In Antioch, the new building is situated on a hilltop with backdrop of woods. There were many great skies to shoot with in 2023 and morning of the shoot was no exception.
Linear in elevation, I love how the massing comfortably breaks down to a very human scale. The indentation of the cross really pops out, serving as representation, signage, and change in building material. Likewise, the metal graphics above the entry canopy stands out in a way that’s complementary to the building design.
Even the scale of the sanctuary avoids becoming overwhelming, nestling perfectly among the rest of the church’s other functions.
Inside, broad circulation bridges between the building’s entry and sanctuary, linking programmatic elements such as office spaces, and children’s programs. Windows generously allow natural light to filter below the exposed metal deck and architectural lighting follows the circulatory path.
Ancillary spaces to sit, gather, serve beverages, etc. are chiseled underneath a dynamic ceiling overhang that stems from the sanctuary space.
One church wing houses their children’s programs with some fantastic 3D signage above its entry.
I always appreciate small gestures like this – you can see this ceiling extrusion in the image above, but it really draws a line directly viewing into the sanctuary.
The sanctuary itself also has an exposed metal deck, painted black with lowered canopy of string lights that help increase the intimate appearance of a large sanctuary space.
Generous fenestration allow views out to the green foliage beyond.
The lighting design matches the architectural energy and I made it a point to capture the shimmer of the building and signage installation reflecting the surrounding night sky.
Back in downtown Nashville, I returned to Centennial Park, where I photographed the Parthenon a couple years ago, to capture the Children’s Memory Garden for Tillett Lighting. The garden was dedicated in 1996 to families who lost children to violence and recently had a new landscape architecture and lighting added to increase the sites visual prominence and practically accommodate for more pedestrian accessibility.
Photographs were captured during blue hour before sunrise and after dusk. There’s a variety of lighting to illustrate, from broader site lighting that raises illumination of the landscape forms, to pinpoint lights encased in the ground.
That’s it for Nashville, always a pleasure to photograph in the area!
