We are partnering with EOA Architects and NOMA Nashville to celebrate the Africatown International Design Idea Competition. The Competition highlights the spectacular discovery of Clotilda, a sunken slave ship found in 2019 in the Mobile River Delta, AL, which paved the way for multi-disciplinary design teams to imagine a revived Africatown.
What is Africatown? When Clotilda brought 110 kidnapped West Africans to America in 1860, 32 of the Africans formed and governed their own community in 1865. Their descendants and the community they founded still exist today.
The Competition brief had 16 land and water-edged venues on 4 sites across 3 cities that interpret and honor its history. The venues were destined to constitute a major new cultural heritage tourism destination system called The Africatown Cultural Mile™.
Why Now? In 2021, we held a virtual Urban Design Forum to learn more about the Competition before it officially opened which featured Renee Kemp-Rotan, Professional Competition Advisor to The Africatown International Design Idea Competition. Renee is our special guest for the evening, and she is responsible for organizing the largest Afrocentric, multi-site design idea competition that the world has ever seen. She used her broad and world-known urban design skills to program all 4 sites and 14 venues. Now, the winners have been announced—two of which are local Nashville designers, Taylan “Ty” Tekeli as well as the Moody Nolan / Tuskegee University Robert Taylor School of Architecture collaborative team led by Nashville architect Valarie Franklin, AIA, NOMA (Moody Nolan) and Professor Amma Asamoah (Tuskegee University). This Urban Design Forum will celebrate the amazing work of the competition and provide a platform for the local winners to share their submission concepts.
About The Designers:
Renee Kemp-Rotan is internationally regarded urban designer, Kemp-Rotan's works are now included in The African American National Biography, edited by Dr. Henry Louis Gates/Harvard University (WEB Dubose School of Research) and archived in the African American Archives, Oxford University, England. RKR was nominated by three American Institute of Architects Presidents to serve on the National Diversity and Inclusion Council (Governance Chair). Renee, as a long-standing member of AIA and NOMA, (National Organization of Minority Architects) was featured in ARCHITECTURE Magazine, in December 2016 and NOMA Magazine, in Fall 2017. She recently re-ignited StudioRotan, her civic design firm, established in 1988. As a DC native, Renee attended DC Public Schools, won the AIA/Ford Foundation Minority Scholarship Award to Syracuse, and since has traveled the world to 33 countries.
Ty Tekeli made the journey from Istanbul to Nashville over six years ago. His background adds a unique perspective to our work, influenced by the rich experiences gained from diverse cultural landscapes. He is dedicated to pushing creative boundaries through participation in design competitions. At Fabl Design, we find joy in embracing challenges as opportunities for growth. We are committed to continuous learning, recognizing that design competitions keep us on the path of improvement within the industry.
Amma Asamoah, a distinguished alumna of Tuskegee University's Robert R. Taylor School of Architecture and Construction Science and Philadelphia University's M.S. Sustainable Design Program, is a prominent figure in architecture and sustainable design. In her role as a tenure-track assistant professor at Tuskegee University, she shapes the future of architects while pursuing a Doctorate of Design at Carnegie Mellon University as a National GEM Consortium fellow.
Valarie Franklin is Associate Principal at Moody Nolan and an alumna of Tuskegee University and brings over 20 years of architectural experience including healthcare, educational, corporate, religious, cultural projects, and institutional architectural design and documentation. The Nashville, Tennessee, native proudly founded the Nashville Chapter of NOMA and serves on the AIA Tennessee Architects Political Action Committee (TAPAC) as the 2020 President of both organizations. Valarie also contributes to her native city of Nashville by serving on the MDHA Design Review Board.
Getting to the event
The Athenaeum at HASTINGS Architecture
225 Polk Ave, Nashville, TN 37203
Transit
Get to the Elizabeth Duff Transit Center at WeGo Central (400 Dr. M.L.K. Jr Blvd, Nashville, TN 37219). Head southwest on Charlotte Ave/Dr. M.L.K. Jr Blvd toward 5th Ave N/Rep. John Lewis Way N, Turn left toward Union St, Turn right onto Union St, Turn left onto Polk Ave, HASTINGS Architecture will be on the right
BCycle
The Closest BCycle station is at TPAC (6th Ave N & Union St)
Find your station (click on the image to see the map)
Parking
From I-65 North and I-40 West take exit 209 to George L. Davis Blvd. Turn right onto Church Street and left onto Rosa L. Parks Blvd.
From I-65 South take exit 209A toward Church Street. Turn left onto Church Street and left onto Rosa L. Parks Blvd.
From Nashville International Airport take I-40 West to George L. Davis Blvd. Take exit 209 to George L. Davis Blvd. Turn right onto Church Street and left onto Rosa L. Parks Blvd.
Upon arrival, please use the intercom located at the front door to enter the building. Scroll to select HASTINGS and hit the bell button to be buzzed in.