The concept of the Design Studio initially grew out of the local architectural community's desire for University of Tennessee architecture students to focus their work on design projects in Chattanooga. In 1981, Stroud Watson, professor of architecture at UTK and founding director of UTK's Urban Design Program, received funding from the Lyndhurst Foundation to establish an urban design studio in downtown Chattanooga. The mission of the studio was to teach architecture students about urban design, and in the process educate the community about the role of design in the life of the city.
The early work of the students focused on establishing an overarching urban design structure for downtown. As the structure took shape, student projects began to concentrate on the "heart of the city" (the Miller Park District) and the "origin of the city" (the riverfront). In 1982 the Studio produced the seminal Images of the City exhibition. The public exhibition of student architecture and urban design work established an overarching framework for downtown and featured six specific projects to support the framework: the Miller Park District, Downtown Housing, Fountain Square, a State Aquarium, Market Street Depot, and Landscape in the City.
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In 1982, Watson began his direct involvement with the community by serving as an advisor to the Moccasin Bend Task Force. In 1983, Mayor Gene Roberts appointed him as Urban Design Consultant to the City. The studio partners at this point included the City of Chattanooga, the Lyndhurst Foundation and UTK.
In 1985, after several years of student work in the area, the Miller Park District Urban Design Guidelines were developed by the cooperative effort of the Studio and Koetter, Kim & Associates. As a proof of concept exercise, the studio engaged the services of five internationally recognized and local architecture firms to interpret the guidelines. Skidmore, Owings, Merrill from New York; Koetter, Kim Associates from Boston; Tuck, Hinton, Everton from Nashville; Peterson Littenberg Architects from New York; and Robert Seals, Architect from Chattanooga. The goal of this work was to demonstrate to the community that design guidelines could be interpreted in a number of unique ways that would not result in cookie-cutter building forms. On the heels of the exhibition, the City undertook the construction of the first phase of the district plan with the construction of Miller Plaza and Waterhouse Pavilion. During this process, the River City Company added staff to the Design Studio and joined the funding partnership.
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With the successes of early student work and the Miller Park District guidelines, Stroud and the Studio were recognized for their efforts. In 1987, the Studio and Koetter Kim & Associates received the 37th Annual Progressive Architecture Urban Design Award for their work on the Miller Park District Urban Design Guidelines. In 1988 Stroud received the Presidential Award for service to the profession from the Tennessee Society of Architecture. In 1989, the Miller Plaza development received an AIA Honor Award.
In 1990, the Design Studio underwent its largest organizational transformation. The studio added the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency (CHCRPA) as an additional partner and changed its name to the Riverfront/Downtown Planning and Design Center. The center employed two full-time planners from the CHCRPA, an urban designer employed by RiverValley Partners (formed by a merger of The RiverCity Company and Partners for Economic Progress), and an administrative professional. That year the studio took up new offices on the second floor of the recently completed Miller Plaza building.
The early 90's proved to be a dynamic time for Chattanooga and the Design Studio. The effort to embrace the birthplace of the city was realized with the construction of the Tennessee Aquarium.
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The studio played a critical role on the client team in working with Cambridge Seven Architects to ensure that the design of the aquarium was consistent with the vision and aspirations of the community. The Center also pushed for the design of the Aquarium Plaza to be guided by the principles of openness, inclusivity and access for all. In Stroud's words "We're not just building a front yard for the Aquarium, we're creating a front porch for the city."
As the projects on the riverfront were finishing construction, the student work began to focus on the neighborhoods of the Southside. As with Miller Plaza and the Riverfront, student work was focused on the area before staff and professionals tackled "real world" projects. The planning efforts in the Southside included work by staff, as well as professional firms including the likes of Calthorpe Associates, William McDonough Associates, and Dover, Kohl Associates.
As was the case in the 80's, the Design Center was recognized for its work in the 90's and early 00's. In 1992, the Center was awarded the Scenic Cities Beautiful Award. In 1993, the "Downtown Plan" won the Comprehensive Planning Award from the Tennessee Chapter of the American Planning Association. In 1995, Stroud Watson was awarded the Tennessee Community Service Recognition Award by the Tennessee Higher Education Commisssion.
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In 1997, Stroud received the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) Distinguished Professor Award.
In 2001, Stroud Watson received the Thomas Jefferson Award for Public Architecture from the American Institute of Architects. Shortly thereafter, the studio moved from Miller Plaza to new accommodations in the Development Resource Center.
Although the community's initial attempt to return to the river was wildly successful, it did not actually achieve the goal of engaging the River. In 2001, under the leadership of Mayor Bob Corker, work began to complete the connection. The Design Studio played a critical role in the development and implementation of the 21st Century Waterfront Plan.
After a change in administration at the UTK School of Architecture, the decision was made to suspend the Chattanooga satellite studio. The last group of students passed through the studio in the spring semester of 2003. Shortly after the election of a new mayor in 2005, Stroud's contract as Urban Design Consultant to the City was not renewed. The studio continued to exist for a short time afterward, without Stroud, his students or the partnerships with Lyndhurst, the University and River City. Eventually, the city reorganized and the Studio ceased to exist altogether.
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The studio lives on in the work of the dozens of architects that passed through the studio. It can be found in the award-winning public places in downtown Chattanooga, it expresses itself in the sophistication of the local professional community, and is made conspicuous by a citizenry that is well versed in the principles of urbanism and design.
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