A striking glass building with the YMCA logo and sunset in the background.
Contact
Lisa Woodruff, Executive Vice President, Global Head of Retail, outside in front of a blurred brown background featuring a building and mix of natural and urban elements.
Lisa Woodruff
Executive Vice President and North America Head of Real Estate
Share

Project overview

Responding to Nashville’s needs 

A major refurbishment of the YMCA’s landmark central Nashville property to provide a unique community resource, supporting residents’ wellbeing through healthy living, youth development and social responsibility initiatives. This project is our largest pro bono project ever undertaken in North America.

The new “Downtown Y” will add 60,000 sq ft to the original building, creating a 180,000 sq ft, state-of-the-art facility designed to meet Nashville’s growing need for community wellbeing resources. It will include expanded gym spaces, meeting rooms, a children’s play area, and a new indoor aquatics center. Once complete, the YMCA will be a place where people across generations can connect and support one another on their wellbeing journeys.

Project story

Mitigating construction side effects  

The building will serve as a hub for physical fitness and recreation while also fostering social connection and enhancing quality of life for residents and visitors. Located between two high-rise residential towers, 1000 Church Street sits in the heart of downtown Nashville—an area with heavy foot and vehicle traffic. Because the YMCA will remain open during construction, coordinating material deliveries and managing noise and dust are critical to keeping day-to-day operations running smoothly.

Collaboration and engagement 

A key part of our role is leading engagement and collaboration among multiple stakeholders throughout construction to support a successful outcome. We are providing—on a partial pro bono basis—project and cost management services as well as project controls, to help ensure the work is completed on schedule and within budget.

 

“Turner & Townsend has provided real value as a trusted partner on all our major expansion projects from 2020 onwards. From negotiating contracts to evaluating risk, the team has worked with contractors to make sure costs are kept down, while continuing to deliver the quality required.

We can't give enough credit to Turner & Townsend for helping us do that. The legacy of this project is that we’ll be able to serve downtown Nashville residents for decades to come.”

Chip Howorth
Property Committee Chair
Middle Tennessee YMCA Association

861682180 thumbnail
The project in action
Go behind the scenes with the team on this unique project
EXPLORE MORE
A group of employees having a casual chat in the break room with a table with apples.
Services
Hangar 1 (1)Image courtesy: ©Sam Burbank
Sectors
Male and female colleagues having a casual chat in the break room.
Join us