Stepping this 300,000 sf building back from the street and incorporating a pedestrian arcade framed with brick columns and arches gives this two city block long structure a human scale. These same elements are brought to the inside of the building reinforcing the public experience.

The arcade is successful on several levels; one, it allows us to bring the structure down to the street giving the visitors a more intimate experience. Two, the arcade adds to the environmental amenities of the building by providing shading of the sun for the meeting rooms along its length as well as a covered outdoor space for people to enjoy on breaks.

Bringing the exterior masonry and steel inside helps orient visitors as well as reinforcing a human scale. The masonry supported steel reflects the rail and industrial heritage of Chattanooga. This attitude is reinforced throughout the detailing including the directional signage. The way finding graphics and lighting are three dimensional elements scaled appropriately to break the large space into smaller visual pieces that individuals can appreciate.

The Prefunction spine connects the North & South entries with all Exhibit Halls, Meeting Rooms and Banquet Halls located along its 900' length. This daylite space provides the visitor with a clear sense of direction and organization in a comfortable environment.

The Exhibit Halls feature the first daylite halls in this country. On a typical day daylighting provides over 150 foot candles of beautiful light that showcases exhibits. In addition it allows the "setup" and "teardown" of shows without artificial lighting. With this activity representing 40-60% of the duration of a typical event, daylighting is a considerable energy savings.

The Exhibit Hall is 100,000 sf of column free space with 240' clear span steel trusses supporting the roof. The trusses also contain a grid of secondary members to allow exhibitors to suspend displays, lighitng / theatrical rigging, etc. Thirty foot clear ceiling heights allow the halls to host numerous athletic events.