The Interior Design Studio at HK Architects aims to always represent the principle our company was founded on - improving the quality of life for those we serve through outstanding design. Our design team offers comprehensive, professional services where the client is the top priority. Our team works diligently to anticipate the needs of the project, create spaces that withstand the test of time, source sustainable materials, and successfully articulate the aesthetic desires of the project.  Through our collaborative process, meticulous coordination, and combined 75 years of experience, we are able to formulate spaces that are a mix of art and design, form and function. 

HK Architects Interior Design Studio designed this modern bathroom for clients in Elder Mountain, TN.

Interior Design Services

Interior design plays a crucial role in the development of a space. We offer services in both residential and commercial projects, no matter the project size. Our team’s approach is defined by years-long, industry proven methods and through our own unique experiences. We believe that successful projects are built around the same core principles: communication, collaboration, problem solving, and implementation. From big visions to minute details, we are able to design thoughtful interiors, manage projects, and find impactful resolutions. 

We aim to seamlessly coordinate design needs between our architectural and interior teams and to exceed expectations.  We offer services to clients nationwide, with extensive expertise in communicating with clients remotely. Services include and are not limited to:

• Fully digital floor plans, elevations, and details
• Custom millwork design and coordination
• Pre-construction and project management services
• Sustainable product recommendations
• Lighting, plumbing, and appliance specifications
• Finish selection for every surface in the design
• 3D renderings and digital walk throughs
• Furniture and equipment selection

One of the most valuable services that HK Architects Interior Design Studio offers is the digital renderings and walk throughs. When the space is fully rendered, all finishes, furniture, art, and fixtures are represented so that nothing is left to the imagination. When you work with us, you know the end product will meet your expectations.

A rendering of an office common area for a client for a tenant build out.

The finished office space from the rendering above.

Our Process

Our process begins with an initial consultation where we meet with the client to assess the project scope, necessities, and potential wants. We then develop a plan of action that achieves the goals in place, strategizing ways to bring sustainable principles into the design. From initial design to construction, each client is assigned a dedicated project manager who knows every detail of the project.  The project manager works with the rest of the studio to bring a design to life that meets all qualifications set forth in initial meetings, works with the client to finesse the project, and finalizes construction documents.

We create spaces with meaning and connect our designs with the architectural form and the surrounding community, ensuring that every design serves a purpose. We would love the opportunity to transform your space. Please contact us at contact@hkarchitects.net to schedule a consultation. 

An office build out in Midtown Atlanta.

Historic preservation architecture is the practice of protecting and preserving buildings and structures of cultural and historical significance. It involves the careful restoration and rehabilitation of historic properties to retain their original character and integrity while making them functional for future use. 

HK Architects modernized the porch and roof of the Chickamauga Visitor Center at the historic Chickamauga Battlefield in Fort Oglethorpe, GA in 2014.

HK's History with Historic Preservation 

HK Architect’s core belief in sustainability and timelessness plays heavily in our historic work. We strive to create spaces that will stand the test of time.  Clif McCormick, principal architect at HK Architects, is a recognized expert in the field of historic preservation architecture. With over 20 years of experience, he has a deep understanding of the unique challenges and complexities involved in preserving and restoring historic properties.  Since 2012, Clif has served the state of Tennessee as the Historical Architectural Consultant. He is well versed in the National Park Service Guidelines for Historic Preservations and serves on the Chattanooga Historic Zoning Commission.

His historic preservation work ranges from preserving small buildings on state land to modernizing old Victorian homes to working with universities to modernize and restore buildings on campuses across the state. In some cases, this is a new roof or bathroom update, but in others it can be a complete renovation of the space. 

Bringing the Old to the New

At the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Clif was part of the design team that renovated historic Guerry Hall, home of the UTC honors college – modernizing for today’s students while preserving the rich history and tradition of the school's heritage.  The university wanted to update the flag room, create modern shared workspaces and classrooms for students, and upgrade faculty spaces in the building. HK Architects balanced the need to modernize the university space while retaining elements of the original design that hold significant history on the campus.  Check out more of the project here. 

HK Architects updated the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Guerry Center Flagroom, modernizing furniture and fixtures, while preserving stained glass and carved wall paneling.

Clif is currently involved in a renovation and restoration project in Ducktown, Tennessee at the Ducktown Basin Museum comprising twenty-four historic structures from the original copper mining facility. The property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. There are eight large structures used by the museum; some of which include the museum and its offices, two event spaces with new public restrooms, a maintenance workshop, and multiple storage facilities. The purpose of this work is to make the property available to the community for private and public events. 

Small building at the Ducktown Basin Museum historically renovated by Clif McCormick.

About Historic Preservation

The purpose of historic preservation architecture is to ensure that future generations can appreciate and understand the cultural and historical context of the built environment. Though preserving old building certainly considers the past, historical preservation of buildings is focused on the future: preserving the property for future generations and modernizing the building for future use. The buildings and structures that are preserved serve as tangible reminders of the past and represent the cultural, social, and technological advancements of our ancestors.

Challenges in Historic Preservation Architecture

One of the key challenges in historic preservation architecture is balancing the need to preserve the original character of a building with the need to make it functional for contemporary use. For example, many historic properties need to be updated with modern amenities, such as plumbing and electrical systems, to meet current safety and accessibility standards. All updates and changes must not compromise the building’s historical significance. 

Another challenge in historic preservation architecture is funding. Restoring and preserving historic buildings can be costly, and many organizations and governments struggle to secure the necessary resources to support these efforts. Therefore, a lot of the jobs Clif performs for the State of Tennessee mainly consist of preplanning – he visits the site, assesses needs, and writes a program and budget for future work. Consequently, finding the funding would be the next step for the state. Often, properties receive funding long after the original preplanning was done due to complex state budgets. 

A photo from HK’s visit to the historic York Bible School in Pall Mall, Tennessee. The state of Tennessee is in preplanning and already had some construction underway before Clif McCormick, State Historical Architectural Consultant, was brought in.

In conclusion, historic preservation architecture is a critical aspect of our built environment. It provides a connection to our past and helps us understand the cultural and historical context of the buildings and structures that surround us. Whether you are an architect, a history buff, or simply someone who values the beauty and character of our built heritage, historic preservation architecture is a field worth exploring and supporting.

Montessori school’s design mirrors the principles of the education method through a focus on natural materials.

By Heidi Hefferlin

The design of the new Montessori school in Chattanooga, Tennessee reflects the tenets of the education method employed within. Natural materials and an uncluttered aesthetic hint at the student-driven experience that is a hallmark of Montessori’s exploratory approach to learning. While the facade and interior spaces may seem simplistic, they were guided by very purposeful choices, which netted design firm HK Architects (formerly Hefferlin + Kronenberg Architects) an AIA Design Award of Merit.

MIRRORING THE MONTESSORI METHOD
The Montessori Elementary School at Highland Park is housed in a new, state-of-the-art facility that expands the Young Women’s Leadership Foundation’s mission of educating at-risk youth. Designed to meet the specific requirements for education in the Montessori method, the 51,358-square-foot building features a streamlined color and materials palette, large classrooms with designated learning areas, and a connection to the natural world from every room. The school replaces a grammar school from the early 20th century, which was beloved by the neighborhood. Initially, the design team labored to preserve the former structure, but it was ultimately decided that a new building served the Montessori objectives better.

The new school recalls the old in form and scale. It is clad in subdued brick and limestone, with colorful metal accents and futuristic sunshades. The wayfinding orange accent color of the railings, entry portal and stairways stands out against the soft palette, guiding students and visitors into and through the building.

The sunshades serve as the main focal points, drawing one’s eye with their almost-stark, post-war modern aesthetic, though they purposely prevent the eye from traveling too far. In addition to adding interest to the façade, the second-story sunshades offer privacy, while also reducing glare and heat gain.

It was important that, in every room, the children be able to see the sky and have a connection to the outdoors. The building plan is a disciplined, efficient square that minimizes costly exterior walls while maximizing access to plentiful daylight, employing clerestory roof windows that fill the interior of the building with natural light. The two stories of classrooms and common spaces surround an atrium with cascading wood tiers that connect the two levels. (The monumental staircase, which leads students up to their classrooms, also serves as auditorium seating for presentations.) Ensuring that every habitable room gets natural light, classrooms within the atrium have skylights, and each of the building’s 21 total classrooms looks out onto the hallway, lit with clerestory windows and natural light spilling over from the exterior-windowed rooms along one side of the hall. The design invokes a language of transparency that is surprising for such a large, seemingly solid, building.

Modern security concerns created the need for intense discussion regarding the balance between providing natural light into the spaces and maintaining a sense of openness while blocking direct sightlines from the neighborhood into student areas. Thanks to the innovative system of sunshades and light shelves, each classroom was provided a very large window, lending expansive views into the surrounding neighborhood or the school’s outdoor play areas, while also maintaining the required privacy.

CREATING A FOCUSED ENVIRONMENT
The interior palette aligns with the Montessori belief in authentic materials and restrained, undistracting colors, which also help to refract light and brighten the space. The muted color palette creates a neutral, peaceful setting for the energetic Montessori program. Independent and self-guided learning is a major tenet of the method, and the architecture should encourage and inspire this, making the flooring choices a fundamental part of the design.

Concrete anchors the majority of the space, hearkening back to the exterior concrete construction method through a polished concrete floor topper. As a durable material, concrete can stand up to decades of student processions and horseplay, with reduced maintenance. Throughout the building, hard flooring indicates areas for furniture and circulation. Carpet is used within the classrooms to denote open seating and play space.

The classrooms are larger than in traditional schooling methods, and differentiation within the space is key. Open floor space takes up a large amount of the room for children to choose where to sit, either on a mat or on furniture. Lessons are scattered throughout the classroom. Flooring was used to help distinguish the various spaces, with tufted area rugs to identify the open spaces for seating, learning and playing. Elsewhere, the team turned to Shaw Contract’s Tru Colours carpet tile in Saxony Blue, Orange and Paprika to infuse warmth.

The classroom materials used in the Montessori method are very colorful, and lessons for the students are displayed on open shelves for easy access and visibility. Because of the tendency for the classrooms to appear cluttered, the team decided to use a muted color palette to highlight and feature the natural color of the class materials. Shaw Contract’s

Arrange carpet tile in Reflection was used to introduce a measured infusion of color and pattern, mixed in with the Tru Colours tiles to keep the design fresh and invigorating.

It was the color selection and variation-along with the price point-that made the brand’s carpet tile the material of choice for this particular design. With kids being the central users of the flooring, the ease of replacement of carpet tile was also a deciding factor.

The only other flooring materials in the building are found on the main staircase and in the bathrooms. To offer some sound mitigation and a more inviting place to sit, the team chose white oak hardwood on the stairs/stadium seating, with a matte polyurethane finish.

In the bathrooms, the designers opted for porcelain tile from Crossville, drawn not only by its durability, cleanability and price point but also by its relatively local point of origin, less than two hours from Chattanooga. Crossville’s Simpatico collection of field tile mirrors the school’s muted aesthetic while also offering the opportunity for fun splashes of color and patterned texture, and the line’s neutral palette has warmth in its undertones, keeping the installation from looking austere. To keep the design streamlined, the team went with a standardized 12”x24” selection.

CONTENDING WITH A TIGHT TIMELINE
The design team’s primary objective was to make a cheerful, harmonious environment, but the material choices also served the project’s strict timeline. The design contract was signed in January 2020 and classes began at the end of August 2021. To accommodate the tight schedule, a general contractor was brought on board to review and verify price and schedule viability while drawings were in progress. The team issued the site grading and land disturbance package only three months after beginning design work, and the nearly $11 million build was under construction two months after that. Despite the pandemic and encountering deep foundry sands on the site, HK Architects completed the project on time and under budget, with change orders resulting in a net credit back to the owner.

Copyright 2022 Floor Focus

Related Topics: Fuse, Fuse Alliance, Crossville, Shaw Industries Group, Inc., The American Institute of Architects

Think the future of tech is confined to Silicon Valley? Think again. Businesses and startups are coming to Chattanooga for the fast internet and staying for the quality of life.

Why Chattanooga?

If you were to name America’s top tech cities, Chattanooga, Tennessee might not come to mind, but the small city is experiencing an economic rebirth fueled by fast internet. In 2010, Chattanooga built a government-owned fiber-optic cable network and became the first U.S. city to supply its residents with ultra high-speed internet service. Affectionately nicknamed The Gig, the fiber-optic network supplies the metro area with internet speeds of up to 10 gigabytes per second—faster than what you’ll find in most of the world’s largest cities.

Tech firms like San Francisco’s Code Science and logistics companies like Chicago’s Coyote have opened offices in Gig City, while homegrown businesses like Bellhops and SIGNiX are also starting and staying there. While job opportunities are drying up across many places in small-town America, Chattanooga had the nation’s highest wage growth in 2014, and unemployment is currently below 5%.

Chattanooga has a trove of industrial buildings undergoing conversion into collaborative workspaces. Local firm Hefferlin + Kronenberg (HK) Architects has been leading the renovation and conversion of the city’s landscape. While their clients include startups, independent businesses, and established corporations, their aesthetic is less Silicon Valley and more rust-belt restoration. Materials like two-foot-thick masonry walls, steel-riveted beams, and heavy timber might cost $250-$300 a square foot in today’s market, but in Chattanooga, they already exist, waiting to be restored.

The Wheelhouse by HK Architects, a creative village on Chattanooga’s Southside

Working Together to Build Businesses

Located on the edge of the Southside of Chattanooga, along with the historic Tennessee Valley Railroad line, is the Wheelhouse, a creative complex of workspaces. It’s a model of a new way to work, with companies sharing space, services and projects. Housed in a former manufacturing complex that went through many incarnations, the Wheelhouse was once a Standard Oil Vehicle Repair Shop, then a textile mill, then a printing company, and now it’s a creative village.

HK Architects purchased the 30,000 square foot property, 17,000 sf of which they own and 13,000 sf of which their partner, Set In Stone, owns. They reused existing materials—including steel, brick, and concrete—and used the shared space to create a communal conference room, corridors and artists’ lofts. The HK offices are on the ground floor, and they collaborate on projects with other tenants, including a marketing firm, real estate agency, film editing group and a lighting manufacturer. The Wheelhouse now has a waiting list of tenants—it’s an embodied example of Chattanooga’s thriving entrepreneurial culture.

Bellhops office at Warehouse Row by HK Architects

Creating Shared Spaces

Not far from the Wheelhouse, on Chattanooga’s Southside, Warehouse Row is a collection of early 1900s storehouses converted into shopping malls in the 1980s. HK Principal Craig Kronenberg designed a master plan for the site that engages the complex with the surrounding city, while Architects Heidi Hefferlin and Clif McCormick redesigned the buildings, using a central mall to create unique collaborative workspaces.

Conventional office buildings contain 8-10% common areas, while Warehouse Row buildings have a common area ratio of 20-25%. To make the most of available shared space, HK designed solutions like glass conference rooms, open lounges and sliding doors that allow spaces to be separated when needed. Connections to shops, dining, and the surrounding city create a vibrant urban center, helping companies attract and retain talent.

Code Science tech offices by HK Architects

Sustaining Quality of Life

Code Science is a San Francisco-based technology company who chose to open a satellite office in Chattanooga. They wanted access to high-speed internet, a lower cost of living, and better quality of life. For their satellite office, they chose the Southside neighborhood, a creative and walkable community with an active bike-share program. They leased the ground floor of a building that had once been an electrical supply house.

Previous owners had divided the space, and when HK took on the project, they gutted it to restore the building’s open layout and large windows. To complement the minimal aesthetic, HK incorporated exposed brick, reclaimed barn wood and polished concrete floors, paved with carpet tiles that define work areas. The layout combines open offices, communal break rooms, huddle spaces and meeting rooms for a balance of open and private workspaces. These flexible layouts invite people to bring their laptops to a sofa, chair or table, while also allowing desks and workstations to expand and contract as needed.

SIGNiX tech offices by HK Architects

Planning for Economy

Local tech company SIGNiX provides patented, secure e-signature technologies for legal documents. When they moved their offices to Warehouse Row, they needed to reflect a modern presence within the historic, industrial context of the building. Economy and simplicity were paramount.

HK left the majority of the existing envelope unaltered and exposed, including the brick and timber ceiling joists. The infill was kept as minimal as possible, in contrast with the existing building. New elements—including furnishings, custom workstations, and a branded entrance—utilized a clean aesthetic that complemented Warehouse Row’s industrial palette. Reusing existing materials to design a simple, streamlined workspace, HK brought out the best in both the building and the business.

Interior of the Wheelhouse by HK Architects

What’s Next?

Chattanooga’s influx of business has created an entrepreneurial environment. Startups are coming, staying and capitalizing on the city’s advantages, including fast internet, quality infrastructure and lifestyle. HK’s vision of the future rests squarely on the renovation of Chattanooga’s industrial landscape. Every project we undertake embodies one or more of these five drivers:

• • Renovation and Restoration: Reuse of Chattanooga’s infrastructure
  • Economy: Economic use of space, resources, time and materials
  • Collaboration: Focus on open spaces and varied environments for teamwork
  • Simplicity: Layouts that decrease distractions and increase openness
  • Sustainability: LEED and energy-efficient projects pay back dividends to owners and tenants

As neighborhoods like the Southside thrive, the potential for renovation and restoration expands to areas like the City Center, where new businesses are opening. It’s not one project, but the ecosystem that excites us. We may form a building, but it’s the city that forms us.

Sources

• Chattanooga Mayor’s Office. (March 19, 2014). Chattanooga Forward: Technology, Gig, and Entrepreneurship Task Force Report.
• Riegel, Stephanie. (November 8, 2017). Chattanooga Mayor to Baton Rouge: Invest in All Your Citizens. Greater Baton Rouge Business Report.
• Koebler, Jason. (October 27, 2016). The City That Was Saved by the Internet. Motherboard.

Written by Clifton McCormick, Principal at HK Architects

Good business can teach us how to better design schools. Concepts like collaboration, ROI, and future thinking can unlock the potential within educational institutions.

Building ROI into Education Projects

As architects, we’re careful to use available resources — time, money, and materials — to their utmost. For an education project, that might mean using daylighting to minimize heat loss and maximize light, or designing spaces to accommodate portable technology that can be easily updated when needed. Most often, it means working within tight schedules.

For Sale Creek Middle High School, we oversaw a renovation and addition, all while keeping the school operational. The existing one-story school was overcrowded and located on a small site, with little room to build. We designed a 40,000 square-foot, two-story expansion and created a schedule that allowed the school to remain in session during renovations. First, we moved a set of portable classrooms to create space for an addition. We built the addition and completed construction before Christmas break. After the break, the school moved its students into the new addition while we renovated the existing building. Working in concert with the school’s schedule, through semester transitions and holidays, we made every deadline. Within two semesters, the entire renovation and addition were complete.

Master Plan for Ivy Academy by HK Architects

For Ivy Academy— an environmentally focused charter school — we worked on an even tighter schedule. While most education design/build projects take an average of two years, they gave us just seven months from design commencement to move-in. We suggested working collaboratively with a contractor and created a Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) relationship. As we designed, the contractor built. With both processes happening in parallel, we came in on time and within budget.

Designing for the Future

Deep ties to Chattanooga — and a strong sense of who we are and where we’re from — make us partially responsible for the health and prosperity of our community. As architects, we seek to improve quality of life, and education is integral to that goal. As people, we do what we can — I’ve personally participated in Chattanooga’s Big Brothers Big Sisters program for over a decade. The future of our community depends on our schools, and Hefferlin Kronenberg Architects seek to create spaces in which students feel valued.

Sometimes, we achieve that through design decisions, like creating a cafeteria that connects to the outdoors for Sale Creek Middle High School. Sometimes, it has to do with meeting schedules and delivering a building on-time and on-budget, so students can learn without disruptions to their day-to-day routines. Sometimes, it involves sustainability that makes sense from a cost-benefit perspective, whether we use daylight harvesting, LED lights, ground-source heat, or just plain, smart building orientation. Often, it’s the small things that make the biggest difference: details like a thoughtful color scheme, good daylight, and a gracious entry.

All these things add up to create an environment that supports and engages students. Future employment depends on high-skilled vocational jobs, and those jobs depend on improving our schools. We’re proud to be a part of Chattanooga’s transformation, and we look forward to building for this generation of students and those to come.

See More of Our Work Here