Conservation Hall was part of a renovation of the

Tennessee Governor's Mansion The Tennessee Governor's Mansion, also known as the Tennessee Residence, in Oak Hill, Tennessee, a suburb of Nashville, is the official residence of the governor of Tennessee and his or her family. It is a three-story Georgian-style mansion that ...

. It is a subterranean meeting and banqueting facility built under the front lawn of the Tennessee Residence. It brings the Tennessee Residence up to modern standards for State receptions and dinners with its ability to seat up to 160 people. The centerpiece of Conservation Hall is the glass-walled oval atrium and courtyard that opens to the sky. The renovation project was spearheaded by

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

First Lady

Andrea Conte Andrea Conte (born February 13, 1941) is the wife of former Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen, serving as First Lady of Tennessee from 2003 to 2011. She is a 1968 graduate of the University of Washington and a registered nurse. Early history ...

. Her goals for the project were threefold: To better manage official functions at the Tennessee Residence, to protect the historical integrity of the property and the surrounding neighborhood, and to encourage energy-efficient operation and minimal environmental impact. The

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

architecture firm,

archimania Archimania is a collective of architects and designers in downtown Memphis, Tennessee’s South Main Historic Arts District. The collective was founded in 1995 and is led by Todd Walker, FAIA, and Barry Alan Yoakum, FAIA. Archimania was ranked 8 ...

, won the architectural design competition because of their experience in sustainable design, as well as their unusual idea to hide the new construction underneath the front lawn, rather than compete with the existing residence. The Residence has been awarded LEED certification from the Green Building Certification Institute and the

U.S. Green Building Council The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), co-founded by Mike Italiano, David Gottfried and Rick Fedrizzi in 1993, is a private 501(c)3, membership-based non-profit organization that promotes sustainability in building design, construction, and op ...

.State of Tennessee First Lady News Releases The state plans to seek LEED certification for Conservation Hall in a separate application.

References

External links

* http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/sep/29/memphians-plan-mansion-change/ {{US Governor Mansions * http://nashville.bizjournals.com/nashville/stories/2006/09/18/daily37.html * http://www.state.tn.us/firstlady/newreleases/news_view_64.html

Houses completed in 1929 Government buildings in Tennessee Buildings and structures in Nashville, Tennessee