Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway Renovation rendering, black building with blue accents and large windows

firm news

DLR Group Opens Nashville Office

(NASHVILLE, Tenn., Oct. 24, 2023) – DLR Group, a 100% employee-owned integrated design firm, is expanding its presence in the Southeast with the opening of an office in downtown Nashville. This expansion aligns with the firm’s commitment to meet the diverse design needs of existing education, government, hospitality, sports, and workplace clients throughout the entire state.

The new office, located at 315 Deaderick Street, is a collaborative effort led by DLR Group Principals Matthew Gulsvig, AIA, LEED AP, and Randall Coy. Gulsvig joined DLR Group in 2016 and brings a wealth of project leadership experience gained from working with private sector clients across the nation, particularly in the workplace and mixed-use sectors. Coy, a University of Tennessee graduate, brings 25 years of experience in design and development, working across the nation for civic, mixed-use, and retail clients. For the past decade, he has been an integral part of the Nashville and Mid-State design and development community, most recently as the owner of NoBox Development, a real estate development consulting firm.

Principal Matthew Gulsvig, AIA, LEED AP and Principal Randall Coy

They will be joined by Principal Shawn Gaither, AIA, LEED AP, also a University of Tennessee graduate, who will continue to lead clients in higher education and workplace.

“Over the past five years we’ve touched more than 50 design projects in the state. This includes the downtown Nashville TownePlace Suites, master planning at Vanderbilt University, and we are working on projects with clients in Memphis, Chattanooga, and throughout the state of Tennessee,” said DLR Group CEO Steven McKay, AIA, RIBA. “Now, with Matthew Gulsvig and Randall Coy establishing an office, supported by a team of integrated design professionals already working on projects in the state, we are poised to enhance the services we offer clients to grow a vibrant design office.”

The Towneplace Suites Nashville Downtown seen from street level features assorted tones of gray stone scaling the sides while a warm, honey wood ceiling runs the length of the roof deck.

TownePlace Suites by Marriott Nashville, Nashville, TN. Photo by James Steinkamp.

DLR Group has a rich history of design work in Tennessee, including projects on multiple campuses for the University of Tennessee System, active projects at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and preservation work at historic Lane College. DLR Group is a leading innovator in the design of mass timber with more than 16 timber projects completed, in construction, or in design. DLR Group is collaborating with Hastings Architecture for the T3 Wedgewood Houston, a five-story, 190,000-SF mass timber office building in The Finery mixed-use development.

DLR Group is the designer of the Youth Center for Empowerment for the Metropolitan Government of Nashville & Davidson County in collaboration with Smith Gee Studio. This forward-thinking, 270,000-SF campus will transform the process of juvenile justice to deliver better outcomes for adolescents and youth in Nashville. The firm is also in the process of reimagining and modernizing the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway with seating for 30,000 fans.

Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, Nashville, TN. Rendering © DLR Group.

In Knoxville, DLR Group received a Preservation Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation for restoring the 1928, Spanish Moorish style Tennessee Theatre. The firm intends to leverage its award-winning technical expertise in theater design and engineering, acoustics, and lighting to grow a leading performing arts practice.