With the increased rate of heat waves in the Nashville area, there comes an intense need for haven from the heat. The Petrichor Rotunda, petrichor meaning the smell of the first rain of summer, works to provide that relief. My approach was to create a community space as a machine, celebrating the natural process of cooling while also fostering community growth in the five-points area of East Nashville. Whenever there is a space that aims to aid those in desperate need, there also stands an unfortunate stigma. For this reason, the space also hosts an alternate primary use: a small concert auditorium. A piano requires a consistent humidity and temperature so its presence quietly informs all that this is an effective refuge year round. In addition, the shape of the space promotes both air and sound movement and thus music is amplified throughout.

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The cooling process of the building is driven by a central atrium where a slow-moving belt fan pulls air in and forces it through arrays of cooling fins before moving through the building. The fins are cooled by a shower of rainwater which is stored underground at 57°F. Once the air enters the rotunda it cycles around roused by the bugle-like shape of the space. As it warms, it ascends into the ceiling space and then up and out of the solar chimney.​​