Transparent Night is a senior capstone project designed with the intention to integrate a thoughtfully designed structure with the site in order to appreciate the surrounding landscape without being visually disruptive.

Located on the Knoxville, Tennessee riverfront on Neyland Greenway, Transparent Night's foundation, both literally and figuratively, is built upon the preservation Knoxville's natural landscape. In the last decade, Knoxville has seen an exponential rise in development, crowding the iconic skyline and visually disrupting natural sanctuaries in the downtown landscape. Transparent Night marks the beginning of honoring Tennessee's lush scenery while understanding the need for continuous development in a growing city. Onlookers would never know a building resides just below the surface of the site, which at first glance camouflages itself merely as a hilly terrain. Each moment is carefully designed to keep human's healing relationship to nature at the forefront of the mind.

It is a warm spring night. Sweeping windows peek over edge of the shoreline on a hilly incline. Ankle length grass grows like a weed but no one can bring themselves to cut it because the blooming flowers can't be disrupted. It feels serene. Three young boys are grateful to have a place to play and feel safe, illuminated by the glow of tall, perpendicular columns.

Spring is in full bloom on this cloudless day. The air is clear so the skyline can be seen clearly in the distance. A woman stands near a stranger while they both exchange pleasantries about the beautiful day. The edge of the structure overhangs the Tennessee River and feels disconnected from the busy road behind despite its close proximity.

The humidity of a Tennessee summer never disappoints. Students on break use this space as an avenue to connect. Three loud teens gather to gossip, only taking a breath between the licks of their ice cream. The bustle dissipates drawing nearer to the intentionally cavernous frame of the Tennessee River. A space for everyone can be sought out without disruption.

As seasons transition, so does the temperature. Cavernous and quiet, UT students use this time to pin up their mid-fall projects for critique. Modular walls conceal themselves within a constructed system for the proficiency of space. A jittery girl pulls her wall out from this system to begin her presentation.

It's a cold winter this year. A woman shivers as she gazes at the expansive scenery and knows it will be a while until she feels connected with nature again. The rippled edge of the structre whispers to the water that they are one.