SETTING THE STAGE
A New Front Door to CPA
The new Soli Deo Center opened its doors in the fall of 2020 , standing as a beacon of impact , past , present , and future for the Academy . Following CPA ’ s 2017 Strategic Plan , this development – a new front door to campus , a new arts / administrative building , and Quad – optimizes hospitality , community engagement , programming in the arts , administrational facilitation , student life , and overall impact of the CPA mission .
Leadership ’ s guiding question at the beginning of this project : How can this campus best be used to glorify God and love people better ?
This new welcome center , administrative office , and arts performance space is the clear entry point of campus . Lower , middle , and upper school academic buildings form a Quad around an expansive landscaped area where fellowship and community are nourished . All buildings have been painted to give the campus a unified look to the disparity of four decades of brick .
CPA Alum Robert Kown ’ 01 worked as architect for the building . He shares his experience : “ Designing the new Soli Deo Center was an absolutely surreal experience — to come full circle , using my God-given gifts , nurtured by my 13 years at CPA , to create a space imbued with so much meaning was truly an honor , and one for which I will always be grateful .”
Robert , along with his firm Hastings Architecture , won a 2020 American Institute of Architects Middle Tennessee Citation Award . This design award was selected out of 60 other submissions , reflecting the Soli Deo Center ’ s artistic impact and stunning design .
The goal for the building ’ s orientation and physical setting was to celebrate CPA ’ s pastoral landscape in order to foster a sense of awe for God ’ s creation . “ As we approached the idea of a new arts building , we felt it was time to create a space that makes you ponder and dream for the future . Nate Morrow ’ s word was transformation ,” explains CPA alum and Soli Deo Center designer Matt Logan ’ 95 . “ From the ground up , we used that word to inform and motivate our decisions throughout the design process . From the way the light shines through skylights , to the way the audience wraps the stage space in its warm embrace , there is a message in each detail . Beauty is visual redemption .”
The Quad , created by this building forming the fourth “ wall ”, advances the opportunity for nature to revive as it cultivates space for connection and relationship for students , faculty , staff , and guests as the body of Christ . The lobby blurs the line between indoors and outdoors , inviting curiosity and wonder through scale , and curving lines represent the creative expressions fostered within the space .
The use of natural light , central to its design , was intended to emphasize a perspective heavenward . At night , the lobby is transformed into a glowing lantern , further reinforcing the salt and light ethos of the Academy . The chandeliers in the lobby , composed of a pair of concentric brass rings serve as a reminder of the process and purpose of an education at CPA . One light shines inward , representing the nurturing environment fostered while at CPA , and the other light shines outward , illustrating how we , as God ’ s children are indeed , the light of the world .
The theater , in contrast to the lighter tones of the lobby , gives way to deeper hues lending a sense of drama referential to classic Broadway theatre houses . The ornate proscenium holds special value as a visual depiction of Revelations 22:2 . Read more about its design and narrative on page 17 . This space hosts critical programming for the Academy and the Nashville community , including the Perspectives series and Empowered Parenting forum .
Each academic building has been named , adding directional ease for guests and emphasizing the mission of that building . Spero Hall is the preschool building , named with the Latin word for hope . Veritas Hall is the lower school , named with the Latin word for truth . Civitas Hall is the middle school , named with the Latin word for community . And Lumen Hall is the upper school , named with the Latin word for light .
The Academy held a special event to consecrate the Soli Deo Center as a space to further God ’ s kingdom . School leadership led attendees in prayer , celebration , and commemoration for the opening of the building , and guest artists Thomas Rhett Akins , Matthew West , Natalie Hemby , and Nathan Chapman filled the new stage with their incredible talents .
6 PURPLE & GOLD 2020-21