Overview

1620 Riverfront Parkway, also known as the “Starball Building,” was conceived primarily as a landmark home for the Chattanooga Football Club. The building provides housing and recreation for players, as well as a state-of-the-art workspace for the CFC front office. It also houses the office of Sage Hill Investors, an exercise center for CFC players, multiple tenant spaces, and a private rooftop bar.

As a partially fan-owned club, CFC has a history uniquely rooted in community and the city of Chattanooga. The architecture needed to be equally rooted in its place while establishing itself as something new, reflecting the club’s growth and success since its inception.

The site’s proximity to Chattanooga’s historic industrial architecture informed a design that draws on the language of the local steel, railroad, and textile industries. Brick arches, large segmented windows, radiused corners, and exposed steel nod to this context. The building’s distinctly modern form is driven by the unique site conditions and interior functionality.

This “form follows function” approach created several defining moments, including a drive-through porte cochère that serves as the primary entrance to the site, a multi-floor cantilever partially supported by a sculptural structural steel element, and several habitable rooftop spaces.