4,300 SQFT | 2023

Purvis City Hall, completed in 2023, is a modern take on a small-town municipal building. When project discussions began, the mayor and city leaders wanted a building that respected the city's history while forecasting the future.

The existing City Hall was located across the street from the new site and shared space with the Police Department. As the city grew, so did their need for space, necessitating a new City Hall with room to grow. The goal was to send a message with the building’s design that Purvis is a forward-thinking city geared towards expansion and creativity.

The site, a tight rectangular corner lot, could be accessed on two sides but seen on all sides; therefore, the building didn’t have a backside and needed to be beautiful and interesting from every angle. A brick building was a prerequisite, and when originally designing, the team imagined the City Hall as a white brick building. When exploring ways to give the large expanses of brick character without incurring additional cost, the architects sought inspiration by researching the history of Purvis and the existing buildings. One school building stood out for a distinctive “X” pattern that turned out to be significant to the community. The pattern was constructed with bricks from a building that had been demolished in the Purvis Tornado of 1908. The architects borrowed this pattern, enlarged it, and wrapped the building with it, gaining character while adding only minimal cost.

Purvis, called the Friendly City in the Pines, has a long history as a lumber town. The City leaders wanted to respect this by using a wood structure. While wood was the chosen structural material, Purvis has a history of tornadoes, so ensuring that the building could withstand high-wind events was paramount. This was accomplished by using Structural Select lumber for the walls and roof and building custom LVL mass-timber beams on-site to handle the 10’ overhang at the entry and 6' overhang at the drive-through. These out-of-the-box moves were not only necessary for structural stability but also saved money.

During construction, red brick was installed with the intention of painting the brick. However, the architects and city leaders chose to leave the brick unpainted. The choice, while not determined by cost savings, provided a financial windfall, while also speaking to the brick buildings surrounding the site.

The interior of the new City Hall speaks to the City’s history with lumber, accomplished by cladding the lobby with local pine and keeping most of the finishes clean and simple, allowing the open spaces to be filled with natural light.

2,100 SQFT | 2023

Located on the Fowl River in Theodore, Alabama, the cabin consists of two slender bars, each angled to capture the most ideal river and foliage views while not damaging existing trees. Wrapped in black corrugated metal, the house disappears into the trees and serves as a backdrop for the breathtaking natural landscape.

The interiors are comprised of a muted color palette mixed with warm wood tones and a variety of textures. The kitchen, dining, and living spaces spill into each other and bleed into the outdoor gathering spaces to allow for easy exterior-to-interior gathering and entertaining. The upstairs is comprised of two bedroom suites, with the primary suite overlooking the river and native vegetation.

Sustainability, in the short term and long term, is a focus of the project, which is located in a hurricane zone. The exterior metal is strong and storm resistant, but it is also made from recycled content and is reusable and recyclable. The building is elevated on columns, which allows flora and fauna to live and grow uninterrupted. The height also prepares the house for rising water. The windows are impact-rated and aluminum clad, so they are storm resistant and contain recyclable material. They are also carefully placed to ensure consistent daylight, so less electricity is needed. When electricity is needed, solar panels provide the majority of the cabin’s electrical needs, including the electric car charging port.

Published by: Architect Magazine (2019)

Metropolis Magazine (2024)

Tall has been tasked to design eight homes in the historic Mobile community of Africatown that speak to the history of the neighborhood and pull inspiration from traditional housing types such as the Shotgun—which is prevalent in several Southern cities— and the Wide House—which is specific to the Africatown neighborhood.

Each home is based on one of the two archetypes but is modified just enough to make the forms contemporary and unique. These small, playful moves, such as adjusting the slopes of the hipped roofs or recessing the porches, will assist in distinguishing old from new, all at once respecting the historic neighborhood fabric while breathing new life into the community. Further interest will be added through color in specific areas, as well as detailing that is derived from surrounding buildings and the architecture of Old Mobile.

The eight homes will be nestled into empty lots in the neighborhood and strategically placed to enhance the existing streetscape. The homes will be arranged to maintain the rhythm and flow of the neighborhood, while also encouraging a sense of community and connection among residents.

By weaving in elements inspired by Africatown’s rich heritage—such as intricate woodwork reminiscent of traditional craftsmanship and colors that echo the region’s cultural vibrancy—we’re not only paying homage to the past but also setting a foundation for future generations.

3,080 SQFT | 2024

The Rayburn house is located on a lovely corner lot in downtown Ocean Springs. During the initial design talks, the clients referenced “post-modern notions of a southern house” and “the Beetlejuice house”. With that, we knew we could create something great. The elevations of the house are dotted with unique window arrangements, which satisfy the clients’ need for something out of the ordinary, while also abiding by the Historic Preservation Commission’s guidelines.

The house is elevated eight feet off of the ground, as it is in a VE zone, which will allow the clients to gain valuable parking and entertaining space underneath.

2,000 SQFT | 2021

The Walter Anderson Museum of Art asked Tall architects to design a renovation and restoration of a cottage the museum uses for educational classes, which had been deemed “The Art Cottage”. The renovation of the cottage, an 1890s Queen Anne structure, is the first phase in the museum’s new campus expansion, the Creative Complex, which will consist of classroom space, event space, and studios.

The project consisted of an interior reimagining, including relocating the stair (added during one of several renovations) to the exterior, opening up two small rooms into one large studio, adding a rear porch, reconfiguring the upstairs for guest lodging, and providing accessibility throughout.

The museum’s request was to show a progression through time—past to present—from the historic street elevation, through the interior, to the new porch. With this in mind, the front gallery was restored to its original layout with beadboard walls and ceiling, tongue and groove floor, and two doors leading into the main studio. The main studio that follows is an open workspace that pays homage to Anderson’s block prints via graphics on the ceiling. This space is used for classes, meetings, and exhibitions. Towards the rear of the cottage, there is a smaller studio—formerly a storage room—with windows overlooking a porch that appears to be exploding into the landscape. The porch, and its amphitheater stairs, provide space for outdoor classes, lectures, and concerts. It sets the tone for the second phase of the campus expansion.

Published by: ArchDaily (2021) & Archello (2021)

480 SQFT | 2018

The Tall House was designed and built as a micro laboratory in order to test new and affordable materials, massing, space planning, and building techniques.

The home is comprised of two buildings separated by an outdoor living area centered around an oak tree. Each building measures 10’x24’ for a total of 480 square feet of living space. When deciding on the location of the home, the owners were torn between city and country, with a four acre piece of land fifteen minutes from town ultimately sealing the deal. With an idea that the city might eventually call them back, they tasked the architects with designing a house that could be moved. The architects dug into the means and methods of moving large sheds (the kind you find in suburban backyards), and used these moving parameters to guide the dimensions of the buildings. This resulted in elevating the home three feet above grade, using fasteners and strapping that could easily be removed and replaced, and having a maximum exterior height of 11’. The architects welcomed the challenge of building a moveable home that didn’t feel like a trailer or a “tiny house”.

The south building houses a bedroom, bath, and small office that occasionally doubles as a guest room, while the north building houses a kitchen, living area, dining area, and laundry. The deck in between serves as outdoor living space, pseudo-tree house, and is capped on two sides by amphitheater-like stairs.

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Published by: Architect Magazine (2019)

Dwell (2023)

Metropolis Magazine (2024)

2,500 SQFT | 2019

In early 2018, the owner of Twisted Run Retreat, a yoga and writing retreat, approached Tall Architects about designing a pavilion nestled into the wooded fifteen acre property. The project was accelerated and expanded a few months later when an existing cabin (one of three on the property) was struck by lightning and burned. After discussing the goals for the property, the owner and architects decided the best course of action was to replace the burned cabin with two cabins and situate the pavilion in a central location.

The three new buildings are similar, with symmetrical, tilted gable roofs that have been said to portray the idea of “downward facing dog”, an appropriate evocation for a yoga retreat. Low maintenance materials, including cement panels, cedar battens, and corrugated metal, further unite the buildings, and allow the structures to recede into the trees.

The Bishop and Welty cabins, named for Elizabeth Bishop and Eudora Welty, are each 650 square feet and sleep four. They sit atop a bluff overlooking the Pascagoula River, with porches on the ends of the structures to take advantage of eastern river and western forest views and breezes. The cabins are frequently used for visiting writers, who can be found on the porches listening to the rustle of leaves, smelling the rain, and watching the moving shadows.

The Woolf pavilion, named for writer Virginia Woolf, is a quiet space for yoga, art, music, and lectures. One enters the pavilion under a low overhang, which creates a snug and intimate portal. Once inside, the space opens up with a vaulted roof, clad in plywood panels, and a twelve foot tall screen wall that overlooks the lush forest. This space allows one to feel connected to the surrounding forest while also giving a sense of seclusion and protection.

Published by: ArchDaily (2021) & Archello (2021)

Metropolis Magazine (2024)

4,500 SQFT | IN PROCESS

This is Tall Architects’ third and largest project with the Walter Anderson Museum of Art. The site is located across the street from the original museum and galleries, and sits behind the Courtney Blossman Art Cottage (renovation and additions completed by Tall in 2021). The project began with a site planning analysis to determine the best use of the tight site (50’ wide x 300’ deep) and the interaction between the existing cottage and the new education facility.

The new building will consist of 4,587 square feet of education space, event space, workshops, and studios. The design and engineering of this building encountered many hurdles throughout the process, including multiple approvals from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, approval from the Ocean Springs Historic Preservation Commission, Conditional Use permits, and uneven soil conditions requiring helical piles and a highly specialized foundation and landscape architecture strategy. Tall, alongside our consultants, tackled each challenge in an expeditious and professional manner, ensuring that the client’s goals were met while delivering a beautiful and unique product. The project is currently out to bid and will start construction in mid 2023.

17,400 SQFT | 2021

The Center of Hope is a Salvation Army campus in downtown Gulfport, MS dedicated to providing support to families in need. This project consists of a new 6,400 square foot transitional housing building and the renovation of an existing 11,000 square foot outreach facility.

The new building has eight two-bedroom units that function as temporary living facilities while families find employment and permanent housing. The building form was created by playing with a simple box. The single box became two boxes through splitting it horizontally and then tipping the top box towards the south. The move allows for strong gulf winds to blow up and over the building, while providing solar protection for the southern windows. The building was constructed with robust materials that can withstand heavy use, while creating a sense of warmth and familiarity. The interior palette is a calming backdrop for the residents who are often coping with stressful life situations while living in a communal environment.

The existing building consists of a serving kitchen, new large food pantry, community room, offices, laundry, and accessible showers and restrooms. The building, while functional before, needed major upgrades in terms of space planning, accessibility, finishes, and lighting. The exterior of the building, as well as the interior, was finished in a manner consistent with the new building. Through the simple use of color, new punched windows in offices that did not have windows, and new landscaping and parking, the two buildings become one overall campus.

IN PROCESS

We are grateful to the Lynn Meadows Discovery Center (LMDC) for asking us to help expand and improve their campus. The first phase of this process consists of creating an immersive Blue Economy building that introduces marine-related technologies and educational pathways to young people in fun and memorable ways. An extensive master plan for the existing six-acre campus near the water in Gulfport is also in the works that will focus on the future of the organization, including other potential campus expansions.

If you don’t know that much about LMDC, here is a brief bio: LMDC was the first children’s museum in the State of Mississippi. It is dedicated to inspiring children, families and communities through the arts, interactive educational experiences and exploration. LMDC strives to instill a lifelong love of learning through laughter and play. In April 2016, Lynn Meadows Discovery Center was awarded the highest honor a museum can receive—the National Medal for Museum and Library Service. This award, presented by the First Lady of the United States, is given as a tribute to the organization’s ability to make a difference in the lives of children, families and communities through extraordinary and innovative approaches to public service, exceeding the expected levels of community outreach. LMDC was one of only 10 recipients throughout the nation.

We are thrilled to partner with LMDC, and the conceptual renderings of the Blue Economy that you see are just the beginning.

8,550 SQ.FT | IN PROCESS

The Lemon Building will be located at 1012 Government St. in downtown Ocean Springs and will consist of a three story building housing retail space, offices, and a hotel concept. The building’s design will be forward thinking in concept and detailing, while speaking to the history of the city via arched openings and an ornamented brick façade. Always keeping budget at the forefront, the design team chose to use a cost effective pre-fabricated metal super structure that allows for speedy, efficient construction.

3,100 SQFT | 2023

The renovation to the Historic Pascagoula High School Band Hall provides much needed exhibit and activity space for the Mississippi Shipbuilding & Maritime Center. The 3,100 square foot, metal frame building was meticulously kept historically accurate, while extensive updates were made to electrical and mechanical systems. Windows were replaced where previously removed, in order to bring back the historical character of the building, both inside and out. This renovation was designed with high functionality, future flexibility, and adaptation at the forefront. In addition to the renovation of the building, Tall also designed and coordinated all of the museum exhibits in collaboration with Red Deluxe, a branding and marketing company.

4,860 SQ.FT | IN CONSTRUCTION

Located on the University of Southern Mississippi’s Halstead Campus as part of the Gulf Coast Research Lab, this building was designed to function as a boat repair shop. The directive from the University was to design a building that is highly functional, affordable, and in-keeping with the surrounding buildings. This single-slope, metal frame building is 4,500 square feet under roof and provides both interior workshop and exterior boat storage. The building is designed to be easy to maintain, simple to construct, and long-lasting in order to provide the University decades of use and versatility. This project is currently in construction, and is slated to be finished in the spring of 2023.

3,000 SQFT (INTERIOR/EXTERIOR) | IN BIDDING

The Lot is a modern restaurant that puts the focus on high quality, wood-fired dishes and a unique dining environment. The main cooking spaces are located in a pared down, rugged building, allowing the focus to fall on the outdoor dining environment that will be surrounded by lush foliage, murals by local artists, and industrial materials.

1,300 SQFT | 2018

Designed and built as an experiment in space conservation and open living, the Arguelles residence is 1,300 square feet of vaulted living space contained within a sleek, low maintenance metal shell. The house pinwheels around a main living area that looks out onto a deep, southern porch that provides ample natural light throughout the day with no additional heat load. The living space and porch take advantage of the views across the pool, pond, and surrounding five acres, while the kitchen and dining areas overlook serene views of the woods to the north. It was important to the clients and Tall architects that each space and window visually capture moments in the landscape in unique ways, morphing throughout the day with the changing light.

Flanking the open living space are a master suite to the west and a guest suite to the east. The separation of the bedrooms by the open living space allows for privacy when desired, blocks the harsh eastern and western sun from the main living space, and eliminates corridors.

Materials for the project are simple and rugged, with galvalume metal panels cladding the exterior walls and roof, lacquered plywood on the ceiling, polished concrete on the floor, and exposed metal ducts. The owners wanted a light-filled, hurricane resistant home requiring little to no maintenance. Tall Architects accomplished this by carefully placing windows, reducing overhangs, limiting ornamentation, using hearty industrial materials, and orienting the house with the long sides facing to the north and south.

3,000 SQFT | IN CONSTRUCTION

The Koller House in Madison, Mississippi will be a calming sanctuary and functional farmhouse for a family on the move.

With one parent a surgeon who strives for beautifully cultivated spaces and the other a farmer who will use parts of the house to process harvested goods, the house requires several functional zones. Instead of hiding the different zones, the concept breaks the house into three distinct sections. The 1 story black metal section contains the garage, mudroom, farm kitchen, and farm porch. The 1.5 story charred wood section contains the kitchen and living room. The 2 story brick section contains the bedrooms.

The distinct zones also allow the house to tell a historic—albeit slightly made-up and fantastical—story of development. First, the family built the humble metal garage. A few years later, with a little more money, they built the charred wood fancy kitchen and living room. A few decades later, the family built the robust and timeless brick bedrooms.

Long-term sustainability is the goal. This will be our first project with geothermal heating and cooling, and solar energy is in the works.

1,000 SQFT | IN PROCESS

The Guice Cabin is designed for an adventurous couple who desire to live within nature. The house is comprised of three boulder-esque forms, each housing a different function: sleeping, living, and studio space. The house perches above the rocky ground, allowing the site to be disturbed minimally and views to be maximized.

Clad simply in corrugated metal, the three forms are united and allow for light and reflections to bounce around throughout the day, constantly morphing. The interior is sheathed in smooth plywood, which allows for easy installation, maintenance-free longevity, and a glowing warmth.

OXFORD, MS

86,000 SQFT | 2023

Tall Architects began the design process in the fall of 2023, and the project is set to break ground in the summer of 2024. Located seven minutes from the University of Mississippi’s campus, the client’s directive for the facility was an up-scale building that fit into the surroundings, which consist of small commercial buildings and townhomes. The City of Oxford’s design guidelines necessitated a brick building with elevated detailing. Tall went to work ensuring that the building was unique, affordable, and would add to the overall built environment. The building’s design was overwhelmingly accepted by the City of Oxford’s Planning Department, as well as the local Planning Commission. The brick detailing and massing of the building are affordable design elements that add interest while keeping the project within budget.

300 SQFT | IN PROCESS

USM’s GCRL (Gulf Coast Research Laboratory) tasked Tall with designing an open-air, hurricane resistant, modern, and economic laundry facility.

The materials for the building were kept simple and affordable, consisting of standard CMU for the walls and metal for the roof. In key places, the CMU was turned, exposing the holes in the blocks to create breeze blocks, which can be seen elsewhere on the GCRL campus. This simple move showcases Tall’s interest in taking affordable materials and using them in creative ways. The roof shape pulls influence from surrounding buildings and is simple to construct, while allowing for one run-off point for water, which reduces the need for gutters and overhangs.

This USM campus is focused on hands-on ocean learning, necessitating a building that not only serves as a laundry facility, but also as a spot the students can quickly wash-off after coming in from their field work. The four showers on the side of the building were designed with this in mind.

13,000 SQFT | IN PROCESS

The Salvation Army in Pascagoula, Mississippi was in need of a new office facility in order to run day to day operations, as well as six transitional housing units. Tall designed a building that melds the two functions into one building, creating overlap with shared spaces, while addressing privacy and security needs via unique space planning. The building plan stretches across the site in an elongated z shape in order to create a public “front yard” for the community and a private “backyard” for the residents. The form of the building was based on simplicity and strength, with small elements being tweaked to add subtle drama.

4,800 SQFT | IN PROCESS

The 207 West Capitol renovation is part of the overall revitalization of downtown Jackson, Mississippi. The client came to Tall with a vision of a striking black building that would house both commercial and residential spaces. Tall set about exploring ways of achieving this vision with bold materials and sculptural forms. The north façade is composed of a series of arches clad in black glazed brick, and the interior spaces speak the same language with subtle curves and industrial materials.

3,300 SQFT | 2019

This taqueria started as a blank space in an existing building and quickly morphed into a hip and fun taco and margarita spot. Tall Architects was brought in to design the interior build out, along with Ferriss and Company for interior design, turning this 3,300 square foot space and 1,200 square foot outdoor patio into an upscale dining experience. With clean white walls, exposed ducts, fun textures, and crisp tile, the overall look was elevated to a fresh and modern restaurant.

600 SQFT | 2016

The Alexander Addition is a 503 square foot space designed in response to the surrounding landscape: live oaks, water views, and natural light. Overlooking Davis Bayou, the addition was designed using a refined and raw material palette including metal panels, storefront glass, and steel. The large expanses of glass reflect the massive oak trees that surround the residence, while the metal panels bounce light around the outdoor living space in playful and unanticipated ways.

The interior of the space was minimally designed as an open room that allows for the flexibility the clients’ lifestyle demands. Whether a low country boil, sailing party or relaxing dinner, the space transforms simply via large windows situated over the bar that lift up and out, staying pinned with custom mahogany brackets. The mahogany bar top and window sills, which were hand-built by the clients, recall a nautical state of mind, particularly important to the clients, who are avid sailors.

2,700 SQFT | 2018

The clients came to Tall Architects with a 1940s concrete home they had purchased that was in an ideal location but didn’t suit their needs. The home was low-ceilinged and dark, and what the clients desired was bright, open, and airy. Tall Architects set out to create a residence that would be ideal for entertaining and open concept living. To accomplish these goals, the ceilings were raised in the existing portion of the house, a sunroom was added, walls were removed, and a 1,200 square foot addition was added. The result is a modern residence that gives a subtle nod to the sturdy concrete house from which it came.

LANGLEY POINT, BILOXI, MS

3,500 SQFT | 2023

The home has been a lesson in combining grand simplicity and resiliency. How to build a cozy, modern home that is mere feet from the ocean and will withstand natural occurrences? Our response is to build in the most robust, basic, and obvious ways. The floor plan is almost square, the windows and porches are large but protected under deep overhangs, the roof is a simple gable, and the structure is mostly concrete which is expressed on the elevations as floor-to-roof columns. Construction expected in 2024.

PASCAGOULA, MS

21,000 SQFT | 2023

Competition Finalist

The City of Pascagoula has been operating for many years in several buildings across the city. The goal for the project is to create a permanent home for The City and its constituent departments. Our proposal is to create a campus-like building with wings that will operate similarly to a school. Each department has its own wing that operates somewhat independently but that is supported by the neighboring wings.

The building is an H in plan, with a protected western entry that faces the Pascagoula River. The council chambers are in the middle of the H and are daylit by large windows that face the eastern courtyard. The exterior is clad in textured precast concrete panels. For solar and wind protection, the windows sit deep in the walls and have precast concrete headers and sills.

IN CONSTRUCTION

We are delighted to show how the Latimer Community Center will soon be transformed. This project is dear to our hearts because it demonstrates how existing public buildings can be revived with a little effort, even if the budget is small. Designing big, fancy projects is fun, and we are grateful to get to work on those projects too, but we often feel most proud when we must distill the aspirations of projects to the essentials, while maintaining functionality and joy.

Functionally, the well-loved 30+ year old building serves its purpose as a community hub well, but the roof has begun to leak due to a parapet that wraps around the pitched roof. Cutting off the parapet was the place to start. Next came reroofing and replacing the gutters, and the last little pot of money went to jazzing it up via moving the marquis sign and repainting the building. It is not rocket science, but we hope the moves make a big impact on a somewhat rural building that needs some TLC.

What we have learned from the project is that any public building, especially one like this that serves dozens of functions—like a voting location, weekend market, wedding reception venue, cyclists’ meet-up location, and social group homebase—can be energized with a little effort. We are grateful to Jackson County and the Latimer community for letting us be a small part in the revitalization of this building.