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    Trahan Architects restores Superdome to be “microcosm” of New Orleans

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    Local studio Trahan Architects has finished an interior renovation of the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, completing a series of renovations launched after Hurricane Katrina that it claims will extend the stadium’s life by 25 years.

    Trahan Architects’ work on the interior is the latest upgrade since the studio was engaged on the Superdome restoration in 2005, after it was damaged by Hurricane Katrina. The building sheltered as many as 20,000 thousand people fleeing the storm.
    The Superdome was originally completed in 1975 by Curtis and Davis Associated and featured a dome and concave cylindrical facade clad with aluminium panels.
    Trahan Architects has completed the renovation of the Superdome stadium in New OrleansAfter Hurricane Katrina, Trahan Architects implemented an overhaul of the exterior, replacing all the panels with a rainscreen system made from anodized aluminium metal panels.
    The current phase of the renovation, which was completed in time for its first game of the NFL season, included the removal of the ramp circulation system on the concourse.

    This allowed for concessions to be pushed to the outside of the structure, as well as for the installation of atriums in the entry programs and for lounges to be installed.
    In total, the renovation opened up more than 100,000 square feet (9,290 square metres), according to the studio.
    It is the latest in a series of renovations undertaken after the stadium was damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005The removal of the ramps allowed for more shared spaces and circulation, according to the studio, which modelled the concessions and circulation on the community-oriented streetscapes of New Orleans.
    “With this interior overhaul, we wanted the building to feel like a microcosm of our city,” Trahan Architects founding principal Trey Trahan told Dezeen.
    “We thought of the design as a series of stacked neighborhoods or ‘faubourgs’ as we call them, all connected by generous circulation spaces that served them – aka ‘the street’.”
    Also important to the renovation was bringing the materiality used for the original facade inside.
    Both Trahan and studio partner Brad McWhirter told Dezeen that the original innovativeness of Superdome, structurally and materially, was important throughout the redesign process.
    Anodized aluminium similar to that found on the exterior was used to clad the atriums”The rich material language they worked with, having the exterior skin of anodized aluminum which ages beautifully over time, along with its elegant form, made us see it as a sculpture that needed to be expressed both inside and out,” said McWhirter.
    “Before, you never got to experience the shape of the building from the interior – they were treated as two completely separate elements.”
    This move is most obvious in the atriums placed at three corners of the structure, which are the most visually apparent interventions.
    Here, express elevators move up through the voids. The voids have walls clad with anodized aluminium rods and are crossed by thick metal-clad beams that reveal the structure.
    Trahan Architects removed the circulation ramps and added additional seating and concessionsPlanning for resiliency and bringing the structure to compliance with codes around ventilation and accessibility were also important in the redesign process.
    Trahan Architects worked with engineering firm Thornton Tomasetti to ensure the building could stand up to high winds – it was during this 3D modelling process that the voids covered by the circulation ramps were discovered, which led to their removal.

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    “You would walk up the ramps from floor to floor with an eight-foot (2.4 metre) ceiling height, to small, cramped concourses until you finally got to your seat for some relief,” said Trahan.
    “With the model, we could see the full breadth of the voids and wasted space that could be more useful for the public, building operations, and for incorporating new mechanical systems.”
    These processes all happened while keeping the stadium in use for the American football season. The studio also had to install accessible decks for movement-impaired people, all while making sure that new mechanical systems did not interfere too much with the aesthetic of the exterior.
    “This, and from a design standpoint, implementing universal accessibility within a 50-year-old building was very difficult.  We had to make up for a lot of lost time to bring the building up to today’s standards and go the extra mile to prepare for the future,” added Trahan.
    Escalators and elevators now provide the primary circulation to the upper levelsThese future-looking improvements included the aforementioned facade replacement and the inclusion of new emergency generators, as the loss of power during Hurricane Katrina created harsh conditions for those sheltering inside.
    The architects also lauded some of the original features of the structure, which were maintained.
    Accessibility decks were also added as part of the renovation”For instance, the ‘gutter tubs’ of the roof, hidden behind the lip of the facade at the top, manage stormwater such that draining a 10-acre roof doesn’t overload the city’s system,” said McWhirter.
    “This continues to work very well to this day – even with the incredible amount of development that’s occurred since the building first opened.”
    According to the studio, the total of the renovations since 2005 will drastically extend the lifespan of the stadium.
    “This comprehensive renovation is expected to extend the building’s lifespan by 25 years, allowing future generations to enjoy the same sense of community and excitement the New Orleans landmark has fostered for nearly half a century,” it said.
    Other restorations of iconic buildings include Foster + Partners’ interior overhaul of the Transamerica Pyramid skyscraper in San Francisco.
    Meanwhile, natural disasters worsened by climate change continue to be an impetus to design buildings better. In light of that, Dezeen launched a series last year called Designing for Disaster to highlight the different problems and solutions architects and designers face in the face of extreme weather events.
    The photography is by Tim Hursley.

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      Office La draws on “special magic” of New Orleans for colourful house

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      The colours of New Orleans’ iconic streetcars informed the decor palette chosen by local studio Office La for this bright pink house.

      Office La founder Lauren Hickman Ross is a long-time friend of the clients, who asked her to reimagine a building at the corner of Chartres and Desire streets in New Orleans.
      Original penny-hex tiles inside the home were retained and helped to inform the interior colour paletteOpposite Crescent Park on the banks of the Mississippi River, the single-storey structure was formerly a corner store and then a bar before becoming a home.
      “Tasked with outfitting a space that is seeping in and of New Orleans, Office La sought to capture a special magic only felt here through colour and light,” said Hickman Ross.
      The dining and kitchen area is raised slightly from the lounge and barFor the interiors, the designer looked to the city for influences — particularly the historic streetcars that criss-cross its

      The vehicles, also known as trolleys, are painted swampy green and deep red, and Hickman Ross introduced these hues throughout the house.
      Window trims are painted red, while millwork is green”These contrasting colours are immediate wins in the eye pleasure game,” Hickman Ross said.
      “Further, sunk in a bowl of its own creation, New Orleans also produces fantastic sunsets that colour the humid air with pinks and lavenders against the year round lush green subtropical landscape.”
      Designer Lauren Hickman Ross looked to the city’s tropical climate and historic streetcars for influencesIn the social space, the kitchen and dining area is raised a couple of steps up from the lounge and bar, which includes an oxblood-toned pool table.
      Original penny-hex floor tiles patterned in red, yellow and green-gray were retained in this lower area, further adding to the varied colour scheme.

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      Window trims – including a long pill-shaped aperture – are painted red, while partitions and millwork are green, complementing pale pink walls.
      The residence is filled with a mix of cosy, tactile soft furnishings and exposed wood elements, alongside vintage finds and local art.
      Artist RJ Raizk hand-drew murals in each of the bedrooms”On the walls is a mixed-media drawing by native Roy Ferdinand, as well as works by other artists including Sally Heller, Emilio Sanchez, and Max Seckel to name a few,” Hickman Ross said.
      In each bathroom and bedroom, artist RJ Raizk has hand-drawn a unique mural using patterns and colours lifted from the rest of the home.
      The bathroom tiles are green, red and pinkThe building’s exterior continues the streetcar red and green as accents, framing expanses of wooden boards painted bright pink.
      Equally maximalist interiors in New Orleans can be found at The Chloe Hotel, designed by Sara Ruffin Costello, and Hotel Peter and Paul in a converted 19th-century schoolhouse, convent and church.
      The photography is by Alison Gootee.

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      Sara Ruffin Costello fashions quirky interiors for The Chloe hotel in New Orleans

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      Inky blue walls, alligator-print carpet and grand four-poster beds appear inside The Chloe hotel in New Orleans, which has been designed by decorator Sara Ruffin Costello.The Chloe hotel comes as the latest venture from restaurateur Robert LeBlanc and is situated amongst the picturesque streets of New Orleans’s Uptown neighbourhood.
      It occupies a family mansion that was originally designed by American architect Thomas Sully in the 1860s.

      Top image: The Chloe’s entrance lobby. Above: an alligator-print carpet runner features on the stairs

      Sara Ruffin Costello, who is a native of New Orleans, was tasked with devising the interiors of the hotel.
      “Sully’s architecture is grand Southern Victorian – exceptionally tall ceilings, incredible tile work and plaster mouldings and a Byzantine layout,” Costello told Dezeen.
      “I ran with the romance of that era and played around with the notion of New Orleans being a port city, kind of that ‘what news do you bring from the outside?’,” she added.
      “To translate that into a vibe, The Chloe is moody with dark, antique furniture, with an emphasis on Orientalism but updated and made culturally relevant through a very special art collection.”

      Plush furniture decorates the reception lounge
      Guests enter The Chloe via a lobby that features inky-blue walls and dark wood floors. The building’s original ornate staircase is left in place but updated with a quirky, deep-red carpet runner that depicts an alligator creeping down the steps.
      “Last time I went for a kayak in the Bayou, not five minutes into my paddle two giant alligators got into a splash fight right in front of my boat – alligators are a real part of life here!” added Costello.

      Inky blue walls appear throughout the hotel
      Adjacent to this is = a reception room arranged around a large fireplace. Just in front are a couple of plush, claw-footed sofas perched on a blue floral rug, while an oversized cream lamp has been suspended overhead.
      A doorway in the corner of the room looks through to a cosy blush-pink seating nook with trellis-style walls.

      A bird-print mural is the focal point of the hotel’s salon
      The hotel’s restaurant serves signature New Orleans’ dishes with a contemporary twist. Drinks can be enjoyed in the bar and salon, where one wall has been painted to feature Egret birds fluttering amongst spindly tree boughs.
      A burnt-orange leather sofa runs along the lower half of the wall, accompanied by a handful of fringed seating poufs and tiny lamps that dimly illuminate the room.

      Guests can also enjoy dinner and drinks out on the patio
      Guests can alternatively sit with cocktails on the hotel’s porch – the floor here is clad with the tiles that date back to the 1860s.

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      Outdoors there’s also a swimming pool shaded by palmetto trees, a herb garden and an alfresco bar.

      Bedrooms come complete with four-poster beds
      A more pared-back design approach is taken in the bedrooms, where walls have been painted eggshell-white.
      Touches of drama are added by the four-poster beds and freestanding soaking tubs that take centre stage in the bathrooms.
      “Since The Chloe is actually a house, it feels like you are getting invited over to a local’s – which is all I ever want to do when I travel,” concluded Costello.

      The en-suite bathrooms also include freestanding tubs
      The Chloe joins a number of charming spots to stay in New Orleans, where tourists continue to flock to experience its rich history, vibrant live music scene and revered Mardi Gras parade.
      Others include The Eliza Jane, which takes over seven historic warehouses, and Maison de la Luz, which is designed as if it’s the home of a well-travelled woman that’s come to acquire several worldly souvenirs.
      Photography is by Paul Costello.

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