CONTEMPORARY ARTS CENTER ROOF DECK

LOCATION: Warehouse District, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

PROGRAM: Custom Shade Structure

CLIENT(S): The Domain Companies

SIZE: 800 SF

STATUS: Pre-construction

PROJECT TEAM: GOAT (Architecture)

Some of GOAT’s most innovative projects come in the form of small solutions to very specific problems. In 2017, Domain Companies outfitted the historic Contemporary Arts Center’s building with a new roof deck, providing tenants of their new coworking space on the floors below with a space to relax and enjoy spectacular panoramic views of the city. They quickly found however, that the roof deck’s usefulness was limited by the harsh summer sun and unpredictable spring weather.

Providing shade and shelter on the roof deck presented several challenges and demanded a singularly innovative solution; the proposal needed to be flexible so it could be secured during hurricane season; it could not penetrate the existing building’s envelope in any way; it needed to be modular and assembled from pieces on site due to the difficulty of moving heavy materials to the roof; and it needed to keep a low profile in order to avoid issues with the historic building’s street presence. GOAT’s proposed solution is a modular steel tube and sleeve structure outfitted with retractable fabric panels and teak slats. The structure will be assembled from pieces small enough to be carried up a passenger elevator but heavy enough when assembled to resist the roof deck’s heavy wind loads.

GOAT team: Peter Spera III, Colin VanWingen