{"id":49421,"date":"2019-01-07T08:00:21","date_gmt":"2019-01-07T13:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/retrofitmagazine.com\/?p=49421"},"modified":"2023-06-29T09:56:13","modified_gmt":"2023-06-29T13:56:13","slug":"contemporary-arts-center-coworking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/retrofitmagazine.com\/contemporary-arts-center-coworking\/","title":{"rendered":"New Orleans’ Contemporary Arts Center Opens a Coworking Space for Diverse Tenants"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

At the corner of Camp and St. Joseph streets in New Orleans\u2019 eclectic downtown stands a 100,000-square-foot former warehouse building. Constructed in 1905 as the headquarters of K&B, a local drugstore chain, the building was donated to a passionate group of artists when K&B closed in the 1970s. The artists, who were intent on celebrating the growing trend of intertwining visual and performing arts, created the Contemporary Arts Center (CAC), a 501(c)(3) organization that remains active today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Comfortable lounge furniture was sourced from a variety of vendors and paired with vintage pieces to bring a living-room sensibility to an office setting.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In addition to dedicating two floors and 10,000 square feet of the building to artists\u2019 bold experiments, CAC\u2019s education department engages more than 10,000 children and adults annually. This education and outreach offer students\u2014most for the first time\u2014the opportunity to work with established artists, cementing CAC\u2019s cultural significance in New Orleans. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The third and fourth floors of the CAC building, however, have always been underutilized. CAC representatives searched for years to find a way to generate a profit with the upper floors. In the fall of 2017, CAC completed a 40,000-square-foot renovation with local developer (and now tenant) the Domain Cos., transforming its third and fourth floors into an art-filled coworking space for a diverse group of creative professionals across a wide range of industries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Designed by New Orleans-based Eskew+Dumez+Ripple Architects and constructed by Palmisano General Contractors, also of New Orleans, the workspace includes 69 private offices, seven conference rooms equipped to meet today\u2019s tech demands, 15,000 square feet of amenity space known as The Commons and an intimate outdoor rooftop deck. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Creation of The Shop\n<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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The Shop includes 15,000 square feet of amenity space known as The Commons. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

CAC\u2019s third and fourth floors had been extended\ngallery space and an area for costume fabrication\nfor New Orleans\u2019 once-booming film industry. The\nexisting conditions of the third and fourth floors\nwere what many designers hope to find when\ntasked with a renovation: exposed masonry walls;\nhistoric wood floors distressed from prior use; and\nwarm, exposed heavy timber columns and beams.\nDespite the beautiful backdrop, to create the\ncoworking space, the design team had to overcome\nseveral challenges.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To allow The Shop\u2019s users and CAC patrons alike to enter the building through the main entrance at Camp Street, an existing 4-story atrium had to be uncovered. Approximately 50 percent of the existing drywall separating the upper floors from the atrium was removed and replaced with a 10-foot- tall glass storefront, maximizing daylight through the building. An existing projection into the atrium was converted into a fourth-floor enclosed balcony that acts as an \u201coutdoor\u201d lounge and study. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fire code required the team to separate the existing occupancy from the new office areas. The required fire separation was achieved by laying 4 inches of concrete over the existing wood floors on the third floor. The concrete then was polished, which complements the raw, industrial character of the space. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Connecting the two floors represented perhaps the greatest challenge, the solution of which led to the genesis of a significant unifying attribute: the feature stair. Elevator access had existed for all four floors; however, elevators are located in the lobby, and users would have to exit The Shop to enter the elevator. The design team created an openly communicating design with the feature stair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Windows between offices provide additional light and create a sense of an open plan while maintaining privacy and security. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Emerging from a 30-inch concrete podium, affording users an informal workspace and stage, the ash-wood and steel staircase is an organizing element in the space\u2014programmatically and architecturally. It provides commons space and a central feature programmatically but also offers access between floors. A nod to the texture of the existing timber structure, the podium\u2019s rough board-formed finish is an elegant contrast to the smooth surface of the concrete floor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starting with the concrete slab, the stair begins as a work surface, folding up to define an intimate meeting space beyond a wood screen. Moving upward, the bands of steel and wood thread into the treads of the stairs, passing through the fourth floor and bending to create an overhead trellis that defines a seating area. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

PHOTOS:<\/strong> Neil Alexander<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Elements and Features\n<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Emerging from a 30-inch concrete podium, the ash-wood and steel staircase begins as a work surface, folding up to define an intimate meeting space beyond a wood screen. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Like a painting, the ash-wood and steel staircase anchors The Shop. Equally important, however, are the surrounding elements and features. The space is organized with private offices located along the perimeter. The offices vary in size to accommodate fulltime tenant needs. (The Shop houses fulltime tenants with permanent space, in addition to its coworking space.) Windows between offices provide additional light and create a sense of an open plan while maintaining privacy and security. Additionally, shared amenities like the conference rooms and copy\/print center are centrally located, thus alleviating wayfinding concerns. Eclectic graphic wallpaper, light fixtures, furniture and rugs were selected to reinforce the varied nature of the changing media on display in the galleries below.
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The heart of The Shop is The Commons, an area on the third floor designed to facilitate conversation and connection. It boasts a full kitchen, beer and cold-brew coffee taps, and communal and recreational space. Comfortable lounge furniture was sourced from a variety of vendors and paired with vintage pieces to bring a living-room sensibility to an office setting. Hot desks that allow multiple workers to use the same workspace at different times and fixed banquettes accommodate diverse types of work. Lighting was organized to delineate a wide variety of seating experiences, in addition to accenting key features, like custom murals that were commissioned throughout the space. Local and national artists were brought in to adorn the walls with the goal of connecting the coworking tenants with the art community. Phone booths were placed on both floors and allow for private conversations and quiet workspace. Some phone booths feature countertops while others have lounge seats. [Editor\u2019s Note: Learn more about the trend of installing phone booths into open office designs in \u201cTrend Alert\u201d<\/a>.] Decorative sconces and graphic wallpaper create a welcoming, intimate atmosphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All these elements merge together to create what is holistically a unified endeavor in support of New Orleans\u2019 community. Diverse tenants now occupy the space, including several independent non-profits, an interior designer, law offices and artists. Residency at The Shop also offers users full membership to the CAC, which CAC representatives report they are keen to enjoy. In only a short time since opening, The Shop achieved its target goal of 100 percent occupancy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Designed to facilitate conversation and connection, The Shop offers small businesses, entrepreneurs, and arts-based professionals the resources they require to grow and flourish. As CAC representatives hoped, The Shop has been a resounding success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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To achieve the required fire separation between existing occupancy and the new office areas, 4 inches of concrete was laid over the wood floors on the third floor. The concrete then was polished, which complements the raw, industrial character of the space. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Retrofit Team <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

ARCHITECT OF RECORD: <\/strong>Eskew+Dumez+Ripple<\/a>, New Orleans<\/p>\n\n\n\n