Contemporary Arts Center

900 Camp St.

New Orleans, Louisiana

1990
Adaptive re-use of an existing warehouse as space for galleries, flexible theaters, café and support spaces for a collaborative art community
Jay Weigel, Executive/Artistic Director, Contemporary Arts Center, client
+40,000 sf
Collaborators:

Wayne Troyer FAIA

 

1990 Arts Council of New Orleans New Orleans Arts Award

Project Type: Commercial, Interiors

Located in an historic 19th century building, the CAC is a multi-disciplinary arts organization dedicated to the presentation, production, and promotion of the arts of our time.  The project was designed and completed while Wayne Troyer was affiliated with Concordia Architects (New Orleans, LA), where he served as Project Director and Co-designer.  It is an award winning example of an adaptive re-use project.  The aim of the CAC is to encourage collaboration among artists, institutions, and communities; this collaboration formed the basis for the design approach, by involving participants from varied disciplines:  architects, artists, administration, supporters.  The continuous interchange contributed immensely to the success of the final design.

The program includes exposition spaces, two flexible theaters, a cyber café, administrative offices, and support facilities.  The building itself also engages the idea of mediating between what is new and what is existing; it is a mix of historic New Orleans architecture with a contemporary palette of materials.  All existing warehouse floors were removed, leaving only the original exterior walls, and a new structural system was inserted into the remaining space.  An entirely new sense of spatial organization distinguishes and emphasizes the timelessness of the existing space while establishing an electrifying new atmosphere.

Completed at Concordia Architects