commentThe 930 Poydras project is a residential development located within the New Orleans business district.
The concrete structure stands 21 stories tall with several innovative amenities for the residents of the 250 apartments between floors 9-21. The building also houses 10,000 sq ft of commercial space on the ground floor facing Poydras Street.
A portion of the retail space is home to a very popular pizza restaurant and there are plans to add a coffee shop and another restaurant. In addition to the commercial and residential tenant space, the building also houses 500 parking spaces between floors 1-8.
The 930 Poydras project was challenged by site constraints, escalating pricing, aggressive timelines and pedestrian safety.
The most significant issue was the site constraints: it was an extremely small parcel of land, in a dense downtown environment, with neighboring historic buildings, no laydown area, heavy vehicle traffic and pedestrian foot traffic on one of the busiest streets in downtown New Orleans.
The building’s footprint consumed nearly the entire project site. The structure consists of 21 stories including 10,000 sq ft of retail space at street level, 200,000 sq ft of parking equaling 500 parking spaces, and 250,000 sq ft of residential tenant space (250 apartments and amenities including a pool deck, skylobby, public restrooms, mailroom and fitness center).
In an effort to enhance productivity and efficiency, several pieces of equipment were incorporated into the building design.
Another key component which contributed to overcoming jobsite challenges was the exterior skin design.
The skin allowed for installation without a tower crane and temporary dry-in at every other floor. This allowed finishes to start while the structure was being built three floors above. This was another key component that contributed to achieving the aggressive schedule.
In addition, the project was faced with escalating costs of commodities across the board, a direct result of the recovering market after Hurricane Katrina. The project team overcame this by pre-purchasing the key material items for the project from our subcontractors and vendors.
Overall, the project was a success for the developer, design team and construction team. The project broke ground in April 2008 and a temporary certificate of occupancy was granted to the owner in December 2009. This could not have been achieved without the team effort contributed by all parties involved.
Key Players
Developer/Owner: 930 Poydras LLC, New Orleans, La.
GC: Gibbs Construction LLC, New Orleans, La.
Architect: Eskew+Dumez+Ripple, New Orleans, La.
Civil Engineer: Morphy, Makofsky Inc., New Orleans, La.
Structural Engineer: Morphy, Makofsky, Inc., New Orleans, La.
MEP Engineer: The MCC Group LLC, Metairie, La.
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