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The Exchange Pickleball & Entertainment Venue 22059

One of the first pickleball venues to be built in New Orleans, The Exchange blends history with community vibrancy.

VergesRome Architects re-imagined the 24,000 SF industrial warehouse into a multi-functional, state-of-the-art, recreational facility that now houses 6 indoor courts, 1 outdoor court, 2 bars with lounge and dining areas, a full-service kitchen, and an expansive outdoor patio lounge.

The building’s interior design is inspired by design trends from the 1960’s, when Pickleball was invented. Teal, salmon, and green hues add captivating focal points, while curvilinear millwork and vintage wood finishes further evoke the era’s style, paying homage to its timeless charm.
In contrast, the courts are simplified to light, bright walls, and vibrant court striping to assist in the visibility of the Pickleball itself.

Saint Joseph Abbey & Seminary College: Flood Recovery Projects

BENEDICT, LA

VergesRome Architects assisted the Saint Joseph Abbey and Seminary College (SJASC) with recovery efforts following the March 11, 2016 flooding of the Bogue Falaya River that inundated most buildings on the 1,200 acre campus with nearly two feet of water.

SJASC incurred major disruption and more than 30 buildings and structures were damaged, with total losses estimated to exceed $30 million. The event was declared a major disaster by FEMA-4263-DR-LA on 03-13-2016. SJASC is a non-profit applicant for FEMA Public Assistance (PA) and 404 Hazard Mitigation Grant Programs (HMPGP) grants.

The design and procurement of temporary modular facilities was accomplished in 3 months, allowing the seminarians to continue their studies in the 2016-2017 school year. The Flood Recovery Projects at Saint Joseph Abbey and Seminary College included a total of 9 different buildings.

Energy Centre: Renovation & Window Replacement

NEW ORLEANS, LA

Energy Centre, built in the mid-1980’s, is one of New Orleans’ premier office towers, located on Poydras Avenue. This 41-story office tower suffered severe damage from Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, when the building racked, causing glazing in areas to pop out as well as resulting in the deformation of the window framing systems. The entire tower was surveyed and a majority of the glazing systems required replacement to accommodate the current racking of the tower.

Floors 1-7 received new missile impact-resistant frames and glazing, while the entire ground level was enhanced by a design program to incorporating additional security measures and protection for future storms. Completed in 2010, the complex $18.4 Million project required careful coordination with facility personnel and tenants, as the window retrofits required working from both the interior and the exterior.

McNeese Health and Human Performance Building – Hurricane Recovery

LAKE CHARLES, LA

The team of Page + VergesRome Architects was chosen to restore the Health and Human Performance building at McNeese State University from damages from Hurricane Laura.  The 165,000 SF building lost 75% of the roof during the storm.  Additionally, the building sustained substantial damage to exterior walls, losing major sections of the wall system.  The damage extended throughout the building and allowed water to infiltrate from all sides. 

Within days of being selected for this project, the Page +VRA team was onsite assessing the damage and putting together the restoration plans and specifications. The restoration project was designed for completion in phases, starting with a Roofing contract. The first Phase provided Emergency Roof Repairs, required to prevent further water intrusion damage. Bid documents for the Emergency Roof Repairs, delivered within 14 days of award of the project, called for critical portions of the roof to be made watertight within two weeks of the commencement of the work. Completion of Phase One repairs allowed the commencement of the exterior and interior restoration work scope in Phase Two. Phase Two work focused on completion of the building envelope repairs and the interiors, with extensive replacement of finishes, environmental remediation and HVAC repairs to ensure proper operation, comfort and indoor air quality.

AOS Offices Renovation

New Orleans, Louisiana

VergesRome Architects was retained by AOS to design their new flagship office in downtown New Orleans in 2001. The design intent was to accommodate future growth for the company, while balancing workplace and showroom. The new office spaces showcased the interior systems furnishings and planning services AOS provides, inspiring both designers and clients.

In 2017, AOS had the opportunity to expand their offices. VergesRome Architects and Eskew Dumez Ripple collaborated to update the AOS offices to correspond to current design trends and showcase the potential of DIRTT wall systems. The 8,453 sf space again artfully balances workspace and showroom, and capitalizes on stunning downtown New Orleans views.

2018 AIA Honor Citation for the Gulf Coast Region

2018 IIDA Delta Regional Chapter Award of Excellence

2018 USGBC Louisiana Chapter Award

Pere Rouquette Library at Saint Joseph Abbey + Seminary College

St. Benedict, Louisiana

Saint Joseph Seminary College’s enrollment has significantly increased in recent years, creating a demand for updated housing and academic upgrades. To accommodate this growth, Rouquette Library needed a new home to make possible the return of Savio Hall, where Rouquette Library once resided, to its original function as a student residence.

The site for the new library was carefully selected in a location that does not disrupt the current mid-century modern master plan of the campus, and places it in a location that visitors can access without compromising the private sectors of the campus. The site selected was the former swimming pool site.

The building was designed with three stories, with the ground floor used as exterior covered space for activities with easy access to other activities on the campus. The elevated structure not only reflects the elevated design of nearby Pius X Hall, but also offers protection for the seminary’s book collection in the event of flooding. The second floor houses the main collection with faculty resources for research, writing, and reading. The third floor provides collaborative student space along with two conference rooms for small lectures and meetings. The third floor will also house the library’s collection of bound serials and offer extended hours, until 10:00 p.m., each evening.

In addition, as the seminarians love the views of their campus, the new library design provides a nearly 360-degree panorama of the entire campus.

John McDonogh School Renovations

New Orleans, Louisiana

The John McDonogh School building is located at 2426 Esplanade Ave.  The main three-story, 92,000 SF school opened in the early 1900’s.  The solid masonry structure with decorative plaster trim began an extensive renovation in February of 2017.  The school is currently being renovated inside and out to serve as an Kindergarten through 8th grade.

Exterior renovations include a complete refurbishment of all exterior wood windows, tuckpointing of all mortar joints, installing new masonry ties to mitigate cracking of solid masonry walls, cleaning of masonry and installing a clear breathable water repellent.  All decorative plaster trim and cornices, including the plaster entrance façade, are being refurbished and painted.  The art glass windows at the front entrance are being refurbished to match the original art glass windows as closely as possible.

The ground floor was completely demolished and redesigned to create 14 Classrooms to accommodate Kindergarten through 3rd grade, as well as an Art Room, Offices and Conference Room.  Also located on the ground floor is a full-service kitchen.

Original classroom configurations were kept where possible on the 2nd and 3rd floors. The 2nd floor also contains administrative offices and a 450-seat Auditorium that has been refurbished to restore the original coffered ceilings.  The 3rd floor provides Classrooms, Media Center, Science Lab, Music and Art Rooms. Finishes throughout the Main Building have been replaced.

The existing Gymnasium has been demolished and replaced with a new state-of-the-art 22,000 SF Gymnasium and will accommodate new locker rooms, a Maker Lab and Health Lab. The project will be LEED-Certified.

New Orleans Charter Science and Mathematics High School (SciHigh)

New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans Science and Mathematics High School, also known as Sci High, offers specialized instruction in science, math, and technology, and provides an open door to any interested New Orleans high school student. The school now serves more than 450 students, expects to serve 600 to 700 students as it continues to grow, and has outgrown its current location in a former elementary school building.

In 2020, Sci High will move into a new facility designed by VergesRome Architects specifically to support their coursework and mission. The facility will be fully ADA accessible and will include specialty labs for biomedical, health, engineering and skilled crafts courses to support the school’s emphasis on rigorous STEM courses. The new facility is located one block from the Lafitte Greenway and two blocks from the new biomedical corridor.

Due to the small site size, the school is designed with an elevated gymnasium to allow space below for parking and playground space.

St. Charles Catholic High School Renovations

LaPlace, Louisiana

The Additions and Renovations to St. Charles Catholic High School in LaPlace involved a major exterior face lift to the main school building, a pre-engineered metal structure constructed in 1977. The exterior renovations replaced the old blue metal siding with brick, stucco and aluminum storefront windows.

The Entry Addition brought prominence to the nondescript school entrance. The 1,400 SF Entry Addition includes a brick and cast stone entry portal, a vestibule, a conference room immediately off the vestibule, and added a new computer lab. The polished terrazzo floors of the vestibule extend into the main lobby and to the school administrative offices. The conference room, which seats 20 people, was designed to accommodate faculty and school board meetings and replaces the school’s only conference room which had been converted into faculty offices.

The Commons Expansion added 1,850 SF of café style seating to the cafeteria and includes a tower dedicated to the memory of Lt. Col. Robert J. Hymel, an alumni of St. Charles Borromeo High School and a decorated Vietnam War veteran killed in the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon. A new presentation wall displays the school’s state trophies and is the backdrop for the Quarterback Club and other meetings.

The 126-seat 2,500 SF stand-alone Chapel is designed for celebration of the Mass by an entire grade level and for the football team’s pre-game Mass. The new chapel’s site was positioned in the heart of the campus.

The gymnasium was also renovated, receiving a new court surface, new goals and bleachers, a new audio/visual system, and a new white perforated acoustical metal ceiling and LED lighting.

Southern University at New Orleans, College of Education and Human Development Building

New Orleans, Louisiana

The new 49,700 square foot building for the College of Education and Human Development is part of Southern University at New Orleans’ post-Hurricane Katrina development of the SUNO Lake Campus. Now under construction, it will join the existing Faculty and Student Housing (designed by the Joint Venture team of VergesRome Architects and Bani Carville & Brown Architects), the School of Business, the Business Incubator, the IT Building, and the new School of Social Work Building on the University’s Lake Campus.

The College of Education Building will provide a permanent home to the Education curriculum which was displaced to modular classroom buildings since late 2005. The new building will allow expansion of the curriculum and enhancement of the Education program through the addition of a Head Start Program and an Early Childhood Development Center. As the last of the buildings planned for the Lake Campus, the exterior materials and color palette for the College of Education Building are selected to blend with and complement the exteriors of the surrounding campus structures. As the public face of the Lake Campus, the building’s front façade will address Leon C. Simon Boulevard and its position will define the southeastern corner of the campus quadrangle.

The building will provide classroom and laboratory space for approximately 600 adult students, a learning environment for 81 children from ages 18 months to 5 years old, and offices for a faculty of nearly 40. In addition to typical classrooms for 15 to 30 students, the classroom spaces will include an 80-seat auditorium, three interconnected classrooms, one nutrition classroom with a residential demonstration kitchen, and three classrooms with observation rooms with one-way glass. A TV Studio is provided to record and broadcast lectures for distance and online learning.

For the safety and security of the children attending the Head Start and Early Childhood Development Centers, a separate entrance and parking area are provided. Each of the children’s centers will have three age-specific classrooms, a spacious indoor play area, a separate fenced outdoor play yard, and a central warming kitchen will serve meals from the University’s commissary for the children in these Centers.

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