new orleans

Our Process: Creating Better Visualization For Clients


With lots of new projects on the horizon, we thought we’d share more about our design process and how we get from the floor plan stage to the photorealistic rendering stage. Though our photorealistic renderings are a visualization tool, they are often not seen by our clients until we are almost finished with the documentation portion of our work. Here’s how we work:

The development of our projects is separated into sequential phases. The first three phases are led by the architect. These phases are DESIGN, DOCUMENTS and PROCUREMENT. These are also known in industry contractual terms as Schematic Design, Design Development, Construction Documents and Bidding. The remaining phase is led by the Contractor and we call it CONSTRUCTION, with the Architect’s role technically referred to as CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION. I’ll break down the first two phases quickly and then show you an example of how our design work turns into those pretty renderings you see on Instagram.

DESIGN

In the design phase, our goal is to lock in the floor plan and general massing. Small tweaks can be made after we finalize the design, but we’d like for 80-90% of the layout to be pinned down before moving into the DOCUMENTS phase.

Other deliverables in the DESIGN phase are concept boards illustrating the stylistic concepts that will guide decisions in the next phase. If required, we may review the design with any historic neighborhood commissions.

DOCUMENTS

In the DOCUMENTS phase, we engineer the structure (again, making it all more important to lock in a floor plan) and we select and detail of all the materials and fixtures on the project so that everything is spatially and technically coordinated in the drawings for the trades. The DOCUMENTS phase is also when the drawings are issued for permit. We make any adjustments to the plans that the City requires before issuing the plans for the BIDDING phase.

EXAMPLES

Let’s take for example our St. Charles Avenue Pool House Project. Below is an example of our visualization tools in the DESIGN phase.

Seen above is a Revit rendering showing basic design concept. This rendering will accompany a finalized plan.

Below is an example of our visualization tools in the DOCUMENTS phase.

As our work develops through the DOCUMENTS phase we make more and more specific choices, and those decisions are incorporated into the model as we develop our drawings. As you can see between the rough rendering in the DESIGN phase and the more realistic rendering in the DOCUMENTS phase, we made a few design tweaks as we honed in on the details. Realistic visualization and modeling forces the development of many small details that could be fudged or were not evident in the sketchy model. The stairs, the cornice detail, and the door design were all adjusted, but the overall design concepts and plan did not change.


NEXT, let’s see how the interiors of this project developed.

First, we need to define a design strategy using detailed images of other projects with aspects that we would like to incorporate into a holistic interior approach.

We look for images on Pinterest to help build a story board or concept board that depicts the overall vibe of the project.

We begin modeling the components. In this stage, everything is in black and white.

Once all of the components are built, we will add the material and color. This is where the real visualization fun begins!

The above image is the final design we landed on; however, there were many iterations of this kitchen that came after the black and white stage, but before the final. This tool is great for helping clients visualize all the materials and finishes next to each other and how it ties together with the architecture.


Another example

Below are some renderings showing the difference between our DESIGN phase renderings and our DOCUMENTS phase renderings.

In the DESIGN phase, we are still testing out ideas

In the DOCUMENTS phase, we are testing out materiality and finishes


In the DESIGN phase, we look at big picture ideas this included massing and scale for this Irish Channel project.

In the DOCUMENTS phase, we add materiality and details that make the project special.

It’s important to remember that every project is different with a different set of design goals, so the renderings at certain milestones in the project may look further or less developed than other projects. New construction projects may address the exterior prior to interior where renovations may address interior form and materiality prior to the exterior development.

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Introduction to Camelbacks

Introduction to Camelbacks

The term “camelback” is as familiar to New Orleanians as red beans and rice. This architectural vernacular, resembling a silhouette of a camel, is an addition on the back of a home that allows the street facing façade to maintain its historic massing and scale, and it’s a solution popular in our historic neighborhoods.

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Navigating Your Renovation in a Historic District

Our goal for this blog post is to help guide frantic property owners on the ins-and-outs of the HDLC permitting process. We have completed several projects that are in both partial and full control districts, and each time the process has been a little different. On top of that, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed things how things worked as well. We’ll try to keep this post as short and sweet as possible - though there’s a lot of information to process.

We’ve included links to various sources that can help property owners understand what they can expect in the months leading up to approval from our perspective. We will also touch on our projects that required Certificates of Appropriateness from the HDLC for reference.


Example Project: Partial Control Camelback

Camp Street Camelback, Uptown District:  We removed the farthest back historic room for the conversion. This did not trigger any commission approvals, as in a partial control district we stayed well below the roof and wall removal thresholds, and di…

Camp Street Camelback, Uptown District: We removed the farthest back historic room for the conversion. This did not trigger any commission approvals, as in a partial control district we stayed well below the roof and wall removal thresholds, and did not touch the front facade.


Resources

Preservation Resource Center - Navigating HDLC: We are going to hit some points that the PRC did not hit in their presentation. Just so there is not overlapping information. You can click the here to see that presentation.

Identifying New Orleans Architectural Styles: If you don’t know the style of your property, refer to this page.


Example Project: Partial Control Attic Build-Out

Black Pearl Creole, Carrollton District: This structural renovation did trigger the roof demolition rule, as the owner wanted to remove the historic roof and replace with a new roof with dormers. Because the new roof pitch did not match the existing…

Black Pearl Creole, Carrollton District: This structural renovation did trigger the roof demolition rule, as the owner wanted to remove the historic roof and replace with a new roof with dormers. Because the new roof pitch did not match the existing roof pitch, this is not seen as a “replacement-in-kind”, therefore must be reviewed by the Commission at a council hearing. It was approved.


Getting Started

  1. Let’s assume you are aware of your property’s status in a historic district. Your first question may be “what can I do?” or “what can I NOT do?” these are always our first question from clients. Most experienced NOLA-based architects will be able to answer these basic and broad questions regarding your renovation or addition. The answers and approval timeline looks different depending on your district. You can refer to this page for information pertaining to which district types you are in: full or partial control.

  2. Do your renovation plans trigger a review by the board? If you answer is yes to ANY of the questions below, you will need to get approval by the HDLC board at a commission hearing.

    Partial Control District Triggers:

    1. The structural removal, obscuration, or increase in height of any exterior wall altering more than 50% of the total exterior structure, or the restructuring of more than 50% of the structure’s exterior wall area

    2. The removal, alteration, or obscuration of more than 50% of the existing roof structure measured in plan view

    3. The removal, alteration, or obscuration of more than 25% of the historic materials, as determined by HDLC staff, on the primary façade; or

    4. The raising of an existing building to create habitable space that complies with the ceiling height requirements set forth in Sec. 26-196.

    Full Control District Oversight:

    1. Building Rating: The PRC touches on this in their presentation, but basically you need to know whether your property is an S or C or N property: Significant, Contributing or Non-contributing property.

    2. Guidelines for New Construction, Additions and Demolitions.

    3. Levels of Review: If you plan to deviate from any of the guidelines above you will need to get approval from HDLC. The Staff level person or the ARC (Architectural Review Committee) will review this prior to the HDLC hearing and make a recommendation to the HDLC whether to approve or deny the appeal.

Obscuration means concealing, hiding, encapsulating, or covering a building’s exterior walls, existing roof structure, or historic materials on primary facade in whole or in a significant part with new or replaced elements.


Example Project: Partial Control Addition

Austerlitz Addition, Uptown District: Here we did propose to alter the front façade, but not enough to trigger any commission reviews. This project was approved at the STAFF level.

Austerlitz Addition, Uptown District: Here we did propose to alter the front façade, but not enough to trigger any commission reviews. This project was approved at the STAFF level.


Application Process

  1. Once you have a general idea of your project goals, you can work with an architect or a design professional to illustrate the changes that will be proposed in the application process.

  2. Depending on how much work you are doing to the property, you will need to submit an application for permit which comes in the form of various degrees of work from non-structural renovation to structural renovation to new construction. Every application is reviewed by City of New Orleans planners. The application can be filled out online by accessing this portal, creating a user name and password and clicking on the corresponding link under the “PERMIT - BUILDING” section on the left hand side of the webpage. We typically do this portion of work for our clients.

  3. Your address will be one of the items required in the application and that will determine which staff person at the HDLC will review the application for compliance. If you are in a partial control district and you do not trigger any of the demolition rules, the staff person will clear the application and pass it onto the zoning and planning departments. If you are in the full control district, you might be required to meet with the ARC (architectural review committee). From there, they will either approved your design or defer the proposed design to the HDLC with a recommendation.

  4. You will be required to provide at minimum a plan and elevation with building heights and dimensions. You may also be required to provide renderings. Renderings provide a perspective of the property and will illustrate what elements will be seen from the street view.

  5. Deadlines for ARC submissions are generally due 3 weeks prior to the actual meeting, same for HDLC. So give yourself enough time to complete your presentation. A list of the meetings can be found here.


Example Project: Full Control Renovation

Chippewa Renovation, Irish Channel District: This change was reviewed by the ARC in a hearing because we proposed modifications that altered the existing historic exterior in a FULL control district. The porch addition was approved but the dormers w…

Chippewa Renovation, Irish Channel District: This change was reviewed by the ARC in a hearing because we proposed modifications that altered the existing historic exterior in a FULL control district. The porch addition was approved but the dormers were not. Some minor exterior details were worked out at STAFF level during the construction process.


Council Meetings

Council meetings are now held virtually, whereas before the pandemic, they were held in City Hall chambers. Each project is assigned a slot on the agenda. An HDLC staff person will introduce the project to the council, and you are allowed to make a statement about your project and then a determination was given. Right now, you must make your statement online (to be read out loud) at the meeting, instead of speaking in person - and you are asked to remain muted unless your project is being presented. Honestly, I don’t hate this new virtual process. Instead of travelling to City Hall and sitting in the chambers quietly until our project was presented, we now can sign on mid-meeting in the comfort of our office or home.

Still Have Questions

If you still have questions and are feeling lost in this process, it may be wise to reach out to an architect or a design professional, or just contact one of the staff people at the HDLC office. I hope we provided enough examples of work that might help you gauge the complexity of the application process. As always, reach out if you want to learn more and how we might be abke to help!

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Spring Design Projects Keeping Us Busy

Spring Design Projects Keeping Us Busy

Last year we published a blog about our how our Quarantine Design Projects are keeping us busy. This year is no different. With so many exciting things going on from construction to consultations, we haven’t had much time to share our content. Here’s an overview of what’s happening over at Studio BKA

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Salvaged Architecture

Just because you are doing a gut renovation or constructing new, doesn’t mean you can’t incorporate salvaged materials. Trending or not, this design strategy has many benefits from the sustainable reuse of resources to getting a custom look for less. Applications of old elements with new construction are by nature unique to each project and will have many of your friends awed by your creativity!

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