Project: Modern Two-Story Addition
Architecture: Nathan Fell Architecture
Contractor: MGI Construction
Structural Engineer: Cali & LaPlace Engineers, LLC
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Area: 2000 ft2
Year: 2023
Photo Credits: Jeremy Jachym, Nathan Fell Architecture
This residential renovation and addition project is a modern two-story addition to the rear of a preserved early 20th-century New Orleans Shotgun Duplex Home (a two-story mass to the rear is referred to as “Camelbacks” in New Orleans). This was done intentionally to represent the original form with appropriate renovated historic details true to the original, without creating a false sense of history watered-down with an addition that was somehow blended or made to imitate the detail of the original structure falsely.
The distinction in form was used to frame a side entry. This was achieved through a clear delineation of the rear form with a roof that wraps to frame an exterior gate. The gate leads to a raised rear yard, which was filled in to be the same height as the main home to make it more of an extension of some of the public spaces rather than a small sunken pit, which can often be a lifeless space. In this case, the rear of the main unit of the duplex opens onto the rear yard via a large & tall multi-slide glass wall to visually extend the interior space.
The existing home was 1285 SF and the renovated home was a total of 2000 SF (1300 sf on the 1st Floor and 700 sf on the 2nd Floor) Each unit has 2 bedrooms and stairs (to access the upper level), so fitting everything was tricky, but it did lead to a much more open and light-filled interior on the lower levels. Existing hardwood floors were preserved throughout the existing portion of the building. The project allows for a functional, open space that preserves the residence’s use as a duplex and expands the footprint for a more spacious and airier interior.
