Loyola University New Orleans’ re-envisioned Monroe Hall was programmed to expand by roughly 100,000 SF and house several academic departments, including Applied Sciences, the College of Humanities & Natural Sciences, the College of Social Sciences, and the College of Music & Fine Arts.
The project complexity entailed a multi-floor vertical expansion, multi-phased renovation, exterior re-cladding, and complete replacement of the existing building infrastructure. Lack of swing space demanded that the existing building remain occupied by students throughout all phases of construction. To accomplish this, a new penthouse structure housing all new MEP systems was added to the top of the building, which in turn tied into three new service towers at either end of the existing structure and adjacent to the new main building entrance.
This design needed to be implemented well in advance of the major building renovation to allow for occupancy of the building and a phased renovation from the top down.
In addition to the new penthouse structure, a new academic floor was added to the top of the building, which includes a new rooftop research greenhouse and telescope deck. Program elements that required higher ceilings were strategically designed to occupy this new floor. These include laboratories, a theater, dance studios, and a lecture hall.