NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Exhibition Hall Authority has selected NANO LLC to be the architect of record for the stage 2 renovations of the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center’s ongoing $557 million Capital Improvement Plan. NANO founders Terri and Ian Dreyer will lead a team of subcontractors to complete the $180 million project aiming for “modernization and sustainability” at the nearly 40-year-old facility.
The overall renovations will replace large portions of the facility’s pre-function space with “hospitality-focused design and trend-forward amenities,” according to a release. Planned renovations include new construction that will serve as the new main entrance to the convention center and a large ballroom on a newly created third level overlooking the Mississippi River. NANO will also add new design curves into the existing facility to create a larger exterior plaza.
A NANO spokesperson said the firm’s prime design directive is twofold: to “modernize interior and exterior spaces while incorporating the experience of New Orleans into the facility through art, lighting, textures, rhythms, movement and visitor interactions. By thoughtfully interpreting and incorporating into the renovations the patterns, urban archetypes and natural forces of the Mississippi River that shaped the Crescent City’s unique urban grid system, NANO’s designs reflect the indelible essence of New Orleans without leaning on overused symbolism.”
“As a woman-owned business and certified state-local disadvantaged business enterprise, being part of this transformative project has been game changing for our company,” said Terri Hogan Dreyer, managing partner of NANO Architecture. “By investing in local businesses like ours, the Convention Center is helping NANO — and other contractors and subcontractors — pave the way for more small businesses to start thinking bigger and growing faster.”
