In the 1980s, the Bisso family of Bisso Marine transported aging oil rig platforms to their marine salvage yard. In the 1990s, those rigs were converted into modern office spaces.
In October 2023, Ben Jacobson and Casey Burka of Federated Historic Holdings purchased the industrial site and redeveloped it into a mixed-use project featuring green areas, food and beverage options, and community gathering spaces. Tucked on 10 acres of land along the Mississippi River in Uptown, and now known as The Batture, the multifaceted project honors the site’s maritime industrial past and serves as a vibrant community hub.
The existing office spaces — now known as The Rigs at The Batture, which opened last September — have been renovated to meet contemporary coworking needs. In addition to a first-floor co-working space and flexible, private offices (sized for solo use or small teams), The Rigs also features three conference rooms, lounge areas and soft seating throughout, a communal kitchen with coffee bar, and outdoor seating and work areas.
“There’s nowhere else in New Orleans where you can work steps from the river, surrounded by green space, with a breeze off the water and room to breathe,” noted Community Manager Abby Schroeder.
The developers had several goals for the project. First, they wanted to maintain the industrial bones of the buildings while also maximizing natural light and river views. In order to meet these goals, the team tapped Martha Pearson, owner at Martha Pearson Designs, to retain much of the site’s industrial maritime character while updating the interiors to feel modern, bright and welcoming. Pearson led the space planning, concept development, materials selection, furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E) procurement, art curation, and construction management for the project.
“We wanted to make the space feel stylish and productive, while also working with the buildings’ existing character,” said Schroeder. “Martha’s knack for blending modern style with historical charm made her the perfect fit for The Rigs. The design feels like it belongs here — it reflects the rhythm of the river and the natural beauty all around.”
Pearson embraced the original steel structure of the buildings, which guided decisions about how to support a co-working layout.
“In the open workspace and gallery, you can still see the original steel columns, which we chose to highlight as part of the design,” she noted. “For most of the private offices, we retained the existing wall layouts to maintain cost-efficiency and streamline the build-out. These spaces were then refreshed with new finishes and thoughtfully selected furnishings.”
For the design direction, Pearson drew from both the Mississippi River and the surrounding industrial landscape.
“Our goal was to create a seamless connection between the rugged, industrial exterior and the light-filled, modern interiors,” she said. “The result is a space where tenants enjoy the best of both worlds — unparalleled access to the river and surrounding green space, combined with the comfort and functionality of a contemporary office environment.”
Inspired by the natural and industrial elements surrounding the site, the space’s color palette sports blues and greens that are paired with bold safety reds and yellows of equipment and weathered rust tones of passing barges.
“We took a restrained approach to material selection to ensure a cohesive feel throughout the offices,” Pearson said. “Modern furnishings and lighting keep the space fresh and inviting.”
Pearson added that the developers are very supportive of local collaboration, “which allowed us to partner with Cucuron, a New Orleans–based online marketplace showcasing local artists, to curate a rotating gallery in the open office area.”
In addition to the rotating gallery, Pearson layered in plenty of greenery, plus large-scale art and custom sculptures to create a unique and dynamic environment.
“We designed abstract rig-inspired sculptures using industrial scraps salvaged from the 10-acre site,” she added. “After selecting and assembling the pieces, we worked with a welder to put the pieces together, where they now hang in the lobby and kitchen. We love the connectivity between the history of the land’s industrial past and the building’s modern purpose.”
Unlike traditional coworking spaces, The Rigs provides the mental clarity of a retreat without ever leaving the city.
“The blend of nature, space and creative energy is rare — and it makes getting things done feel good,” Schroeder said. “It’s productive, but without pressure — like working from a vacation destination just steps from home.”
The Rigs at the Batture
25 Walnut St., New Orleans
504-584-7312 // rigsnola.com // @rigsnola
Quick Look
Number of Years in Operation: Opened September 2024
Style of Architecture: Maritime Industrial (Modern Industrial)
Square Footage: 8,104
Number of Employees: 60 coworkers, 2 employees of The Rigs
Persons in Charge: Abby Schroeder, community manager
Architecture: CICADA
Interior Décor: Martha Pearson Designs
Initial Brand Development: In House
Art and furnishings: Martha Pearson Designs plus some art furnished in partnership with Cucuron
