With the upcoming 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina on the horizon for 2025, the new interior renovations by Trahan Architects to one of its tragic epicenters—the historic Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana—is an important project to highlight following the completion of work in September of this year.

The extension of an initial engagement, which began in the immediate aftermath of the storm, the latest commission authored a full interior renovation meant to improve accessibility, the fan experience, wayfinding, operational efficiency, and the team facilities for the city’s beloved New Orleans Saints NFL franchise.  

The project, which was carried out in phases from 2020 on until the start of this year's football season, reconfigures perimeter concessions areas while installing a series of new atrium volumes that ease the speed of access to upper-level guest suites. 

"The ingenuity of the original design enabled us to think beyond the typical approach to stadium design, creating opportunities for reuse, and ultimately the rebirth, of an historic space," founder Trey Trahan said of their plans.

The conditions mentioned however did require an enormous level of complexity in executing the design, which in the end reclaims more than 100,000 square feet of public space while increasing the total amount of ADA-compliant seating throughout the stadium. 

Five new ADA platform lifts have also been installed along with 12 new passenger elevators—another important aspect given the number of Americans who are disabled (including those with invisible disabilities) has been shown to have increased in recent years. 

Finally, further reconfigurations to the existing layout added room for 50,000 square feet of space dedicated to back-of-house operations, the 4,000-square-foot Mercedes-Benz End Zone Club, and a pair of field-level end zone suites along with new VIP entrances as bookends.

This therefore highly sensitive design offers fans in the Crescent City the kind of renewal that so many see as being bereft from other parts of its built environment in the two decades post-Katrina.  The project is expected to add 25 years or more to the building's lifespan. Trahan Architects has also been commissioned to design the official U.S. Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka-Kansai, the preview of which was shared with us earlier this year.