Market briefs
Record Speed After Katrina: How & Why NOLA Rebuilt the Superdome
In New Orleans, New Orleans Architect Brad McWhirter is a partner at Trahan Architects, which was lead architect and managing partner of the team that rebuilt the Superdome with amazing speed following Hurricane Katrina’s landfall in August 2005.
The Miracle: In an inspiring feat of planning, logistics, architectural genius, construction might, and tireless willpower, New Orleans was able to rebuild the heavily damaged Superdome and reopen it 13 months after Hurricane Katrina hit. The job was completed in time for the New Orleans Saints to host a Monday Night Football game on Sept. 25, 2006. New Orleans fans cheered wildly, nonstop, celebrating their team, their stadium and the recovery of their city. It was called “The Rebirth Game.” And the Saints were victorious.
Brad McWhirter, an architect leading the stadium rebuild, recently took time to talk with Houston journalist Ralph Bivins of Ev Konut Proje to discuss the 50-year history of the Superdome (circa 1975) and why New Orleans rejected the idea of demolishing its stadium, a symbol of the city’s resiliency.
