Camelback Addition and Renovation

Camelback in Black is a contemporary two-story addition to the rear of a preserved early 20th-century New Orleans Shotgun Duplex Home (a two-story mass to the rear is referred to as "Camelbacks" in New Orleans). The difference in material aesthetic between the historic and new was done intentionally to give a clear reading of the massing that was true to the original. Because the lot and original building are particularly short (the lot is only 60 feet deep) a blended approach to the rear and 2nd story addition would not only create a false sense of history (about the massing) but would have looked mis-proportioned for a traditional Camelback.

The project offered the unique opportunity to design a home for the owner who grew up there as a child and inherited the property as the third generation. They held many fond memories of the existing home, but their need for the property to be useful as a primary residence with a long-term residential unit as supplemental income meant the home needed updating and expansion.