Hotel Saint Vincent Infrastructure
Size of Project
30,000 SF of Stormwater Retention
Location
New Orleans, LA
Owner
1507 Magazine Owner LLC
Industry
Type
Sewer, Water, Storm Drainage, Earthwork, Paving
Status
Completed
Overview
Incorporating historical and modern elements.
Hotel Saint Vincent was a dynamic undertaking that combined historic renovation with new hospitality construction. For Impetus’ Infrastructure Team, it meant weaving together the hotel’s basic infrastructure needs—sewer, water (domestic and fire), storm drainage, earthwork, paving, and base course—with green infrastructure components that complement the building’s historical design. Engaged as the Design-Build contractor, the team worked with the client and Pace Engineering to create a plan that would incorporate historical and modern elements within budgetary considerations. With our expertise in stormwater retention, historic renovation, and hospitality infrastructure, we created a cost-effective strategy that leveraged the client’s vision with the legacy challenges of the building and the city’s permitting requirements.
A jewel of green infrastructure.
Old buildings come with old foundations. Turning a century-old orphanage, with shallow infrastructure, into a hotel meant putting every square foot into use. To create the central jewel of the hotel’s green infrastructure feature, a complex yet shallow stormwater retention system was installed, with its components touching every external surface of the property. Permeable paving systems—gravel pavers, porous brick, and more—were incorporated into the grotto, pool, and walkway areas to collect rain and direct it down to perforated piping. Rainwater would then flow through a connection under the building and filter into a stone strata in the parking lot before draining into the city system. This combination of aesthetically-aligned elements with rainwater routing created 30,000 cubic feet of stormwater retention that merged perfectly with the hotel’s outdoor design. Most importantly, it met crucial surface water reduction needs without overburdening the city’s rainwater collection system.
Delivering on a complex issue.
Infrastructure is not always visible, but its absence is certainly felt. That makes our Infrastructure Team’s ability to navigate challenges in planning, execution, and permitting all the more valuable. As the team worked through the sewerage strategy to connect the hotel’s line to the city’s, they discovered the city tie-in was across the street. Though short in distance, it was the most complex to tie into. It required a traffic and utility shutdown on a prominent New Orleans street and a significant financial increase to the budget. To find a solution, our team worked with the Sewerage & Water Board and delved into their century-old archives to find options for a sewerage tie-in. The connection was finally found 60 feet away from the property, but it was a significant win for collaboration and ensured the hotel met a crucial utility need.
Uniting the past with the present.
Hospitality construction rests on a bedrock of utility and functionality. Beyond a hotel’s unique appeal, comfort can make or break a guest’s experience. For a historic building that would soon become a renowned getaway, you need the same high-level function of drainage, water pressure, and more. Impetus’ Infrastructure Team wove new components into the former orphanage’s old systems, updating as necessary to meet the hotel’s needs. The stormwater retention system showcased our team’s unique solution-focused mindset, with a design that touched every inch of the property in function but added to the allure of the hotel’s outdoor spaces. The Hotel St. Vincent opened to critical acclaim in 2021. Hailed as a masterpiece of hospitality, the hotel also represents a dynamic exercise in creating new infrastructure within historical constraints, uniting the past with the present in a meaningful and sustainable way.
