Project Name: The Balcony

Location: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Dealer: Absolute Aluminum

Product: Bronze, Pergola X -Pivot 6 XL

Kim Bokamper, the former Miami Dolphin and local sportscaster, and his restaurant group had become synonymous with sports-themed restaurants and bars. The restauranteurs wanted to try something a little different. So they purchased a single-story building on Las Olas Boulevard—Fort Lauderdale’s premier destination for shopping , dining, events, and entertainment—and, essentially, blew through the roof. It was the first step toward creating their vision of a New Orleans-themed rooftop bar on the popular thoroughfare. Bokamper looked to Absolute Aluminum and StruXure to deliver a roof covering that would not only be expansive enough to provide protection from the unpredictable weather, but that would sit high enough to give a true open-air vibe to patrons. The solution was a gabled roof system that could pivot open to let air flow through, or could be closed to repel rain. Unlike a typical flat pergola roofline with only a subtle pitch, the dramatic slope required extra water management planning. The engineering feat was skillfully maneuvered and the team was able to turn an unusable rooftop into a wildly popular, functioning bar with a NOLA twist.