From Dormant to Dynamic
What happens to your vision of a rooftop bar, when your single-story restaurant has no physical vertical access? You cut a hole in the roof, add a spectacular pivoting louvered pergola, and create the ultimate entertainment destination.
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.
“We’ve had great success with Bokamper’s Sports Bar & Grill and its five locations, so we brought that same sports bar atmosphere to Las Olas, but with a twist.”
– Kim Bokamper – Owner
