NORTH CAROLINA AQUARIUM
JENNETTE'S PIER
Location: Nags Head, NC
Size: 1,000 ft long pier and 17,000 sf pier house
Year completed: 2011
The new pier and pier house in Nags Head replaces the historic Jennette’s Pier, a wood structure destroyed by Hurricane Isabel in 2003. The 1,000 foot long pier is framed with precast concrete piles, pile caps and beams and topped with 3x6 wood decking. Mounted upon the pier are three 90-ft. tall wind turbines, two shade pavilions and a pump house. The 100-year design wave crests at 29 ft. above mean sea level.
Consistent with the original building, the pier house is completely elevated on the pier above the surf. The base of the building is a precast beam and slab structure with timber framing above a utility crawl space. The second floor and mechanical attic are framed with reinforced cast-in-place concrete beams and slabs. The pitched roofs are framed with timber trusses and stick built wood framing anchored to reinforced concrete beams.
Architect: BMH Architects
Photography: LHC and BMH