Hurricane Katrina
brought massive devastation to the community of New Orleans, many being declared
homeless from the damage. With
such an en-cultured environment, New Orleans was ready to get back on their
feet, having so much traditionalism to preserve and lifestyles to restore. The slate had been wiped clean, and
with the entirety of our nation ready to help, there was no better time for New
Orleans to reassess their previous nature of housing and community design, and
start fresh with new and innovative ideas.
Make It Right pushed
for complete transformation in how a home: functions, made affordable, and is
constructed. Supported by Brad
Pitt, there was much of a progressive movement that revolved around the traditions
of New Orleans while maintaining quality designs of single and multi family
housing, also known as the “shotgun” and the “duplex.” The variety of homes were to also
uphold standards including durability against storms, nontoxic and reusable
materiality.
Porches were also
included as a met standard to influence sociable and communal moments in the
neighborhood. Something New
Orleans has always been known for.
Implementing
these qualities within the two different designs allowed for more individualism
within their home and the community.
Personal prevalence in owning a home was something that everyone was
working toward during this hard time, and with a movement like Make It Right,
it was truly a dream come true.
The sustainability of
each home embraces the naturalistic features of New Orleans land. Being that it is such a unique
landscape and also located near the ocean, many community design decisions were
carefully thought out in terms of drainage and vegetation. Trying to unify an area of family
housing properly entails much detail to the diversification of the
environment. This was already
tested when Katrina had hit, so it was only right to design as if devastation
could occur once again.
A component of the
housing that was found very sustainable was the elevation of the home
itself. From there, durable
materiality for the interior and exterior of the structure closed off
problematic effects of moisture.
Considering the importance of exterior materiality is especially
impressive with these starter homes because of the awareness to the surrounding
environment such as New Orleans.
Though a “duplex” structure is reintroduced, there is an embracing
territory that proves the efficiency of multi-family housing. With the use of sustainability, the
nature of the duplex makes a lot more sense and is unified even more in a
community such as New Orleans.
What is special about
the “shotgun” home is the simplicity of the floor plan, name deriving from a
front to back plan of a narrow home.
This has to be the most simplistic floor plan of a home today, and with
the compatible lot sizes, it was the most logical for use. Pushing the essence of a “shotgun” home
and turning it into something beautiful cannot be easy, yet can also be a
repetitive burden throughout a community.
Something beautiful about these homes in general is their aesthetic
uniqueness door to door. Everyone
may house the same floor plan, but not one looks the same.
With such a bare floor
plan, the concept holds true to the matters of circulation. Combining the square footage of the
living, dining, and kitchen, creates a logical standard with how one should
live. With this consistency shown throughout
the lower 9th ward, diversity can be maintained in a fair way,
proving income to no longer be a dividend to the arrangement of neighborhoods.
Make
It Right creates a bold story that is told during the difficult times of the 21st
Century, a story where the ultimate solution is created under the realm of a
unified nation. The impulse to combine different architectural firms, a true
source of information, and reinvent a rich cultured community in a sustainable
way, goes against the American contractor, and it is practical yet sufficient
in itself. Focusing solely on the
starter homes of America, Make It Right proves that less is more, and quality
retains a thirst for pure materiality that will withstand surrounding
conditions.
There
is so much value that goes with historical land. New Orleans cannot settle for suburbia, and neither can the
characteristics of its homes.
Engulfed in a culture that has every right to shine from the inside and
out, Make It Right and the architects that have volunteered to diversify the
neighborhood with different designs, consistently sustained an effort to
provide materiality as a symbolic representation of the retaining family. Many other times we have seen
bulk-housing communities repeat designs of homes as a fault of a contractor,
along with the accompaniment of synthetic materiality. Make It Right changed the game
completely, reestablishing a true American community through pure, advanced
design, showing American pride in the individualism of a family and the success
of owning a home once again.
lauren. i think you did a good job describing the project...but i still wish you could give some clarity into specific applications that are truly innovative values for suburban housing in the 21st century. even by giving some hierarchy to certain elements you listed in the descriptive text. i think the greatest message was the "cradle to cradle" approach to the materiality. you could have spent more time talking about the significance of the porch. HOW DOES THIS ENHANCE COMMUNITY. i thought you touched on a social strategy that is perhaps a needed value in the future of our homes [duplexes] shared living for multi-generational family. what is also key is the history of the shotgun...but how has it become modernized and relevant now? also, the gesture to RAISE the house...why is this significant when thinking about regionalism ? context? site?
ReplyDeleteLauren-
ReplyDeleteGreat video format, I like the text and the colors that you chose for it- it definitely ties into the project.
First, I remember when Brad Pitt started this project and promoting it. I thought it was a brilliant strategy and found it great that a celebrity was concerned about sustainability and helping an area so tragically hit.
I think every design is innovative and displays a new sense of community for New Orleans. Keeping that traditional look but adding a modern flare to it was very successful. The fact that the houses are raised up gives residences a chance to move back and root themselves. In the event of another hurricane their homes may get a chance to survive. Keeping the shotgun style is another important feature for the homes--being that it is still New Orleans and you have the hot climates, these 'shot gun' homes allow for residents to open the front door and the back door and get a breeze flowing throughout. The front porches allow for the interconnectedness that residents in the south are used to and lastly, the shotgun home style is one with rich history for the African American population.
The architects, in my opinion, have done a great job helping residents move back to a place that is still feeling abandoned and I think their design strategies offer residents a chance at getting back on their feet and feeling at peace in their homes again.
I enjoyed getting into the details of this project by reading your essay. The thought that all of these people lost their homes in a natural disaster is devastating, and I think that the Make it Right project did a fantastic job of stepping in and helping people with a large housing crisis that was out of their control. What is great about this project is the promotion of energy conservation and thoughtful use of building materials. On top of this, the designs are unique and in a way, a fun way to brighten up this neighborhood. The project was well-rounded in a sense that it provides living for low-income families, it celebrates the traditional traits of the neighborhood (open windows and porches), it definitely brought a sustainable approach with the structures, and the designs are fresh and unique.
DeleteI think that your topic is very different from everyone's because, it is not only creating new house but also it is recreating life. When I was in New Orleans, I joined a kind of conference about hurricane and watched a movie which was the real things from the hurricane moment. I was really affected by the movie and understood that not only the people need a new house, they also need a new thing for holding on to life. That is why this project inspired me too much. The project helps the people as providing houses to them and creating a new face in the city. This is a glimmer of hope. Also, supporting the project with sustainable design concept is wonderful. Thus, besides creating house for them, the project has a promising future to New Orleans and New Orleans's society.
ReplyDeleteMake It Right is responding to a very unique situation. After the hurricane devastated the city, developers, architects, designers etc. have been left a clean slate with only the tradition and culture guiding the designs. Normally it seems to be the other way around. I think the focus on celebrating and recognizing the culture and tradition of New Orleans through the architecture (porches, bright colors, style of home, etc.) is so important to this community. The modern twist on the designs of each of the houses while still keeping sustainability and their culture in mind is an extremely successful decision.
ReplyDeleteThe major concern I have for this project is whether or not it is a responsible use of design and development. With New Orleans situated below sea level, if they are ever hit by a hurricane again, they will have to start this whole project over. Like I mentioned above, with New Orleans being so rich in culture, preserving their lifestyle and culture is important, but not at the risk of possible future devastation.