Make no mistake, this is an issue of social justice, and a responsibility exists to right this wrong - Actor Brad Pitt
Project 01 - Ninth Ward Community Recovery Center
In this first project, practicum students will explore how architecture can be a humanistic tool for community recovery, repair physical and emotional aspects of a community, and facilitate a process of community rebuilding. They will design a community recovery center to assist residents returning in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Their building will provide physical, informational, and psychological resources for residents in the rebuilding effort.
The site for this project will be a land parcel within the Lower Ninth Ward suitable for a community recovery effort. The subject areas for the project will be determined by the studio through urban analysis. The building site must include or address the following elements:
This building type does not currently exist; however, student were instructed to incorporate the following characteristics in their designs:
The site for this project will be a land parcel within the Lower Ninth Ward suitable for a community recovery effort. The subject areas for the project will be determined by the studio through urban analysis. The building site must include or address the following elements:
- Site access for users/occupants who are involved in the recovery effort
- A secured area for on-site storage of construction equipment (bulldozers, dumptrucks, etc.)
- Elements of self-sufficiency for water, power, etc. These items may be located on the site and/or on the building.
This building type does not currently exist; however, student were instructed to incorporate the following characteristics in their designs:
- Rapidly deployable
- Temporary
- Flexible in use
- Self sufficient
Project 02 - Ninth Ward Community Building
In phase II of this semester-long project, students will create a building and develop a design solution that meets the goal of providing “community health”. They will work to identify the specific needs of this community and provide them with essential resources, new opportunities, a sense of community, and hope in a severely damaged and abandoned neighborhood. The clients for this project will be the residents of the Lower Ninth Ward. Students will review their personal stories of loss, struggle, and rebuilding to understand the needs of the community overall.
For this project, students have the responsibility for identifying a community health need and selecting a building type that will serve the community to that end. The term “community health” is open ended without a specific building type or program in mind. In the Practicum studio, it is the student's responsibility to perform the research and investigation necessary to identify community needs and develop an approach to meet those needs. The size and program requirements of each building will be determined by the use a student establishes for it and the people that will occupy it.
For this project, students have the responsibility for identifying a community health need and selecting a building type that will serve the community to that end. The term “community health” is open ended without a specific building type or program in mind. In the Practicum studio, it is the student's responsibility to perform the research and investigation necessary to identify community needs and develop an approach to meet those needs. The size and program requirements of each building will be determined by the use a student establishes for it and the people that will occupy it.