Contemporary architecture must establishes its own relationship to the unique conditions of the present moment and the site, without needing to adhere to any preconceived notions of what must be. The site, on Magazine St, in New Orleans, constitutes a threshold between a denser urban core (Central Business District) and a more suburban condition (Lower Garden District). There is a need for increasing density in the area and transitional/affordable housing for the houseless population that lives under the bridge adjacent to the site. There is a need to deal with subsidence: more permeable areas, water management. Finally, there is a need to improve the quality of life, to create a nurturing and more sustainable urban environment.

Developed in partnership with Aaron LaGraize for a studio led by Ammar Eloueini.