Lang Architecture was selected as one of six finalists in the Global Green USA Sustainable Design Competition for New Orleans, co-sponsored by Brad Pitt and Global Green USA. Participants in the open International competition were asked to create a development solution for a 1.25 acre riverfront site in the Holy Cross neighborhood of New Orleans, including six single family homes, an apartment complex with an integral daycare facility and community room, an outdoor play area, and 20 parking spaces.
Our project was defined by the levee, which we extended gently downward through the center of the site forming a central yard, and becoming both a front yard for private residents, and a public space for the Holy Cross neighborhood. We proposed, with our scheme, a new way of embracing and perceiving the levee as a connector of residents to the river, and as a means for sustainability and survivability in Holy Cross.
We proposed a bold and emerging technology for our development that would passively cool, heat, ventilate and dehumidify. We proposed building with local materials and resources, and encouraged new industry linked to environmental building products. We also developed a trellis system for the face of our buildings constructed with recycled plastic, and designed in a modular fashion allowing for the possibility of a product and economic life beyond this project.