Imagine... Re-construction LITERALY!In New Orleans, thousands of homes are being demolished. Millions of pounds of construction materials destroyed.Why is this resource not contributing to the reconstruction effort? A home may be blighted, abandoned or condemned and still provide a wealth of useful materials. Materials which may provide a valuable resource and offset the cost of building new. Many of these materials are unique, with inherent historic value. True dimension lumber and beams of incredible size. Trim and authentic architectural details which are no longer readily available. Cypress and pine that is structurally sound and termite free after 100 years. These have extremely low embodied energy and are capable of another 100 years of service. A sustainable reconstruction effort must not only make use of these materials, but keep them at the core of new construction. Site specific. Salvage based. Environmentally responsible. |
This competition will seek to provide a third option; To provide a design template for those who seek to rebuild, not renovate, but avoid demolition. And will catalyze a unification in the worlds of construction and de-constructionPlease see the competition Brief for more information and the design problem.>> Gallery of blighted homes. |