high density on the high groundan international design competition to rebuild new orleans In the aftermath of 2005’s Hurricane Katrina, the city faced a severe and immediate housing crisis. Architectural Record magazine and Tulane University sponsored High Density on the High Ground to stimulate design and begin rebuilding the city. The competition sought to develop practical, affordable prototypes for housing in areas not prone to flooding. Barnabas Kane teamed with his brother, Vermont architect Patrick Kane, to design an entry for the international competition. Mangrove was among 600 submissions for a 140-unit apartment complex. The Kanes’ proposal was inexpensive, easy to construct and sustainable. It addressed the natural and cultural forces of the Mississippi Delta by raising the building, allowing natural air flow to enter spaces and reducing air conditioning loads, using solar panels on roofs, incorporating a central courtyard planted with native trees, using earth-covered roofs with deep overhangs, using cost-effective modular concrete construction and deforesting an adjacent industrial area on the banks of the Mississippi River to restore the river flows. |
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