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npr.org - 10/6/2009

In New Orleans, Home Floats To Withstand Floods

— npr.org — The Make It Right Foundation will unveil a house Tuesday in New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward, which... was largely wiped away by floodwaters after Hurricane Katrina. The house is different from others in the neighborhood that were rebuilt after the ... (more) In New Orleans, Home Floats To Withstand Floods

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Hope floats with Brad Pitt MIR-NOLA house
Super Eco News Feed — ... that do? It produces a raft; it floats," Mayne says. "And it's thought about as a seat belt. I mean, hopefully it never gets used. But when it gets used, it's important." The house is anchored to the ground by two vertical guideposts. At times of flooding, the house moves up the guideposts—up to 12 feet—to prevent it from drifting. As with other Make It Right NOLA homes, the floating house is also affordable and sustainable. Make It Right construction is underway in the Lower 9th Ward. The first 13 LEED Platinum homes are ...

Rebuilding the Ninth Ward: does architecture matter?
Switchboard, from NRDC —       As I'm sure most readers know, Brad Pitt's Make It Right Foundation has been constructing houses in New Orleans' Ninth Ward, so that residents who lost their homes to Hurricane Katrina can return.  That's an undeniably noble endeavor.  But some of my new urbanist friends believe that the architecture of the new houses (Pitt is himself an avid architecture buff) is undermining the mission, because it does not respect New Orleans vernacular architecture and is not conducive to community-building. They may have a point:          ...