Has anyone else seen those completely out of place, funny looking buildings in the Lower 9th? Now, they may not fit the typical New Orleans aesthetic, what many people call the “Brad Pitt Houses,” (actually Make It Right), are incredibly well thought out. I definitely think the houses look like they are made for a Hollywood beach, but they are decently prepared for hurricanes, and in energy efficiency. I found it really interesting to see the different techniques and appliances used for building these houses in an environmentally conscious way. For example, the houses are equipped with things such as solar panels, tankless water heaters, and spray foam insulation. Things like spray foam insulation completely seal off the outer walls of houses, making air draft leaks nearly nonexistent. This is a huge energy saver, as well as energy bill saver! I don’t know what exactly my point is in posting this, besides to be in awe of some of the ways we can save energy.
I agree that these houses are environmentally conscious and are aesthetically pleasing but my only complaint is how few there are. I appreciate that he built as many as he did but I'm curious if there was anyway to spread the love further. The amount of homes built by Mr. Pitt seem scarce to as many untended homes surround them. But green alternatives are pricy and I admire the effort so I'll settle with quality not quantity happily. Brad Pitt for mayor any day :)
ReplyDeleteHere's my dilemma. Don't get me wrong, I love living in New Orleans but don't you think it is silly for the need to even have a hurricane safe house?
ReplyDeleteIndustrialization is the cause of it. Somewhere in history, people decided it was a great idea to locate and build houses in the middle of a swamp below sea-level. Now we are hit with hurricanes and intense floods. If the natural environment was never industrialized in the first place, the devastation of Katrina would have been less severe. Yeah the houses are great, but why do we need them? We need them because of industrialization, because humans like to force their way into everything. We need to constantly find new ways to survive in the environment that we tampered with in the first place.
"Hurricane safe" obviously isn't "hurricane proof." I guess I should have explained that part a bit better--the roofs of these houses are actually built with a hatch, in case of another hurricane that trapped people in their attics, these residents would no longer have to take an axe to their roofs to be able to rip themselves out. There is also a model that is designed to float, too.
ReplyDeleteAs a local New Orleanian who lost everything in Katrina, I do commend Brad Pitt for his efforts, but where has he been these past months? Personally I don't think it is enough simply buying a French Quarter property worth millions, throwing up a couple enviromentally friendly houses in the Lower 9, and then flying off to London. Another issue I have with the houses themselves is their design. Does being enviromentally friendly mean abandoning the classic New Orleans aesthetic? Before the hurricane, the Lower 9 had a specific feel and charm but now it looks like a scarce version of Watercolor in Florida. Another thing is that the Make It Right Foundation has only built these houses in one area of New Orleans (& Greater NOLA). What about areas Uptown that flooded? Or Lakeview, St. Bernard, etc? I look forward to seeing where they plan on going from here, especially now that we are six years post-K.
ReplyDeleteAngela, you make a good point. The breaks in the levees affected 80% of the city.
ReplyDeleteAnother New Orleans native, I don't mind the change in aesthetic. Holding on to history too hard keeps you from moving into the future. I think New Orleans is too attached to it's history and traditions, which is what makes it into the backwards city it is today, with its astoundingly malleable judicial system, the stark racism that still exists here, the awful educational system.
ReplyDeleteObviously I'm blowing up the issue quite a bit, but I think it's that "Oh, but that's not how New Orleans has always been," attitude that keeps us from being as great a city as we could be.
The lower 9th always had a disproportionately poor population, no doubt the poorest of the major areas devastated by the hurricane. I think it's a good starting point--these people had so little to lose, and they lost it. The lower 9th was definitely the most devastated area, getting water from two breaches in the Industrial Canal to the West and water from St. Bernard to the East. I lost "everything" (as in my house), but my family still had money, and I moved back to New Orleans in October and was back at my regular high school in January. I mean, if you go out there to the lower 9th ward, it's still like a haunted marshland. It's creepy and empty.
I do hope Make It Right branches out to other areas of the city, but even if these houses in the lower 9th are the end of it, I'd say it's more help than I would've ever imagined a private charity would provide.