The Outer Banks are a special place at the end of land and the beginning of water, and yet, most of the houses built on these islands seem to take no notice. A drive down the beach road reveals house after house that are essentially suburban dwellings raised above flood level on piles. This project proposes that oceanfront homes should not be pale imitations of inland housing, but rather as unique as the environment in which they exist. The architect must design for the long term needs of the client and use elements dictated by the environment as integral parts of the design to create a building that is both responsive to and reflective of the condition that occurs at the water's edge. / Master of Architecture

In environmental terms, New Orleans is a city that should not exist. With the Mississippi River eager to escape its engineered confinement, the topography of the city sinking slowly due to subsidence, and the steady rise of sea level partnered with wetland and coastal erosion, the future of New Orleans is wet and it is fast approaching. Initial settlers built on the naturally elevated sediment deposits of the Mississippi River, but over time and as the city grew, swamps were drained and occupation spread into lower, more saturated ground. For over two hundred years, humans have interfered with water's natural authority over this area. We have contained, diverted, drained, and regulated rivers, lakes, and swamps to maintain a constructed version of the ground plane that subverts natural processes to the regions' detriment. Plans for the future of New Orleans have been debated since Hurricane Katrina served as an expose to our synthesized and extremely fragile system. From the Dutch Dialogues, a comprehensive u an redevelopment plan, to smaller scale water management studies such as the Mirabeau Water Gardens, the drawing board has rarely been empty. Proposals have met resistance from the community, and ten years after the disaster, no coherent plan has been outlined. New Orleans isn't the only city searching for answers; delta and coastal cities the world over are recognizing the need to rethink resiliency and sustainability in light of global environmental changes. This project proposes neighborhood-scale interventions that bring previously concealed water processes to light by exhibiting them in a sustainable community-centered resource. Rather than altering existing infrastructure, this strategy would utilize current neutral ground conditions in order to take pressure off the City's drainage network. By accepting and accommodating water within the urban fabric, New Orleans can address the deficiencies in defensive water infrastructure to define a new resilience. / 0 / SPK / specialcollections@tulane.edu

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