This was a student project by Miroslava Brooks for Kay Bea Jones's ARCH 341 course, Autumn 2006. Lost sense of community after Hurricane Katrina, never-ending urban sprawl, and degradation of the water front area are the primary issues addressed in this project. The thin high-rise towers are an inevitable solution to the problem of urban sprawl and propose a new social, spatial, and economic structure in the Marigny neighborhood. Positioned at a major transportation node where Elysian Fields meets Esplanade Avenue, the design creates a strong visual connection to the downtown high-rise buildings and highlights the importance of the French Quarter, which is placed between the site and downtown. Nine towers contain 110 mixed-income units whose areas range from 450 sq feet to 2500 sq feet. These vertical neighborhoods are connected by elevated horizontal circulation which includes communal spaces, such as a library, gardening and sports centers, a swimming pool, green roofs and terraces. The sense of community is further enhanced by an elevated plaza which merges an American shopping mall and European plaza into one social space. The street level of the plaza is accessible to anyone and includes a shopping mall, restaurants, and bars. A more private and community-based area is created above the street level where smaller shops, cafes, boutiques, childcare and laundry facilities are located, linking the residential towers together. Homes with back yards are replaced by more affordable apartment units whose smaller size is supplemented by all the amenities that otherwise would be inaccessible for many people in New Orleans. -- Miroslava Brooks This work is a part of the online collections of the Knowlton School of Architecture Student Archives, The Ohio State University. It is part of an effort to make accessible student work ranging from the first student that graduated from the program in 1903 to the present. Keywords: student work, KSA, residential structures, housing, house.
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Austin E. Knowlton School of Architecture Student Archives Collection
