Rebuilding After Katrina

Gulf Coast, USA (2006 - Present)

Principal Investigators: Brad Guy, Michael Rios

Participating Faculty: James Kalsbeek, Jodie LaCoe

Partners: Design Corps, BaSiC Initiative, The Green Project, Heritage Conservation Network, & MercyCorps

The purpose of this partnership is to assist in the rebuilding
of New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast by developing
local resources to rebuild housing and to create local economic development around deconstruction, construction, and products and services based on reuse and recycling. Local resources include the human capital of local organizations and citizens, as well as the building materials made available by the devastation of Katrina.

This project aims to combine these local resources with the expertise and design skills of the project partners from outside region, to benefit Katrina-impacted neighborhoods and provide educational and service-learning opportunities for architecture students.

This partnership is pursuing several scales of intervention in the furtherance of these restorative opportunities. They include:

• a demonstration home in Waveland, MS using recycled materials,
• developing a residential deconstruction and home-repair training program,
• creating an on-line clearinghouse for deconstruction and repair, and
• the greening of affordable housing policy.