Frank Gehry Goes Contextual in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward
(Chad Chenier Photography / Make It Right.)
Make It Right, Brad Pitt’s development of contemporary, LEED Platinum homes in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward—an area devastated by Hurricane Katrina and still far from recovered—has a new addition: Frank Gehry. Gehry’s new duplex on the site was completed this week. The surprisingly simple design (especially considering some of the expressive homes in the development) features a waterproof solar canopy, a roof terrace and six covered porches. Still one could argue that Gehry’s stilt-raised design, with its fiber cement siding (that looks like local clapboard siding), metal roofs and focus on outdoor space, is one of the most contextual of the bunch.
3 Responses to “Frank Gehry Goes Contextual in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward”
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Oh MY GAWD……….No way is this Gehry. If true, it surely displays a lack of understanding of vernacular architecture beyond the camp/ kitsch. Is this a joke on “white trash – black ghetto”? (PVC horizontal slider, lifeless utilitarian porch, solar canopy strung out like a TV antenna.) Complete bull.
Saw the house today and was surprised to see the poor quality of the design. What happened Gehry? The 9th ward deserves better!
Give Frank and his office a break – let’s be fair, it may not be the best in New Orleans (rather difficult to be at the top of the great architecture in NOLA), but this house will be fantastic for whoever has the luck to live in it and take advantage of all the covered terraces!!