GREEN.O.LA Emerges: First Glimpse!

PHOTO: Global Green

Day by day there is always something new to see at Global Green's sustainable housing site at Douglass & Andry streets in the Holy Cross Neighborhood. Since the project's groundbreaking in May, crews have been hard at work preparing the 1.5 acre site for this landmark development. And next week, visitors will be able to tour the first single-family townhouse in progress as part of a special Global Green event on August 21. In the photo above, notice the sheathing of the first floor is complete. The first walls were fabricated and then erected the following morning.

GREEN.O.LA is the winning entry in The Sustainable Design Competition for New Orleans chaired by Brad Pitt and announced last August. Created by New York architects Matthew Berman and Andrew Kotchen of workshop/apd, the design features modular structures cast in long, slender forms that recall the shotgun houses so characteristic of this historic neighborhood. Upon its completion next August, the mixed-use residential development will feature an 18-unit multi-family building, six single-family homes, a daycare and community center.

GREEN.O.LA hopes to serve as a model of sustainability for New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. The project's major design schemes aim for net-zero energy consumption through the use of photovoltaic panels, geothermal heat pumps, and cisterns to collect rainwater for toilets and irrigation. Other features include recycled wood/plastic exteriors and vegetative screens to reduce heat gain and purify air. Equally important, the buildings are composed primarily of modular elements, enabling quick construction, efficient materials recycling and easy replication in other locales.

Congrats to the architects, the project team and everyone else involved. Stay tuned for more GREEN.O.LA rising.