Dreaux

located in a lively part of new orleans’ gentilly neighborhood, this project replaces an artist’s home and studio lost to the flooding of hurricane katrina. its design strategy reflects the owner’s priorities by elevating only the essentials of his life--studio, office, kitchen and dining--above the threat of future flooding. the remaining, more easily replaceable components of garage, bedroom, and television space are left closer to the ground, where they maintain the home’s relationship with its neighboring dwellings.

the home’s compact footprint reduces foundation costs and affords the addition of a series of covered outdoor spaces which appear carved from the building’s mass. the entry steps celebrate the traditional stoop and its connection to the neighborhood, while a rear lower deck connects the home’s sleeping space with the private garden, and the second level covered porch extends the social activities of cooking and dining to the street.

the house is passively cooled and heated through the use of reflective roof materials, large interior volumes, and properly oriented, thermally efficient windows and doors. the landscape strategy incorporates permeable ground coverings such as sod, mulch and crushed stone. cladding and finish surfaces such as cementitious fiberboard and bamboo flooring are both environmentally friendly and affordable. the selection of these and other affordable materials such as composite floor tile, painted gypsum board and plywood, laminate countertops, ikea cabinets, aluminum windows, and expanded metal sheeting allowed the owner to easily meet his spatial goals within budget.

the resulting custom home was developed through inventive application of standard building materials with the intention of providing an affordable and environmentally responsible construction example to a middle-income neighborhood of the city.

Construction: Edifice Builders