New New Orleans Architecture

myneworleans.com
http://www.myneworleans.com/New-Orleans-Magazine/March-2014/NEW-NEW-ORLEANS-ARCHITECTURE/
New New Orleans Architecture
6 buildings among the best
John P. Klingman
Patrick F. Taylor Science and Technology
Academy
JEFFERY JOHNSTON
2013 marked another fine year for contemporary
buildings in Greater New Orleans. Of particular
note were over a half-dozen new school
buildings that have been completed, two of which
we’re showcasing. There are also two fine
religious structures, a childcare Head Start
facility and a remarkable adaptive reuse project.
Patrick F. Taylor Science and
Technology Academy
Located in rural Avondale on the West Bank, a
dramatic new building has arisen in the open
landscape. It is the Patrick F. Taylor Science and
Technology Academy, a school that engages
students in a college preparatory curriculum
focused on science, technology, mathematics
and engineering. The building was designed to
provide inspiration to the curricular agenda, and
it succeeds. From the outside, the front facade is
a bit stagey, with canted second floor walls
overlooking the parking area. There is a
generous sculptural metal canopy, punctuated by
skylights, a dynamic invitation extending to the
main entrance.
Once inside, the school unfolds in a very clear, expansive fashion. The entry lobby forms the middle of a double
height circulation space that runs the full length of the building. A mezzanine looks down upon the ground level,
providing visual access to a platform in the open “commons,” where school-wide meetings and events can occur, as
opposed to the more typical gymnasium or auditorium spaces of assembly. Nearby are the library and a monumental
stair connecting the two primary levels. At the other end of the spine is the bright, open cafeteria with an outdoor
terrace. Adjacent are a series of well-equipped lab spaces on the second floor.
Plugging into the circulation space are three two-story “pods” that contain the classrooms. The pods, named for
famous scientists selected by student vote, hold the classrooms – and more. Differentiating this institution from the
more typical high school are the many groupings of informal furniture in the pods and throughout the building. These
are utilized by the students working individually or in groups with their laptops, pursuing subjects with independence
in an environment more typical of a university. The building exudes a raw energy from the aggressive forms, the
almost primitive exposed concrete and the visible mechanical system elements. Perhaps the building’s most
important lesson is that the seemingly abstract world of science and technology are intimately engaged with the
creation of our inhabited world.
Joint Venture; Perez, APC; Angela O’Byrne principal-in-charge; Christian Pazos, architectural
design and project manager; Verges Rome Architects; Chip Verges, principal in-charge;
Michael Roussel, project manager; David Stephens, programming; Concordia Architects,
initial concept; David Dempsey, Ian Dreyer, Jonathan O’Rear, Joe Crowley, Robert Brownfield,
Sam Blimling Stephen Braquet, architects; Ashley Heitzman, Emmanuel Edwards, Jenn Lilos,
Jesse Stephenson, Josh Mings, Lukas Kaplan, Qiana Oden, Richard Quelch, Rodney Dionisio,
Victoria Yee, architectural design; Ingrid Adrianza, Katie Logan Kris Lowry, interior design;
Brandon Adams, Charlotte Cox, site design
Turn Services
Along the river in Bywater is an active threestory building that is a completely transformed
industrial structure now serving as the
headquarters for Turn Services. The complex,
originally a two building molasses factory, had
been empty and derelict for decades. An earlier
attempt at renovation demonstrated the potential
for reinhabitation. Turn Services, a barge
fleeting company, became intrigued with moving
their offices to a location where their activities on
the river would actually be visible. They hired
WDG Architects, who oversaw the complex
project.
Only the basic steel structure and two brick endwalls could be reused. Everything else is new, yet the project has a
consistency of architectural attitude that’s highly evident, particularly on the interior. The idea was to maintain and
enhance the industrial aesthetic around which the building was originally designed. Emblematic of this is the
treatment of the bridge connecting the two buildings. It originally allowed carts of molasses to move on rails across
the space between the buildings. The architects maintained the rails, now flush with the new finished floor surface but
maintaining the historic artifact and the memory of original use. Similarly, the structure is exposed on the interior, as
are the new systems that provide 21st-century comfort and convenience. The metal-and-glass partition system is
open at the top so that a sense of activity can be felt throughout the building, and the great amount of interior glass
allows everyone visual access to the river throughout the day.
WDG | Architects Engineers; Jeffrey Stolier, design director; Andres Johnson, Kristine Kobila,
architects
Brother Martin High School Chapel
The campus of Brother Martin has been
enhanced with a new chapel strategically
located on the school’s main quad. The latest in
a series of transformative projects for Brother
Martin by Waggonner and Ball Architects, the
building has a solid, almost geological exterior
effect, marked by the introduction of exterior
stone panels not seen elsewhere on the
campus. Its glazed entry faces and reflects the
lobby of the recent Science and Mathematics
Building. Although the chapel has an exterior
with its own presence, particularly enhanced by
the designed wetlands surrounding it on the
sides, it’s the interior that’s most memorable.
Not surprisingly, it’s bilaterally symmetrical, but the interior is dynamic, drawing you in. The sequence begins with a
pair of beautifully designed doors into the sanctuary. They are tall, fashioned from a rich, dark hardwood and paneled,
including vertical strips of translucency. Within the space daylight is carefully balanced. Ambient light enters through a
slot in the roof, redirected onto the ceiling by a metal mesh shroud. Sunlight enters from the sides, but thick walls act
as light reflectors, controlling the glare as the position of the sun changes throughout the day. The focus of the space
is the reredos, a chancel screen of wood with small glazed elements. Its pattern of 12 openings is complex, providing
an appropriate vertical focus for the space. Backlit, the strong contrast provides a final example of light-induced
mystery. The simplicity of the building is redolent of the character of the school.
Waggonner and Ball Architects; David Waggonner, principal-in-charge, Mac Ball, Kwan-Yi Lo,
Allen Tufts, Charles Sterkx, Dennis Horchoff, David Curtis
Jefferson Presbyterian Church
There is a new small, unobtrusive building along
Jefferson Highway on the riverside near
Causeway. From the thoroughfare, you might
notice a stark white walled box with the name of
the church on its surface. Behind is a larger
orange box with a big window, perhaps not easily
recognizable as high quality contemporary
architecture. However, the architectural intension
becomes immediately apparent from the entry
side around the block, where the forecourt
reveals a reversal and the white box opens and
frames an orange wall with the simple, elegant
entry.
The interior holds surprise and delight. This is an axial plan, common in church design, but its simple organization is
complemented by a dynamic, tactile volume. The dominant element is a cypress slat structure that emanates from
the sides of the space and extends upward to reveal a curved fish-shaped ceiling plane. Light enters copiously from a
north-facing clerestory that’s balanced by sidelights at the entry doors from the narthex. The ceiling slopes gently
upward toward the altar, which holds a crucifix important to the congregation. It is the only artifact from the previous
building, which was destroyed by a fire from lightning. Behind the metal cross is a complex surface of small
hexagonal white marble tiles that catch and reflect light compellingly. A combination of serenity and energy is difficult
to achieve, but here they’re fused together through a dexterous combination of materials and light.
Studio WTA; Wayne Troyer, principal; Julie A. Babin, project architect; Ross Karsen, architect,
Sadi Brewton
James Singleton Head Start Center
Here is a contemporary building designed for the
very young and the staff who nurture them. Total
Community Action was the client, and they were
interested in a contemporary building treatment
appropriate to the mid-20th century
neighborhood of Little Woods in eastern New
Orleans. Trapolin-Peer Architects has engaged
this building type at Kingsley House, but
designing a freestanding building on an open site
presented new opportunities.
Residentially scaled when approached from the
street, the building morphs into a series of
elegant classroom pavilions on the garden side,
perhaps helping the children learn to count to eight as well as to identify the room that’s “theirs.” The classrooms are
north facing, toward Lake Pontchartrain a few blocks away. Each has a porch, framed beautifully by sidewalls and a
parapet, forming a protective enclosure. The porches are linked together, and they look out onto a wonderful play
area with mature live oaks that provide shade and a sculptural presence in the landscape. The classrooms are
designed for flexibility so that the staff and children can utilize the rooms creatively and with differing configurations
throughout the day. The children’s work, taped to the glass walls of the garden façade, provides evidence of the lively
spirit within.
Trapolin-Peer Architects; Peter Trapolin, principal; Daniel Zangara, project architect; Ashley
King, project manager
Akili Academy of New Orleans at
the William Frantz School
There is an abundance of new school
construction throughout New Orleans generated
by the Recovery School District and their
multinational consort, Jacobs Engineering.
Typically, they’re large new buildings on very
small sites. While true in this case, this project
differs strikingly from the norm, in that the new
structure expands a 1937 building. The William
Frantz School is listed on the National Register
of Historic Places because of its importance
during the struggles of the Civil Rights era. The
new building and the beautifully restored older
structure complement each other architecturally,
both inside and out in a striking manner. The restored traditional local St. Joe brick façades play off the contemporary
palette of metal panels and glass, particularly in conjunction with a finely detailed aluminum sunscreen system.
Together, the buildings participate in forming a U-shaped, well-proportioned courtyard, which is accessible to the
students from the cafeteria and the gymnasium above.
Inside daylight abounds, both in the new structure that contains all of the school’s special program spaces and in the
historic building with all of the elementary grade classrooms. The architects introduced interior lightshelves into the
restored classrooms and utilized high performance glazing in the new building. Along the courtyard edge, an all-glass
hallway on three levels offers shaded daylight and a fine view of the activity below and the neighborhood beyond.
The walls of the rooms on the other side of the hallway are angled slightly to introduce dynamic interest as the
children move between the historic and the 21st-century structure. The gymnasium is lit with large clerestory lighting
all around, and there’s also a double-height black box performance space, that can also be opened to the view when
complete lighting control isn’t necessary. This is a building that truly celebrates its past while supporting aspirations
toward the future.
Billes Partners; Gerald W. Billes, CEO, principal; Richard S. Kravet, principal-in-charge, Ian C.
Welcome, project manager; Elena Soto Jervis, interior design; William Petersen, Patrick Kraft,
Erin Porter, Senait Kassa, Lauren Flanagan, Steve C. Tubre, Lauren Hickman, Rachel ChotinLincoln, Gabriel Mitchell, designers
John P. Klingman is a registered architect and holds a Favrot Professorship in Architecture at
Tulane University. His 2012 book, New in New Orleans Architecture, featuring 80 outstanding
projects from the past 15 years, from Pelican Publishing Co., is available at local bookstores.
His most recent design project, the shelter at the terminus of the St. Charles Streetcar Line,
was completed in 2013.