Duplex House for Make It Right / GRAFT
GRAFT was one of the first practices that started working with Make It Right to redevelop the Lower 9th Ward area in New Orleans. Their single family home design has been picked by 3 homeowners so far, with 2 already finished and 1 in construction phase.
GRAFT’s proposal for the new set of duplex homes we featured yesterday, has LEED Platinum certification and in my opinion proposes an interesting strategy to connect with the street level, mandatory to all MIR projects.
Architect’s description and more images after the break:
After the success of the first round of designs for the Lower Ninth Ward a new group of architects was invited to design dwellings. GRAFT donated another design, this time with a larger building for up to two families. The Round 2 house deploys a similar formal strategy of blending as does GRAFT’s Round 1 shotgun house. A strong visual connection to the Round 1 house was maintained in order to bring consistency of character to the New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward, which will continue to be populated by these types of dwellings. Here, we have additionally drawn inspiration from the camelback shotgun typology. Historically, camelbacks emerged as a way for residents to add a partial second story to a residence, whether simply to gain more space for a single-family home or to add a rental unit at the rear of a structure. In our design, we utilize the camelback strategy to stack a second efficiency unit above a first floor shotgun house.
A critical programmatic goal within the design is to establish a strong connection between the private interior zone of the house and the shared public space of the street. The primary challenge in achieving this goal lies in negotiating the 8’-0” first floor height that is required to make the houses safer from future flooding of the street level. The broad and spacious deck located in the front yard mediates the relationship between public and private by raising the deck 5’-0” above grade. This offers a welcoming gesture to the street while at the same time creating a semi-private space for the inhabitants of the house to enjoy.
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Residents may enter the house from the side porch landing, leading them into a large open space, containing living, dining and kitchen functions. The lower unit has a flexible three bedroom layout that can be converted into a two bedroom and office layout if desired. The master suite at the rear of the house contains an en-suite bathroom that shares a common wet wall with the unit’s other bathroom and kitchen making a cost-efficient plumbing core.
An exterior stair carries the inhabitants of the efficiency unit up to a rooftop terrace entry deck. This secondary deck level may be utilized as a private deck for the upper dwelling. It provides a generous outdoor living space, views of the neighborhood, space for a small vegetable or herb garden, and easy access to the solar panel array for maintenance. The upper unit itself is designed to be a simple one bedroom dwelling with a living room and dining area facing the backyard. Here the efficiency kitchen shares a wall with the bath to form a cost-efficient plumbing core. The kitchen forms an ‘L’ at the perimeter of the living and dining area in order to create an open and inviting space.
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- west south elevation
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- east north elevation
GRAFT Design Team: Lars Krückeberg, Wolfram Putz, Thomas Willemeit, Alejandra Lillo
Project Manager: Robert DeCosmo
Team: Marcus Friesl, Brian D. Nelson, Alyse Sedlock, Tim Sola, Atsushi Sugiuchi, Kris Conner, Seyavash Zohoori
#architecture Duplex House for Make It Right / GRAFT:
GRAFT was one of the first practices that st.. http://bit.ly/xUZsX
RT @archdaily: Duplex House for Make It Right / GRAFT http://bit.ly/3asEb
Hi,
I think it is really nice how the house is actually above ground and front patio is interesting even though I would prefer it to be a bit covered and a bit more private. I don’t understand why the entrance is situated on the far side and the resident from upstairs has to go in front of the lower apartment windows. Wouldn’t it make more sense to make people enter near driveway and have both patios belong to each of the apartment? Maybe it supports security, no stranger could go upstairs but what if you have an issue with someone living there?
The shape is certainly interesting and I have to admit looks really great on the drawings. Yet the real thing (or at least the overall feel) lacks clear direction. The “line” elements have different thickness everywhere. The slopes do not correspond to each other. I though the upper diagonal surface would serve best for solar panels but they lay flat in front. Maybe its a bit harsh but it feels like the house needs a couple of finishing touches
Good bye black residents and hello gentrification. It’s what they call “cleaning up” the neighbordhood.
Lukas, you can also enter from the stairs under the rear near where the parking is.
I actually like the entrance situation because it would deter solicitors to a point because they can’t find the front door!
I like the plan and concept of the house, but not really the aesthetics. it looks like an IKEA version of a Zaha Hadid house
hahahahahaa……great,and true!!!
Reading Archdaily GRAFT Duplex for 9th Ward: http://bit.ly/15wqkO – imagining a neighborhood of vehicular looking…
Compared to some other schemes, this actually flows and composes itself a single resolved form. I think trying to park will be treacherous and torturous. Imagine having to avoid those piers while parking at an angle. One would also have to back out the long driveway. These Euro starchitecs probably underestimate the residents attachment to their cars and their necessity.
I also worry about the self indulgent nature of this project with every architect trying to twist, manipulate and pack in every design trick they can. It’s like each ego is lined up next to each other shouting and competing. Only time will tell how such a jumble of loud design will feel together. How well it will endure over time is also a question. I’m not just speaking about materials which are questionable, expensive, and hard to maintain. Take the stucco shown on this project. I find that it is very expensive and usually reserved for high end houses when one is putting it over stud walls requiring lathe etc. The backer board has to be the expensive cement board in a humid climate. I mean this is getting in the $200 s.f. range.
I am an architect and a modernist but seeing these all together gives me pause that something is not right here in this ‘make it right’.
Duplex House for Make It Right / GRAFT:
GRAFT was one of the first practices that started working with Make It .. http://tinyurl.com/lwzndm
This is really terrible.
The beauty of the original NO neighborhoods is that a typical form evolved (shotgun rowhouse) and was repeated and elaborated upon. The entire architectural scheme derives from the front porch, the small amount of expression that was imprinted onto the tiny front facade, and the strong connection between the public life of the house (porch) and the public sidewalk. It’s a generic form that allows small amounts of individuality and craft, while maintaining a neighborhood commonality. Any successful attempt at reviving this spirit has to address this need and come up with a strong and repeatable solution to the new types main conflict: connection to the sidewalk in a form that is required to be elevated off the ground plane. Everything in these designs that does not address this problem is nonessential.
Casa Duplex em New Orleans/ GRAFT http://bit.ly/3asEb (via archdaily)
Come back to the 70′s
I am sorry to say, but this house reminds me of the Pontiac Aztec. Too much stuff going on but nothing really new, or shall I say sophisticated in regards to architectural design. It just looks clumsy and it appears to be lacking in any real rigor of understanding to the forms, spaces, and values that they are proposing. It looks like the goal is to bring attention to itself rather than service its occupants and bring a level of cohesion to fragile neighborhoods of New Orleans.
(Thumbs down)
You cannot LEED certify a project before it begins! The certification can only be done after it is constructed and third party verified. This is like much of the greenwashing that is goin on. I like the idea of LEED but people are using it as a selling point, what if it doesn’t pass certification? Then what is it? Stop lying and telling people it is LEED certified before you begin it is confusing and misleading to consumers. While you may hope to get LEED Platinum certification that remains to be seen, but please stop the green washing.
this foundation type is commonly used in Russia (because of climatic issues) and it is a very expensive solution… those concrete piers won’t be that shallow…
so, i am sorry to say that the principle of a “floating foundation” is not original.
@ anonymous, nitpicking, bitter, blowhard, envious, armchair quarterbacking, frustrated designer/architect, academic, desk-critics:
go get some sun…get a life. put up or shut up.
niiice Tony!
I could not agree more.
I have not seen any better attempts from a group of architects, or the city, at rebuilding New Orleans. It certainly is not a new problem … what 4 years now?
Now, wouldn’t it be fantastic if this project could encourage all the critics out there to stop blogging, raise some money, go out to the L9W and do it better, if they can … or have they even tried?
if I am involved in Urban Politics and Architecture I don’t think that I would choose GRAFT as my gr… http://su.pr/330AAd
12:49 PM Aug 25th
Flood-friendly housing!! http://www.archdaily.com/28043/duplex-house-for-make-it-right-graft/