Description
Architecture in Times of Need makes a speciality of the redevelopment of New Orleans’ vibrant Lower Ninth Ward which used to be severely devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Invited by the Make It Right Foundation, formed by Brad Pitt and GRAFT, a group of high-profile and influential international architects set about developing inexpensive, green housing for the area, incorporating the recent in innovative and sustainable design. The projects by David Adjaye, GRAFT, MVRDV, and Shigeru Ban, among others, are shown in a lot of photographs and renderings with sketches, building plans, and informative observation by the architects. Along side an interview with Brad Pitt on his motivation to start the Make It Right Foundation to assist in New Orleans’ reconstruction, the book also includes essays on the overall design process and describes the sustainable Cradle to Cradle approach, which seeks to maximize economic, ecological, and social value by following principles inspired by nature. Architecture in Times of Need also features the Pink Project, a unique effort that immediately connects monetary donations to the assemblage of houses. It brings to fruition an idea based on real needs and real people, and in reaction to a natural disaster, the recurrence of which is all too imaginable.