As part of our commitment to the sustainable rebuilding of New Orleans and demonstrating green building as a solution to global warming nationally, Global Green USA – in collaboration with Brad Pitt as jury chairman – sponsored an international design competition during the summer of 2006. More than 125 entries competed to design a net zero energy affordable housing and community center development in the Holy Cross neighborhood of the Lower 9th Ward.

It was estimated that If 50,000 of the homes destroyed by Hurricane Katrina were rebuilt according to the green standards of set by the design competition, residents of New Orleans would save $38 million to $56 million in energy bills every year and eliminate over 1⁄2 million total tons of CO2 – the equivalent of taking 100,000 cars off the road.

The design jury selected six finalists, including three teams with New Orleans connections. The teams then worked with the technical jury and met several times with the Holy Cross residents to refine their designs. The finalists presented their refined concepts and designs to the design jury on August 29 and 30, 2006. The design jury selected the design by Workshop/apd of New York City.

Stage I: Participants were asked to provide a sustainable urban design of a 1.25 acre site that focused on a green, healthy multi family housing building with community center features, along with siting of single family homes and other environmental features. Submissions were asked to achieve several sustainable design and green building goals, including net-zero energy goals.

Stage II: Finalists identified from the first round expanded on their submissions from Stage I, working with local architects and community groups, to create a plan for a selected areas in different neighborhoods of the city. They designed single-family housing and a community facility in the neighborhood as part of this stage, as well as environmental and community features.

In both Stage I and Stage II, competitors were challenged to:

• Demonstrate advanced yet achievable solutions for sustainable development and construction of each component of the design challenge
• Develop innovative, progressive architectural and planning solutions that respect and draw from the rich design heritage of New Orleans
• Incorporate the latest construction and energy saving technologies
• Balance sustainability and affordability in a productive dialogue

Competition Sponsors
Brad Pitt, Adam Joseph Lewis, Pierre Andre Senizergues, Trizec Properties, Suzanne Freiwald, Sean Cummings

Design Jury
Lauren Anderson, Bob Berkebile, Keith Butler, Yolanda Daniels, Pam Dashiell, Julie Eizenberg, Walter Hood, Ray Huff, Thom Mayne, William Morrish, David Orr, Matt Petersen, Brad Pitt (Chair), Pierre Andre Senizergues, Marion Weiss

Technical Jury
Global Green USA: Walker Wells, Bruce Hampton
; US Green Building Council: Bill Browning, Bob Berkebile, 
E. Eean McNaughton, Susan Maxman