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Morphosis
Some days we're out to educate, to inform, to inspire ... And other days, we aim simply to delight. This is the latter type of day—so feast your eyes on an idea whose time truly has come: Brad Pitt's latest Make It Right NOLA home in New Orleans, which actually floats during flood conditions.The home will be unveiled today, ready for occupation by a family displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
In an interview with NPR, creator Thom Mayne of Morphosis Architects explained how the house's design allows it to float during flooding on a chassis of polystyrene foam covered with glass-reinforced concrete.
"What does that do? It produces a raft; it floats," Mayne says. "And it's thought about as a seat belt. I mean, hopefully it never gets used. But when it gets used, it's important." The house is anchored to the ground by two vertical guideposts. At times of flooding, the house moves up the guideposts—up to 12 feet—to prevent it from drifting.
As with other Make It Right NOLA homes, the floating house is also affordable and sustainable. Make It Right construction is underway in the Lower 9th Ward. The first 13 LEED Platinum homes are completed, and displaced Lower 9th Ward families now call these Make It Right houses "home."
Watch Brad Pitt discuss Make It Right's efforts at the Clinton Global Initiative just a few weeks ago:
How to foster green biodiversity
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