Studio Descption

The project for the studio will be the design of a new city hall for the City of New Orleans. After the disaster that followed hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans community has developed numerous initiatives to move the city beyond recovery to strategic plans for the future of the city in the 21st century. As part of these initiatives, it has been proposed that the city design and build a new city hall of global significance. The new city hall should embody the rich cultural history of the city, particularly that related to music, and serve as an iconic representation of the city as it moves into the 21st century.

The new city hall will be on the site of the existing city hall, which is strategically located at the edge of the financial district and the Rampart Street corridor. The Rampart Street corridor will house a new jazz museum, presently being deigned by architect Thom Mayne, and the New Orleans Music Hall of Fame. The new city hall should foster civic pride and be of the highest cultural significance.

The city has requested that the new building(s) embrace issues related to sustainability and that it contribute in a positive way to the overall ecological environment. The city hall must incorporate advanced technologies to support and advance democratic government in the 21st century, and it is expected that the building engage advanced 21st century materials and systems