The URBANbuild design semester begins with an exercise in research and analysis. Students explore the Central City area to become familiar with the context for their design/build project. Back in the studio, they review and assess earlier URBANbuild projects, both built and unrealized. Each student presents a critical review of one past project and shares observations about potential architectural responses to the neighborhood context and the New Orleans architectural vernacular.
Research + Analysis
“We talk about the qualities of porches, we talk about the qualities of spatial volume, we discuss qualities of light, we discuss qualities of the street culture – where people live inside and outside – we consider proportions of the city’s common building types, we study the density of the neighborhoods… we nurture an appreciation of those qualities. That’s step one.”
– Byron Mouton, Director of URBANbuild
