RESEARCH: New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA)

The New Orleans Center for Creative Arts is a regional, pre-professional arts training center that offers secondary school-age children intensive instruction in dance, media arts, music (classical, jazz, vocal), theatre arts (drama, musical theatre, theatre design) , visual arts, and creative writing, while demanding simultaneous excellence. NOCCA was founded in 1973 by a diverse coalition of artists, educators, business leaders, and community activists who saw the need for an institution devoted to our region’s burgeoning young talent. Today, Wynton and Branford Marsalis, Harry Connick, Jr., Terence Blanchard, Nicholas Payton, Jeanne-Michele Charbonnet, Wendell Pierce, and Saints former cornerback Ashley Ambrose are only a few NOCCA graduates who can attest to the extraordinary educational opportunity the Center represents to the children of Louisiana.
NOCCA’s track record over the past quarter-century speaks for itself: every year a remarkable 95 - 98% of NOCCA graduates go on to college and conservatory programs across the country—compared to only 56% of local non-NOCCA graduates. Furthermore, approximately 80% of NOCCA students receive scholarships to pursue such higher education. The key to NOCCA’s success is the ethic of discipline and responsibility it instills in students, which prepares them for productive adult lives whether or not they choose to pursue arts careers.
Admission to NOCCA is by audition only. Our annual application season takes place each fall for the following school year. Auditions take place each spring from applications received within the posted application deadline. For specific schedules please visit the application page.
Created and maintained by the Orleans Parish School Board for 27 years, NOCCA became a state agency in July 2000. The program is tuition-free to all Louisiana students who meet audition requirements. Currently, students from over 100 public, private and parochial schools attend in the afternoon, late-day, on Saturdays or during the summer session.

RESEARCH: Millennium Park: Jay Pritzker Pavilion

Millennium Park is an award-winning center for art, music, architecture and landscape design. The result of a unique partnership between the City of Chicago and the philanthropic community, the 24.5-acre park features the work of world-renowned architects, planners, artists and designers.
Among Millennium Park's prominent features are the Frank Gehry-designed Jay Pritzker Pavilion , the most sophisticated outdoor concert venue of its kind in the United States; the interactive Crown Fountain by Jaume Plensa; the contemporary Lurie Garden designed by the team of Kathryn Gustafson, Piet Oudolf and Robert Israel; and Anish Kapoor's hugely popular Cloud Gate sculpture on the AT&T Plaza.
Since its opening in July 2004, Millennium Park has hosted millions of people, making it one of the most popular destinations in Chicago.

Frank Gehry, winner of the National Medal of Art, applied his signature style to this revolutionary outdoor concert venue. The Pavilion stands 120-feet high, with a billowing headdress of brushed stainless steel ribbons that frame the stage opening and connect to an overhead trellis of crisscrossing steel pipes. The trellis supports the sound system, which spans the 4,000 fixed seats and the Great Lawn, which accommodates an additional 7,000 people.
This state-of-the-art sound system, the first of its kind in the country, was designed to mimic the acoustics of an indoor concert hall by distributing enhanced sound equally over both the fixed seats and the lawn.
The Jay Pritzker Pavilion is home to the Grant Park Music Festival and other free concerts and events. It was named in memory of Chicago business leader Jay Pritzker, who with his wife Cindy, established the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1979.

"How do you make everyone - not just the people in the seats, but the people sitting 400 feet away on the lawn - feel good about coming to this place to listen to music? And the answer is, you bring them into it. You make the proscenium larger; you build a trellis with a distributed sound system. You make people feel part of the experience."
-Frank Gehry

Schedule:
Design commencement: June 1999
Completion:
July 2004
Size:
Jay Pritzker Pavilion-includes 95,000 square foot lawn area; 4,000 fixed seats and approximately 7,000 lawn seats
Owner:
City of Chicago
Architect:
Gehry Partners, LLP -- Los Angeles, CA

RESEARCH: Canal Street Improvements

Project Name:
Canal Street Revitalization

Company Name:
Torre Design Consortium Ltd.

Project Location:
New Orleans, Louisiana

Project Purpose:
These improvements contained within this master plan set a direction for a major renaissance of Canal Street, the “mainstreet” of New Orleans. Having suffered from a loss of substantial retail stores and businesses, the main street of the City had deteriorated substantially over the last two decades. This paralleled a major improvement project that was done in the late 1980s that was structurally failing, with stones popping up, street trees dying, and facades of historic buildings in serious deterioration. Through four years of intense public meetings and facilitation, a series of improvements was developed and a consensus-built process of implementation set in place. The improvements would include: planting a double row (four across) of Medjool palms on both sidewalks and median (where the U.S.’s oldest running streetcar still operates); widening granite and herringbone brick sidewalks; custom cast light fixtures; and, extensive landscape and irrigation. With equal importance is the façade and gallery restoration program now underway. As historic Canal Street was once nearly completely lined with beautiful galleries on elegant historic facades, this will again bring substantial weather protection and beauty to the New Orleans main street. Additional theatrical uplighting will bring out the beautiful detailing of the historic facades and, with uplighting on the Medjools, will create a total environment (tout ensemble) that will reestablish the mainstreet of New Orleans -- Canal Street -- as one of the most beautiful and important downtown corridors in the United States.

Role of the Landscape Architect:
The landscape architect was the prime consultant and led the team of architects, engineers, planners, and economists. The complex client (City of New Orleans, Downtown Development District, and Canal Street Development Corporation) had to be coordinated into one working group. Over 50 public meetings were held over the next two years, coupled with the same amount in business owners and stakeholder meetings. All were led by the landscape architect. In addition, all design of paving, details, landscape design, custom light fixture casting, theatrical uplighting of palms and facades, as well as the gallery rebuilding program were done by the landscape architect.

Significance:
The Canal Street Revitalization Master Plan is now underway, although it did suffer a 90-day hiatus due to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. With New Orleans slowly coming back to life after what was the United States’ largest natural disaster, the Canal Street project was the first in the City to be restarted. It was the consensus-built elements of the plan, designed and championed by the landscape architect, that have created so much enthusiasm and hope for New Orleans’ Mainstreet. When completed, this tropical City will have one of the most beautiful and elegant downtown main streets in the United States, with its granite and brick sidewalks, colonnades of palms, rich and colorful plantings, custom cast light fixtures, and reinstitution of galleries on renovated historic facades, providing logical weather protection and urban elegance. It is the largest size project underway in New Orleans at this time, and led by a landscape architect.

RESEARCH: Principles of Urbanism

The principles of urbanism can be applied increasingly to projects at the full range of scales from a single building to an entire community. 1. Walkability: -Most things within a 10-minute walk of home and work -Pedestrian friendly street design (buildings close to street; porches, windows & doors; tree-lined streets; on street parking; hidden parking lots; garages in rear lane; narrow, slow speed streets) -Pedestrian streets free of cars in special cases 2. Connectivity -Interconnected street grid network disperses traffic & eases walking -A hierarchy of narrow streets, boulevards, and alleys -High quality pedestrian network and public realm makes walking pleasurable 3. Mixed-Use & Diversity -A mix of shops, offices, apartments, and homes on site. Mixed-use within neighborhoods, within blocks, and within buildings -Diversity of people - of ages, income levels, cultures, and races 4. Mixed Housing - A range of types, sizes and prices in closer proximity 5. Quality Architecture & Urban Design - Emphasis on beauty, aesthetics, human comfort, and creating a sense of place; Special placement of civic uses and sites within community. Human scale architecture & beautiful surroundings nourish the human spirit 6. Traditional Neighborhood Structure -Discernable center and edge -Public space at center -Importance of quality public realm; public open space designed as civic art -Contains a range of uses and densities within 10-minute walk -Transect planning: Highest densities at town center; progressively less dense towards the edge. The transect is an analytical system that conceptualizes mutually reinforcing elements, creating a series of specific natural habitats and/or urban lifestyle settings. The Transect integrates environmental methodology for habitat assessment with zoning methodology for community design. The professional boundary between the natural and man-made disappears, enabling environmentalists to assess the design of the human habitat and the urbanists to support the viability of nature. This urban-to-rural transect hierarchy has appropriate building and street types for each area along the continuum. 7. Increased Density -More buildings, residences, shops, and services closer together for ease of walking, to enable a more efficient use of services and resources, and to create a more convenient, enjoyable place to live. -New Urbanism design principles are applied at the full range of densities from small towns, to large cities 8. Green Transportation -A network of high-quality trains connecting cities, towns, and neighborhoods together -Pedestrian-friendly design that encourages a greater use of bicycles, rollerblades, scooters, and walking as daily transportation 9. Sustainability -Minimal environmental impact of development and its operations -Eco-friendly technologies, respect for ecology and value of natural systems -Energy efficiency -Less use of finite fuels -More local production -More walking, less driving 10. Quality of Life Taken together these add up to a high quality of life well worth living, and create places that enrich, uplift, and inspire the human spirit.

BENEFITS OF URBANISM 1. BENEFITS TO RESIDENTS Higher quality of life; Better places to live, work, & play; Higher, more stable property values; Less traffic congestion & less driving; Healthier lifestyle with more walking, and less stress; Close proximity to main street retail & services; Close proximity to bike trails, parks, and nature; Pedestrian friendly communities offer more opportunities to get to know others in the neighborhood and town, resulting in meaningful relationships with more people, and a friendlier town; More freedom and independence to children, elderly, and the poor in being able to get to jobs, recreation, and services without the need for a car or someone to drive them; Great savings to residents and school boards in reduced busing costs from children being able to walk or bicycle to neighborhood schools; More diversity and smaller, unique shops and services with local owners who are involved in community; Big savings by driving less, and owning less cars; Less ugly, congested sprawl to deal with daily; Better sense of place and community identity with more unique architecture; More open space to enjoy that will remain open space; More efficient use of tax money with less spent on spread out utilities and roads 2. BENEFITS TO BUSINESSES Increased sales due to more foot traffic & people spending less on cars and gas; More profits due to spending less on advertising and large signs; Better lifestyle by living above shop in live-work units - saves the stressful & costly commute; Economies of scale in marketing due to close proximity and cooperation with other local businesses; Smaller spaces promote small local business incubation; Lower rents due to smaller spaces & smaller parking lots; Healthier lifestyle due to more walking and being near healthier restaurants; More community involvement from being part of community and knowing residents 3. BENEFITS TO DEVELOPERS More income potential from higher density mixed-use projects due to more leasable square footage, more sales per square foot, and higher property values and selling prices; Faster approvals in communities that have adopted smart growth principles resulting in cost / time savings; Cost savings in parking facilities in mixed-use properties due to sharing of spaces throughout the day and night, resulting in less duplication in providing parking; Less need for parking facilities due to mix of residences and commercial uses within walking distance of each other; Less impact on roads / traffic, which can result in lower impact fees; Lower cost of utilities due to compact nature of New Urbanist design; Greater acceptance by the public and less resistance from NIMBYS; Faster sell out due to greater acceptance by consumers from a wider product range resulting in wider market share 4. BENEFITS TO MUNICIPALITIES Stable, appreciating tax base; Less spent per capita on infrastructure and utilities than typical suburban development due to compact, high-density nature of projects; Increased tax base due to more buildings packed into a tighter area; Less traffic congestion due to walkability of design; Less crime and less spent on policing due to the presence of more people day and night; Less resistance from community; Better overall community image and sense of place; Less incentive to sprawl when urban core area is desirable; Easy to install transit where it's not, and improve it where it is; Greater civic involvement of population leads to better governance.

RESEARCH: The Historic District Landmarks Commission (HDLC)

The Historic District Landmarks Commission (HDLC) is the City's regulatory agency for local historic districts outside of the Vieux Carre. Established in 1976, this agency provides the staff and office space for the two Commissions, the New Orleans Historic District Landmarks Commission and the Central Business District Historic District Landmarks Commission.
The two Historic District Landmarks Commissions safeguard the heritage of the City by preserving and regulating historic landmarks and districts which reflect elements of its cultural, social, economic, political and architectural history. They preserve and enhance the quality of neighborhoods, strengthening the City's economic base, stimulating the tourist industry, improving property values, fostering economic development, and encouraging growth.

The Canal Street Historic District
Canal Street, long considered the retail merchandising heart of the city, began its life in the early 19th century. During the period between 1820 and 1850, the street saw a mixture of residential and commercial construction, including several major residences such as the house built in 1844 at 824 Canal for William Newton Mercer, designed by the architect James Gallier Sr. In the years leading up to the Civil War, commercial building intensified, with a number of cast-iron fronted structures rising on both sides of the street. Only one of these antebellum iron facades, 622 Canal , survives today. It was designed by William A. Freret and was built in 1857. By the outbreak of the war, Canal Street had been transformed into a largely commercial area, with several rows of identical multi-story buildings having been built.
After the Civil War, construction continued, with more ornately detailed buildings indicating the popularity of the Italianate style. Both sides of the 600 block of Canal contain examples of this exuberant style. As the 19th century progressed, a new building type was introduced: the tall office building. The Morris building at the uptown lake corner of Camp and Canal, built in 1889 and rebuilt after a fire in 1901, signified a shift away from purely retail business activity on the street. The interest in large scale structures reached its peak with the construction of the Maison Blanche Building at 901-921 Canal in 1909. The largest historic commercial building in the district, the Maison Blanche Building combined a large department store with an office block in a single, classically ornamented design.
As the 20th century progressed, a number of earlier structures were remodeled so as to modernize their exterior appearance. In some cases, this redesign work simply meant the installation of an applied metal sign panel over the original window openings, as is the case with the early structure at 635 Canal. In more recent years, Canal Street has seen large scale hotel construction.
The visual character of the Canal Street Historic District is defined by multi-story structures of masonry or masonry clad steel frame construction. All of the buildings in the district are built on the front property line, creating a uniform wall of building along the sidewalk. With the exception of a handful of large 20th century buildings, most of the structures in the district stand on lots that are between 20 and 40 feet in width.

The Commercial Store, Warehouse & Office
This building type, which was adaptable for a range of functions, is still a dominant element on several streets in the Central Business District. It first arrived in New Orleans in 1830, with the construction of a four story specimen on Magazine Street near Canal, designed by the prominent New York architectural firm of Town and Davis. From that point until the advent of the Civil War in 1861, it was the single most common building type in the area. Basically designed to make the fullest use of a small and narrow lot, these buildings were built side by side, ranging from three to five stories in height. Only the front and rear elevations were broken by windows, as the buildings were common wall designs, with only the corner structures having the luxury of side windows. The layout of the interiors of these simple buildings depended upon the commercial use to which they were put. A warehouse would have no need for formal partition walls or interior decoration as would an office, but both could easily fit within the simple rectangular shapes of these buildings.

External Features and Characteristics.
This building type is, without exception, a common wall masonry structure. That is to say, it is flanked by other buildings of similar, if not identical design. The facade walls are placed on the front property line, and in some cases, the rear facades rest on the rear lot line. In situations where there is more than one identical structure, the repetition of the door and window openings makes it appear that you are looking at a single large structure rather than a series of individual buildings, each of which may only measure twenty-five to thirty-five feet in width. The street fronts of these buildings consist of a series of regularly spaced bays on the ground floor with regularly spaced window openings on the upper floors. The ground floor structure is either fronted with a granite post and lintel system, or a cast-iron post and lintel design attached to masonry piers. Most of the granite street front details are very simple, with the cast-iron versions tending to be much more ornamental. The large openings between these columns were fitted with multi-fold wooden doors which could be folded back towards the interior of the building so as to provide an unobstructed means of access to the first floor. There is a considerable range of designs that can be used on these doors with some being more elegantly detailed than others, depending upon the internal functions. The upper floor window openings tend to diminish in size as the height of the building increases, with the second floor windows being full length. All upper story windows were generally fitted with shutters. Buildings designed to accommodate office uses featured louvered shutters. On the second floors of offices, one often finds an exterior balcony cantilevered from the facade wall. On warehouses and stores, the balcony is not used; rather, a simple canopy topped with standing seam metal roofing and supported on metal brackets is installed to keep the sun and rain away from the ground floor openings.
The exterior character of these buildings changed as the 19th century progressed. The simple, high quality exposed brick facades of the Greek Revival style examples of the 1830s and 1840s were replaced in the 1850s and 1860s with stucco finished fronts in the popular Italianate style. The ready availability of cast-iron as a building material in the 1850s and 1860s led to the installation of larger and more ornate balconies, as well as ornamental hood moldings over the facade windows. Window openings themselves changed from simple square headed forms to segmental or fully round arched forms.
By the 1880s, the designs of the street level fronts of these commercial buildings began to change into a form that was more conducive to the display of merchandise. The first floor was divided into three bays, with the narrow central bay containing the entrance to the store. The two wider outer bays were fitted with large sheets of plate glass, serving to provide more natural light for the interior of the building, as well as offering the pedestrian an unobstructed view of the store's merchandise. The metal frames of these storefronts became rather thin, further emphasizing the large expanse of glass at ground level.

PRELIMINARY IDEAS

Advanced ID History preliminary project

SUMMARY STATEMENT

An arts center will be developed in the existing historic Krauss building which was, until recently, abandoned and is now luxury condominiums. The building stands at 1201 Canal St. in New Orleans, Louisiana in busy and significant downtown. The arts hub will utilize the first floor and the first floor mezzanine of the expansive building. The arts hub will also make use of the existing annex building across Iberville. Most of the annex will be demolished making way for a public park. The space will include art studios, dance studios, a learning kitchen, an indoor performance space, classrooms and, as previously mentioned, a public park with a semi open-air stage. Funds for constructions will come from grants and donations from the government and the public. These means will be pursued by the Board of Directors.
This proposal represents a common agreement between client and designer. Should the design be altered after this date, price agreements will be altered to suit.


Designer:
Ann Elise Borchardt

Client:
The City of New Orleans
Board of Directors


December 7, 2009

CONCEPT

A sanctuary is a place of refuge and protection, a place for someone to feel in control. The New Orleans Heritage Center is a sanctuary created to give talent of all types a space to exhibit receipts, display art, showcase performers and develop audiences in a unique venue while also involving the community.
The driving force behind New Orleans’ culture is an eclectic mixture of food, art, dance and music. All of these elements are fueled by creativity and the ability to express oneself in each of these various aspects. New Orleans experiences a plethora of festivals and fairs but is, however, lacking a place for all of these ingredients to successfully mix regularly while simultaneously involving the community. The New Orleans Heritage center provides a haven for all of the arts to combine and intermingle while keeping an open and engaging scene for the local community not every once in a while but on a daily basis.
The New Orleans Heritage Center is a place that combines indoors and outdoors to create an inspiring environment for all ages and walks of life. The center offers rentable studios for dance and art, gallery space, fully equipped kitchens, offices and classrooms as well as a public park. Each space combines private and public quarters to make a learning conducive atmosphere welcoming and inviting to all. The hope of the New Orleans Heritage Center is to support interdisciplinary collaborations that integrate the work of creative and culinary arts not only in the center, but also the surrounding community.

ECONOMIC FACTORS

The New Orleans Arts Hub will be funded by governmental grants, foundation grants, business sponsors, private donations, onsite fundraisers and rent from spaces such as the studios, the classrooms and the stages. Funding will also come from registration fees for classes and functions the arts hub hosts.
Energy Star appliances will be utilized in the kitchen and all HVAC systems will be energy efficient units. Each HVAC system will be regulated separately based on the function of each block of spaces in order to account for varying occupancy levels and therefore cutting down environmental impacts and costs. Cost effective materials and processes will also be used in the design development.

TECHNICAL NEEDS

Security
The space is located in a high traffic area of downtown and security will be crucial. Security cameras both on the interior and exterior will be functioning at all times, as will a security staff. Studios will be locked and each tenant will be responsible for securing their belongings and the items that may be stored in their space.

Telecommunication
All spaces will have internet access. Office spaces, studios and kitchen will also have access to other forms of communication as well (telephones, voicemail, etc).

BIOPHYSICAL NEEDS

All facilities will need the proper HVAC, plumbing and power necessary to keep the building comfortable, clean, sanitary and functioning properly.

HVAC
All HVAC systems will be energy efficient units and regulated separately based on the function of each block of spaces in order to account for varying temperatures and occupancy. For example, the constant movement of people in the dance studios will require more cooling to account for body heat, while the art studios may call for less.
There will be exhaust fans in the Kitchen.

Illumination
The venue will include special lighting in order to aid in creating an atmosphere in each block of spaces. Large windows surrounding the building’s perimeter will let in significant daylight and will be utilized wherever possible. UV protective coating will be used on the Canal and Basin Street sides of the building to reduce energy loss and sensor lights will be utilized to dim and turn off when sunlight is sufficient and when rooms are inactive.
- In the art studios and classrooms significant task lighting, as well as daylight, is important.
- The gallery space requires spotlighting and adjustable down lighting.
- In the performance spaces theatrical lighting is necessary.
- Outdoor lighting in the park is essential to creating a safe environment.

Plumbing
System will run throughout the building with access to the Bathrooms, Art studios, Kitchen, sinks, water fountains and sprinklers.

Power
Entire building powered with an emergency backup system.

ZONING MAP

First Floor Zoning
First Floor Mezzanine Zoning
Park Zoning

NOTE:
Purple = Public
Orange = Private

CONTROLS

Group Type:
Group A Assembly
Group B Business

International Building Code, 2009
Chapter 3 Use and Occupancy
Chapter 8 Interior Finishes
Chapter 9 Fire Protection Systems
Chapter 10 Means of Egress
Chapter 11 Accessibility
Chapter 12 Interior Environment
Chapter 29 Plumbing Systems
Chapter 34 Existing Structures

National Electric Code, 2009
Chapter 4 Special detailed requirements based on use and occupancy
Chapter 7 Fire and smoke protection features

State Plumbing Code, 2009
Chapter 4 Special detailed requirements based ion use and occupancy
Chapter 16 Structural design
Chapter 17 Structural tests and special inspections

Americans with Disabilities Act, 2009
Chapter 35 Referenced Standards
Appendix E: Supplementary accessibility requirements

NFPA 101 Life Safety, 2009
Chapter 4 Special detailed requirements based on use and occupancy
Louisiana Existing Building International Existing Building Code, 2006
Chapter 9 Change of Occupancy

Louisiana Entergy
ASHRAE standard 90.1 Energy Standard for Buildings, Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, 2001

STACKING DIAGRAM

BLOCK DIAGRAMS

First Floor Diagram
First Floor Mezzanine Diagram
Park Diagram

NOTE:
Blue = Circulation/ Public space
Red = Rentable space
Yellow = Building support