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A Giganitic Trigone Designed for New Orleans
By Ben on Tue Aug 18 2009
NOAH

NOAH
Home  |  Building
NOAH (New Orleans Arcology Habitat) or Arco(short for arcology), this massive trigone building that contains all the elements of a city within one structure. NOAH is a 1200-foot-tall arco designed especially for New Orleans. NOAH proposes to be a habitat for 40,000 residents who can benefit from the planned residential units, school system, commercial, retail, hotels, casinos, parking, and public works facilities. And features this structure will use an array of green systems, including solar panels, water turbines, wind turbines, fresh water recovery, and a passive solar glazing system.
Design Challenge:
1. The first challenge is to overcome both the physical and psychological damages of recurring severe weather patterns. Though re-population has begun, the need to provide a stabilized and safe environment is paramount to a long term recovery and economic well being of New Orleans.
2. The second challenge is that New Orleans has too much water. The city has been built at and below sea levels which creates consistently high water table and makes it prone to flooding and storm surges.
3. The third challenge is that New Orleans is built on soil condition which consists of thousands of feet of soft soil, silt and clay. These conditions make building large scale concentrated structures difficult.
Believing that NOAH is a viable plan, our solution to overcome these challenges is to take advantage of these seemingly conflicting issues with the introduction of a floating urban platform.










"The proposal places this 30 million-square-foot monstrosity on the Mississippi riverfront, just across from the central business district of New Orleans. Atop the multi-cavity all which will attempt to be hurricane proof, there will be 20,000 residential units, three hotels, 1,000,000 square feet of commercial space, plenty of cultural facilities and offices, a 20,000 healthcare clinic, and of course, just for fun, a trio of casinos."

NOAH Team

Design / Concept:
E. Kevin Schopfer AIA, RIBA

Executive Architect:
Ahearn / Schopfer Associates; Boston, MA
Cambridge Seven Associates, Inc.; Cambridge, MA

Associate Architect:
Raymond C. Bergeron, NCARB; New Orleans, LA

Visual:
Tangram 3DS; Kittery, ME

Structural / Mechanical:
Arup; Boston, London

Foundation Consultants:
Acergy; New Orleans, LA

Via dvice, yankodesign
#1 Post by TheGreyMan, on Tue Aug 18 2009 10:29 PM
As an intellectual exercise, it's wonderful and beautiful.

As a serious proposal, you're joking, right?

First, the site is entirely within the jurisdiction of New Orleans city government. The overt taxes, fees, licensing, would render this project nigh impossible.

Then the covert costs (kickbacks to unions, having to hire a Jefferson, a Morial, etc.) would push it over the edge into dreamland.

Anybody remember how well the World's Fair, Jazzland, Levee Board, RTA, City Hall, etc. have worked out, and that's just the city.  Hell, just remember how well the damn levees worked.  

Also remember that just outside New Orleans was the original site for DisneyWorld, until Walt got pissed at the corruption and moved it to a vacant swamp in Florida.

Sorry, until the city gets serious about cleaning itself up, you're just whistling dixie.  

FYI, I am a native New Orleanian, ex-pat, and Katrina veteran.

FWIW, you'd be much better to put this in another of the metro parishes.
#2 Post by jinshan, on Thu Aug 20 2009 5:49 AM
很漂亮
#3 Post by G, on Sat Aug 22 2009 11:39 PM
I know the Parisians hated the Eiffel Tower when it was first built, but this “land mark” structure would be just throwing money in the river. There are still vacant buildings in the CBD, and someone still thinks this would be a viable addition to one of the most historic cities in the country?
It may be a beautiful idea, but not now.
#4 Post by sam, on Mon Aug 24 2009 8:31 PM
The pyramids keep going up the secret rulers of the world are still ruling.
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