NOLA still recovering

NPR did a story just last week about the Phillip Wheatley Elementary School in NOLA that has been closed since Katrina and has now been placed on a watch list of endangered sites developed by the World Monuments Fund. The interview was with John Klingman, Professor of Architecture at Tulane who described the building as "designed with principles of sustainability and modernism in mind". It's actually quite a shame when you listen to the story. Clearly the fact that the city could/would flood was not unheard of and the original architect of the school designed it such that it was built on stilts, keeping it dry and providing natural ventilation and shade for children to play during recess. Built in 1955, the structure was considered innovative, even then. But plans to upgrade the building seem to have gotten lost in the growing pile of bills in New Orleans and now it looks like not only will it not undergo desperately needed renovation but be torn down completely. Listen to the full NPR story and read a transcript of the interview here.

The Phillip Wheatley Elementary School: then and now... an example of what could've been Renewable, Reliable and Remarkable.