Thanks to Brad Pitt’s star power and Frank Gehry’s belief in Pitt’s Make It Proper foundation, Louisiana now houses one of only 22 Gehry residences in the United States. Building of this Gehry duplex has been finished late last week at New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward, one of the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina.
Gehry and the team at Gehry Partners designed an impressive environmentally sustainable and friendly house with all the Katrina survivors’ needs in mind. In a media release Gehry says, “I wished to make a house I want to live in and one that responded to the history, vernacular and climate of New Orleans. I truly believe in what Brad is doing for the community and has been honored to be included” at the undertaking.
Chad Chenier Photography/Make It Proper
Among the most striking particulars of the duplex is that the outside siding color choices, all from Benjamin Moore’s Natura and Aura zero-VOC lines. On front of this duplex, the homeowner picked a pastel Teacup Rose.
Exterior siding material: fiber cement, Nichiha
Chad Chenier Photography/Make It Proper
On the rear exterior of this duplex, the homeowner moved with Lily Lavender.
In a video, Create It Right’s research, design and development manager, Jordan Pollard, states that the paint colors are also “definitely in line with Brad’s taste; he wants bright colors.”
Chad Chenier Photography/Make It Proper
The front-and-back duplex was made to allow for maximum privacy between the houses. Here, frameless solar modules produce solar power and double as a watertight canopy and shade on the rooftop terraces. “The panels are laminated to glass so you can see some diffused light coming through the panels,” says Pollard.
Solar panels: frameless solar modules, Lumos LSX
Chad Chenier Photography/Make It Proper
The home is designed to weather the next storm, literally, using nontoxic materials, and it’s powered by solar power and geothermal heating and cooling systems.
Chad Chenier Photography/Make It Proper
Energy-efficient windows keep the house cool during the summer and warm during the winter. “Frank made sure that there were lots of windows in the houses. Natural daylight floods the space, and views of the surrounding area are available to the homeowners,” says Pollard.
Wall paint: Manor Blue 1627, Benjamin Moore
Chad Chenier Photography/Make It Proper
The bedroom floors are made from postindustrial recycled material and use 50% less recently harvested wood compared to traditional alternatives. “I really like the colors that the homeowner chose. I could not have done it much better,” says Gehry.
Wall paint: Glowing Apricot 165, Benjamin Moore
More information: Make It Proper foundation