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Architecture students learn hard truth about New Orleans on trip

By By Erin Castaneda

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Broken promises, blame and destruction have plagued New Orleans for months. After Hurricane Katrina hit, displaced residents received fleeting help from various organizations, causing insecurities and doubt.

When Nils Gore, architecture professor, and his Design Build studio class traveled to the city Feb. 9 with plans to discuss designs for a community center, they were not sure what type of reaction they would receive.

Gore said he wanted to avoid the perception people might have of Kansas students being do-gooders who simply delivered a product and left.

When they got to New Orleans, they were met with unexpected destruction they could not have prepared for.

“Pictures don’t do any justice,” said Patrick Knobloch, St. Louis senior. “I think most of the American people think that everything has been cleaned up and rebuilding has begun in most places. That was my expectation prior to the trip, I mean, that’s the way the news conveys the situation.”

Knobloch said he was self-conscious the whole time because he didn’t go through the tragedy like the citizens of New Orleans did.

The group was met with mixed reactions from the residents, Knobloch said. “Some were interested in what our purpose was and others yelled obscenities. We just have to be very careful about what we set out to do. We must be very aware of the current fabric of the neighborhood.”

As planned, the students met with community members at the Tulane City Center. The center serves as a coordinator for a dozen universities that are involved in the project. It invited the KU School of Architecture and Urban Design to be the first school to help because of its commendable reputation with design and build projects, Gore said.

They discussed plans to construct a neighborhood center that would provide education, technical assistance and support to individual homeowners in an effort to rebuild New Orleans. It would also serve as an art and cultural center.

“We want the community to be very involved in the process to keep their culture and to meet their expectations,” said April Young, Idaho Falls, Idaho, senior.

The “Seventh Ward Building Arts Gallery” is the name of the collaborative project, located in the seventh ward, the second-largest section, of downtown New Orleans. It is home to jazz originators, Creole artisans and numerous churches.

Before they could build the center, they needed to understand the city’s needs more clearly. Gore and his class spent two days walking around neighborhoods and talking to people. Gore met a man by the name of Benjamin Franklin who was returning to his home for the first time to survey the damage. He planned to return with his family who had been temporarily staying in Arkansas.

Young said “walking around felt like voyeurism in a way, because there are all these tourists taking photos of these people’s houses, which are like their lives open for everyone to see. What people take for granted, photo albums, movies, children’s toys, were strewn everywhere.”

She said she was standing next to a woman who was staring at her house with tears streaming down her face. Not knowing what to say, Young hugged the woman, who clung to her.

“I will never know that woman’s name, but I will remember that forever,” Young said.

The class went to a community meeting at a local church where a story circle took place. People shared their experiences during Hurricane Katrina and their plans for the future.

Keeping traditions and their culture alive is a concern for many of the community members, Gore said. The gallery will function as a place where traditions can be passed on to children.

Since the class returned Feb. 12, it has been researching the cultural and architectural history in depth. Its goal is to design a building that keeps New Orleans tradition and uses the feedback it receives. The funding for the building has not yet been determined.

Gore said he envisioned the community center as an extendable building that could be added to in later semesters by his future students. The building will include a covered builder’s yard where people can seek assistance with their rebuilding projects. The center will provide tools, workspace and employment for the area. Young sees the center as a place to teach people how to fix their homes and later, their lives.

Young said “We were forewarned before we accepted this challenge, but we all wanted to make a difference and actually build something that will last. I hope future students will respect that.”

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