For the first time, New Orleans will turn to a retain and control storm water strategy in one of the city’s most ambitious infrastructure projects.
Public works projects in a part of the Big Easy, the Gentilly Resiliency District, will be designed to retain and control water rather than to try to keep it behind levees and floodwalls. Projects will include transformation of miles of neutral grounds into water-absorbing features so that the water won’t have to be pumped to outfall canals.
Some median strips will become green corridors with swales, trees, shrubs, and water permeable sidewalks. Existing live oaks will be retained and protected.
Another project, the Mirabeau Water Garden, is a detention pond designed to hold water temporarily. The site will include a pedestrian path and recreation features that will be able to hold floodwater when needed. The federal government awarded the city a $141 million grant for the flood control measures.
Related Stories
3D Printing | Jun 20, 2023
World's largest 3D-printed building completed in Florida
Printed Farms, known for completing Florida’s first permitted 3D-printed house in Tallahassee, announces the completion of the world’s largest 3D-printed building: a luxury horse barn.
Resiliency | Jun 14, 2023
HUD offers $4.8 billion in funding for green and resilient building retrofit projects
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently released guidelines for its Green and Resilient Retrofit Program (GRRP) that has $4.8 billion for funding green projects.
Engineers | Jun 5, 2023
How to properly assess structural wind damage
Properly assessing wind damage can identify vulnerabilities in a building's design or construction, which could lead to future damage or loss, writes Matt Wagner, SE, Principal and Managing Director with Walter P Moore.
Energy-Efficient Design | Jun 5, 2023
Implementing an ‘asset drawdown strategy’ for site decarbonization
Solidifying a decarbonization plan via an “asset drawdown strategy” that carefully considers both capital and operating costs represents a game-changing opportunity for existing properties to compete with new projects.
Cladding and Facade Systems | Jun 5, 2023
27 important questions about façade leakage
Walter P Moore’s Darek Brandt discusses the key questions building owners and property managers should be asking to determine the health of their building's façade.
Mass Timber | Jun 2, 2023
First-of-its-kind shake test concludes mass timber’s seismic resilience
Last month, a 10-story mass timber structure underwent a seismic shake test on the largest shake table in the world.
3D Printing | May 12, 2023
World’s first 3D-printed medical center completed
3D construction printing reached new heights this week as the world’s first 3D-printed medical center was completed in Thailand.
Sustainability | May 11, 2023
Let's build toward a circular economy
Eric Corey Freed, Director of Sustainability, CannonDesign, discusses the values of well-designed, regenerative buildings.
Resiliency | Apr 18, 2023
AI-simulated hurricanes could aid in designing more resilient buildings
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have devised a new method of digitally simulating hurricanes in an effort to create more resilient buildings. A recent study asserts that the simulations can accurately represent the trajectory and wind speeds of a collection of actual storms.
Urban Planning | Apr 12, 2023
Watch: Trends in urban design for 2023, with James Corner Field Operations
Isabel Castilla, a Principal Designer with the landscape architecture firm James Corner Field Operations, discusses recent changes in clients' priorities about urban design, with a focus on her firm's recent projects.
