Tulane University students help design and build homes in New

New Orleans CityBusiness, May 23, 2005 by April Capochino

This summer, a group of Tulane University graduate students plan to donate some of their sweat to a blighted New Orleans neighborhood.

The students are teaming up with a nonprofit to design and build a home in Central City. Their efforts could eventually fulfill the home ownership dreams of a low-income family while saving the nonprofit thousands of dollars in labor costs.

This is an opportunity for them to see the role of an architect in the community, said Doug Harmon, assistant professor of architecture for Tulane University, who came up with the idea. They would get to see their role in the revitalization of a community. In a place like New Orleans, that's critical.

In June, the graduate students from Tulane's school of architecture will begin talking with Central City residents getting input on what they would like to see in their neighborhood. Then they will begin designing a house they will present to Neighborhood Housing Services of New Orleans, a nonprofit that rebuilds and renovates blighted homes and sells them to first-time homebuyers.

NHS will pay for most of the costs. Harmon said if Tulane were to pay for anything it would be some materials and supplies for the students.

The site Tulane is interested in for its first project is 2856 Dryades St., an abandoned house with boarded-up windows and overgrown foliage covering the side of the home. It's in the Holy Ghost neighborhood, a section of Central City a few blocks from St. Charles Avenue where NHS has renovated or rebuilt 13 homes since 2001.

NHS bought the Dryades Street home for $5,000, said Randy Michaelson, construction manager for NHS. They plan on demolishing the house, with the hopes of salvaging whatever materials they can, he said.

Harmon and Byron Mouton, an assistant professor at Tulane who also owns a design studio in the city, will work with the students to select a design.

By July 15, the class will present NHS with a design plan and a budget. If the design fits the budget and meets the needs of NHS, the students will begin construction in August and finish by January 2006.

Since 1992, 1,008 families have bought homes from NHS, which renovated 224 homes at a total cost of about $8.3 million.

It typically costs NHS, which is funded through city grants, local banks and churches, between $105,000 and $115,000 to build a house, Michaelson said.

That cost includes everything from demolition fees to labor. Michaelson estimates labor comprises about 60 percent of the cost for each home NHS constructs. By helping with construction, Tulane students would eliminate this cost.

Once construction is completed, NHS sells the homes for about $85,000 each.

While using Tulane students would cut labor costs, NHS initially hesitated to use their services, Michaelson said.

At first we were a little bit apprehensive because it's our money going into it. It's definitely a concern for us to have neophytes working on a building, Michaelson said. There's a concern if it will get done in a reasonable amount of time. But if we like the plan and the budget we'll say OK.

Harmon said he is aware there's risk involved.

NHS would have to approve the students' designs, and because they would begin building in the summer, unpredictable weather, including the chance of a hurricane could be an issue. He said they also have to think about safety and security because of the neighborhood they're working in.

But he said after seeing the success in the programs at both Auburn University and the University of Kansas, where architecture students continue to rebuild homes, he said the program could continue annually in New Orleans, which is considered rich in architecture despite being a poor city.

The beautiful thing about New Orleans is these neighborhoods are like fabric, Harmon said. They once were vibrant and colorful but over time the fabric faded.

Harmon wants the students to understand what it's like to construct a house they designed and what it feels like to hammer nails into wood. He said that will teach them to anticipate designs, which look good on paper but may not work in the field.

The school of architecture is fortunate to be in New Orleans, where it's almost like an urban laboratory, said Harmon. There are so many things from the standpoint of architecture. This makes it a rich place to study. This is an opportunity for the school to give something back to the city.