Thursday, May 28, 2009

Hoffman Elementary (threatened)

Hoffman Elementary model
Hoffman Elementary model, 2622 S. Prieur New Orleans, originally uploaded by regional.modernism.
Hoffman Elementary is on the NCDC Agenda on Monday June 1, 2009. It was the first school designed by Charles Colbert, who later designed McDonogh 36 and the iconic Wheatley Elementary. The following description is from Idea: the Shaping force by Charles Colbert.

'Hoffman Elementary (1948), first referred to by the School Board as "that cowshed," was designed before the general use of air conditioning and responded to such educational concerns of the day as variable classroom sizes, direct access to outdoor instructional area, sun and breeze control devices, and the reduction of visible distractions. A scale model of a typical classroom was used to determine the precise distribution of natural light; while entire walls of operating doors and windows allowed the passage of evaporative breezes over the students' bodies. Classrooms were isolated from corridor activities by a barrier wall as air movement was directed upward by a sloping ceiling above. An inverted truss created a sun protective overhang on the air entry side, while on the opposite side of the classroom, the sun was refiected from the flat corridor roof to the inclined interior ceiling, for diffusion to work surfaces below. The use of the inverted truss resulted from two functional necessities, air movement and the distribution of daylight. A study model was used to determine the most effective angle for the overhead ceiling at New Orleans' particular latitude. The use of the inverted roof truss merely accommodated these dictating needs. The profile of the roof truss is exposed on the exterior of each building wing by colorful enamel panels. The dictates of light, sound, air movement and the elimination of unnecessary visual distractions actually shaped the cross section of the building. The building's exterior shape was merely the result of interior requirements.'

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Thesis Exhibit at the Ogden

Thesis 2009
Thesis 2009, Auto-mated Bloom: Bio-farming in the Atchafalaya Bay, Greg Barton, Tulane School of Architecture, originally uploaded by regional.modernism.
Please join us for the opening of

PROVOCATIONS: Tulane School of Architecture Thesis Projects 2009
Ogden Museum of Southern Art
925 Camp Street, New orleans, LA 70130

Friday May 8, 2009

6pm - 7pm RECEPTION
5th floor, Stephen Goldring Hall at the Ogden Museum

7pm - 8pm IMPRESSIONS
Commentary by
Billie Tsien, Tod William Billie Tsien Architects, New York
Mack Scogin, Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects, Atlanta

Hosted by Kenneth Schwartz, FAIA, Dean
Tulane School of Architecture in collaboration with
The Ogden Museum of Southern Art

For information, call 504-314-2361
Exhibition is Wednesday May 6 - Sunday May 10