For Immediate Release: April 11, 2004
Media Contacts: Emma Filar, Marketing & Communications Associate
Visit the Press Room
Newer Orleans Exhibition: News Release
Visions of a Restored New Orleans On View at the National Building Museum
Washington, DC—As the future of New Orleans is debated, a vision of what a restored New Orleans could look like will be on exhibit at the National Building Museum April 29th through July 30th. Newer Orleans—A Shared Space brings together six Dutch and American architectural firms to reveal their vision for symbolic and shared spaces for the Crescent City. Their works present a blueprint design of a New Orleans with a clearly defined city center and new green spaces that connect to the river.
Each architectural firm was asked to create structures or landscapes to illustrate how architecture could facilitate community, create an urban icon and provide a way for New Orleans to connect back to the land. The firms, MVRDV, UN Studio and West 8 from the Netherlands, and Huff + Gooden Architects, Morphosis, and Hargreaves Associates from the USA designed structures and landscapes at the neighborhood, city and regional level. Through their school, city hall and landscape designs, the architects created communal spaces that unite the city.
At the neighborhood level, MVRDV and Huff + Gooden Architects designed schools: the MVRDV model incorporates a school that can serve as a public hill, while the Huff + Gooden model of a school also serves as an urban instrument to the recovery of a neighborhood. At the city level, UN Studio and Morphosis designed a “mediatheque” that serves as an urban icon. West 8 and Hargreaves Associates created a landscape that develops an identity for the region. While all designs are different, they each work to strengthen the relationship between geographical, architectural and public structures.
The Royal Netherlands Embassy’s “Meet the Dutch” program and the National Building Museum’s Building in the Aftermath series joined together to bring the exhibition to Washington during the Embassy’s “Meet the Dutch” week of activities.Newer Orleans—A Shared Space was organized by the Netherlands Architecture Institute, Tulane University School of Architecture and Artforum magazine and made possible by Shell Oil Company, the Ministry of Economic Affairs of the Netherlands, and the Royal Netherlands Embassy.
Newer Orleans is the latest step in the Dutch government’s efforts to share its experience with the United States. More than two-thirds of the Netherlands is at or below sea-level and the Dutch, with more than 1,000 years of experience, have built a world-class water management system. After the destruction of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Dutch government assisted the people of Louisiana in unwatering flooded parishes and hosted a Congressional delegation, led by Senator Mary Landrieu, to the Netherlands to see firsthand how the Dutch live with water.
“The Netherlands shares a genuine affinity to New Orleans because the Dutch also know what it means to live with the constant threat of flooding. I am confident that in bringing the Newer Orleans exhibition to Washington, DC, we will convince Americans that this beautiful city can, and should be, rebuilt and reinvigorated,” said Boudewijn J. van Eenennaam, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United States.
The National Building Museum brings Newer Orleans to the United States as part of its Building in the Aftermath series. The series was created in November of 2001 in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11th. After the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita, the Museum resumed the series to continue the debate about challenges of rebuilding and the implications for architecture, engineering, preservation and urbanism. The Museum features public programs, symposia, and exhibitions to encourage a creative, informed public dialogue. The Building in the Aftermath series is sponsored by Lafarge North America, the American Planning Association, and the American Society of Landscape Architects. As the first traveling exhibition in the series, the museum welcomes Newer Orleans following its original public exhibition at the Netherlands Architecture Institute in Rotterdam. The exhibition will then travel to other museums in the U.S.
“The Building in the Aftermath series has become an important forum for professionals to exchange information about reconstruction and planning following a disaster. With the Newer Orleans exhibition, the National Building Museum has an opportunity to share insights from our colleagues in the Netherlands about water management and the built environment. Presenting the Newer Orleans exhibition is one of many ways the Museum promotes sharing knowledge following such devastation,” said Chase Rynd, Executive Director of the National Building Museum.
In addition to Newer Orleans, the National Building Museum will feature Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas in its lecture series on April 24th. Koolhaas, recognized for his groundbreaking designs, will discuss his current projects and share his views on the state of architecture.
“Meet the Dutch” has become an annual occurrence. This year’s theme “Future Designs” will be reflected in the week-long series of events, seminars and receptions which will be held during April 20th -28th and which illustrate Dutch contributions in design, business and culture. In celebration of the on-going Dutch-American friendship, “Meet the Dutch-Future Designs” is sponsored by Shell Oil Company, the Royal Netherlands Embassy, Philips Electronics, Corus, Rabobank, Unilever, AEGON, Reed Elsevier, Fresh Tulips USA, KLM, Heineken, ING, Smits Salvage, and Stevens International.
The National Building Museum is America’s leading cultural institution dedicated to advancing the quality of the built environment by educating people about its impact on their lives. Through its exhibitions, educational programs, online content, and publications, the Museum has become a vital forum for the exchange of ideas and information about the world we build for ourselves. Public inquiries: 202.272.2448 or visit www.nbm.org. Connect with us on Twitter: @BuildingMuseum and Facebook.
