Pitt lauds winners of green design contest for New Orleans
Brad Pitt had harsh words about the rebuilding process in New Orleans on Thursday as he praised the winners of an architectural design contest he helped sponsor.
He was on a visit tothe flood-ravaged lower ninth ward, where almost nobody has been able to live for more than a yearsince Hurricane Katrina damaged the district.
"We're a country of great ingenuity. And the fact that we can't get in there and clean up this quagmire is ridiculous. And it's shameful," he said.
Pitt pointed out the lack of services like hospitals and schools, as well asmissing repairsto basic infrastructure like water systems and roads.
"This is a social justice issue," he said. "In a catastrophe, you help the most vulnerable first and we failed to do that."
Pitt, 42, an architecture buff, headed a jury that has chosen an environmentally friendly design for homes inthe New Orleans community.
Pitt initially contributed $100,000 to help underwrite theinternational contest by non-profit group Global Green and contributed another $100,000 to help cover prize money. He announced the winners in a public ceremony on Thursday.
The winning plan for six single-family homes and 12 multi-family units was submitted by Matthew Berman and Andrew Kotchen of Workshop APD in New York.
More than 100 architects entered the Greenola design competition run by the environmental group.
The winning design usesthe sun's rays for power, rain for the water system and energy from the earth.
'Not in a cookie-cutter style'
In an interview on the Today Show, Pitt hailed the design for its innovation and said it could mean low-income residents would pay almost nothing for energy.
"I love that it can be replicated, and not in a cookie-cutter style. At the same time, where it really wins is that, if done properly, we can completely get rid of the idea of an energy bill," he told host Ann Curry.
Pitt said he and his romantic interest Angelina Jolie plan to visit New Orleans often to check on the progress of rebuilding.
The long low homes are to be built on a site that Global Green is in the process of buying. The architecture jury, which included several sponsors for the project,worked with community residents in the design process.
The design includes a community centre, a play area and a pedestrian bridge leading from the neighbourhood to the top of the levee.
Help for going green
"These green building designs breathe new life into our communities," said Pam Dashiell, president of the Holy Cross Neighborhood Association, who was a design jury member.
"The amount of community input was incredible," she said.
Global Green USA is providing technical assistance in green standards for 10,000 buildings in New Orleans.
Earlier this summer, the group opened a resource centre giving the city's residents free design advice and information about environmentally friendly building products and strategies.