New Orleans, LA | 2011

el dorado and FX Fowle were selected to renovate Richardson Memorial Hall, home to Tulane University’s School of Architecture. Tulane is the largest employer in the city of New Orleans. After Hurricane Katrina, the university shifted its focus to community rebuilding and re-envisioning. The architecture school plays a crucial role in this effort, and we’re in the process of updating the century-old structure to support this vision.

We’ve added an addition on the back side of the Richardson, two wings that hold faculty offices, a design/build shop, and public gathering spaces. We’re employing a number of sustainable strategies, including rooftop PV panels, solar thermal panels, and a rooftop cistern for rainwater storage. A canopy of thin-film PV panels shades a planted roof that’s irrigated by the harvested rainwater. A number of site enhancements, including a ground level cafe, draw people into the building, opening up the school to architects and non-architects alike.