Reinventing the Crescent Phase 1 Team Selected
By Sean Cummings on May 12 2008 at 11:00 AM
The New Orleans Building Corporation (NOBC) is pleased to announce that the architectural team has been selected to implement Phase One of Reinventing the Crescent, the redevelopment plan for the Riverfront in New Orleans. The team is a remarkable ensemble of talent including (images above left to right) Alex Krieger of Chan Krieger Sieniewicz (Cambridge), George Hargreaves of Hargreaves Associates (Cambridge, New York, San Francisco, London), Allen Eskew of Eskew+Dumez+Ripple (New Orleans), David Adjaye of Adjaye/Associates (London, Berlin, New York) and Michael Maltzan of Michael Maltzan Architecture (Los Angeles).
Following authorization by the NOBC Board of Directors at its January 2008 meeting, the staff of the NOBC issued a Request for Qualifications. Four finalists were chosen, including world-renowned talents such as Cesar Pelli (New Haven) and Steven Holl (New York), as well as local firms John Williams Architects and Perez, APC.
The Selection Committee scored the Eskew+Dumez+Ripple led team highest. Lisa Schroeder, the Executive Director of Pittsburgh’s Riverlife Task Force which is redeveloping two riverfronts in that city, was a member of the Selection Committee and expressed the decision this way:
“In this team New Orleans has landed a constellation of full force professionals at their peak, whose confidence and experience seems appropriately tempered by their awe and excitement about taking on the challenge for New Orleans. Pittsburgh is jealous.”
Hargreaves Associates (Lead Design), Chan Krieger Sieniewicz (Urban Design) and Eskew+Dumez+Ripple (Executive Management) are three of the core firms that designed the Reinventing the Crescent Development Plan. Alex Krieger, George Hargreaves and Allen Eskew are seasoned professionals who have created some of the world’s top waterfronts. Alex Krieger, in addition to his private practice, heads the Urban Design Department at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design and recently completed the design for Shanghai’s new riverfront. George Hargreaves is the premier landscape architect in the world, and in March became the first landscape architect in history to design significant elements for two Olympics: Sydney’s Public Domain and the London Olympic Park. Allen Eskew, the team manager, continues to lead his locally based firm with a passion for our City and designed some of the most respected new buildings in Louisiana such as the Shaw Center in Baton Rouge where they were the Executive Architect.
The team also added two of the world’s most admired young architects in David Adjaye and Michael Maltzan. Tanzanian-born and the son of a Ghanaian diplomat, David Adjaye is recognized as a leading architect of his generation for his work including the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo. Mr. Adjaye will design a new ecumenical chapel on the River and brings an intriguing set of life experiences to a city influenced by West African culture and craftsmanship. Michael Maltzan, who will design a riverfront amphitheater, is similarly young and accomplished. His architecture, including UCLA’s Hammer Museum and Billy Wilder Theater, offers both joyful new experiences and physically expresses a city’s most optimistic hope for the future.
Collectively these professionals will forge collaborative relationships with more than ten (10) leading local firms, including ambitious new talents like St. Martin Brown & Associates and Johanna Leibe, most of which are minority or women-owned businesses.
Said CEO Sean Cummings, “This might be the most talented riverfront design team in the world. Each committed to personally design our riverfront. You rarely see this enthusiasm from the top guys. But they love the project. I am thrilled for New Orleans.”
Added Mayor Nagin, also chairman of the NOBC, “This is a transformative project, and with this team we are taking it to the next level.”
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