Responding to the responsibility of post-Katrina development to densify high ground, ICInola is an essential area of residential and commercial activity in Bywater. The planning approach focuses on creating places for living, working and existing in a neighborhood that nurtures and contributes to positive social interactions. The project’s physical expression is based on abstraction, creating variety and articulation from the architectural typology of Bywater. Within the area, warehouses and manufacturing buildings provide inspiration, as do schools and mixed-use projects throughout the city; traditional elements are represented without parody or generic soft-core historicism.

The density and height preserve a human scale at street level, with visual coherence to nearby institutional buildings. The design’s visual rhythm incorporates patterns of traditional New Orleans lots, with emphasis on vertical proportions. Vernacular elements include stoops [encouraging social interaction], shutters [shading, privacy, safety], front gardens, balconies/galleries [promote street-level activity, provide residential outdoor space], and shared courtyards. Active and passive strategies for sustainable design are incorporated, promoting responsible building and living for the future: Geothermal cooling, vertical gardens, green roofs, photovoltaics and recycled materials, among others.