New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Located in a culturally rich and historically significant part of New Orleans, the J-House by AEDS is celebrated as an example of modern, resilient urban architecture that respects both the environment and the unique character of New Orleans
The design responds to the context by elevating the main living area 10 feet above ground. Most of New Orleans is several feet below sea level and prone to frequent flooding.
The J-House has recently been awarded a 2024 Future House Award by Global Design News and The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design.
The design uses steel structure to create a bridge like structure that allows a minimal footprint and resist 180 mph hurricane winds.
The outside is cladded with a rain-screen charred cedar wood that helps prevent heat transmission during the heat waves during the summer and prevent from notorious termites’ damage in the region.
While unusual formally in comparison with its surrounding, the J-House outside wood cladding tend to bring the project back to the domestic realm.
The J-House responds to local climate conditions in the way it is situated and by the materials used for its construction. It is also a type of study of place, constraints and possibilities.
The J-House was inspired by the shot-gun house typology; a housing stock that typifies New Orleans.
It is also part of a lineage of speculative houses designed since the early 20th Century to redefine preconceived notions and ideas of domesticity.
Project: J-House
Architects: AEDS
Design Team: Ammar Eloueini and Jana Masset
Client: Private
General Contractor: Woodward Design + Build, LLC.
Photographs: Courtesy of the Architects
