GUARDIANS INSTITUTE VISIONING DOCUMENT
Guardians Institute Donald Harrison Sr. Museum PHASE ONE VISIONING DOCUMENT A Project Of
THE GUARDIANS INSTITUTE A Collaboration With
THE TULANE CITY CENTER And
RUFFWORKS STUDIO ALEMBIC DEVELOPMENT COMPANY Sponsored By a Generous Grant From
JOHNSON CONTROLS, INC.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS 4 Vision 6 History 8 Process 10 Hybrid Scheme 14 Schematic Design 18 Project Timeline 20 Acknowledgments
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Site (Sanborn 1951) | Ruff, Bojarski-Stauffer, Levy
Existing Site
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VISION The Guardians Institute and the TCC have just started phase 1 of a community center in the upper ninth ward, which functions to support the Guardian’s Literacy Program and other Institute Initiatives. Scott Ruff of RuffWorks Studio will work with the Tulane City Center and the project partners to provide Schematic Design and Renderings for phase 1 of the Community Center. Phase 1 includes an overall site scheme as well as the design of a multifunctional outdoor covered space to include seating and basic amenities. This Phase 1 will be designed to support the programs and projects of Guardians Institute while funds are being raised for phase 2, the construction of a museum and community center currently being worked on by the Rockwell Group.
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HISTORY The Late Big Chief Donald Harrison, Sr. (1933-1998) is remembered as one of the legends of the New Orleans Mardi Gras Indian tradition. Well-read in philosophy, history and theology, he loved acquiring knowledge, sports, jazz and the Mardi Gras Indian tradition. He was as comfortable at an Indian practice as he was lecturing at Yale University. He took the Mardi Gras Indian Tradition around the world. It was Harrison’s love for the Mardi Gras Indian tradition, sports, jazz, history but most of all, his love for reading that prompted his wife of 40 years to start the Guardians Institute. Herreast J. Harrison, MA, decided to open the institute in honor of her late husband and his many passions. Having operated several day care centers in New Orleans’ 9th Ward, Mrs. Harrison is intrinsically aware of the need for additional resources for children. Mrs. Harrison and the Big Chief also raised four children who are highly regarded in their various professions. She and Donald instilled in their children as well as thousands of others, the importance of education, art, music and tradition. Guardians Institute was started in 2006 after the failure of New Orleans’ levees left the area devastated. With New Orleans’ indigenous cultural arts of Jazz, Mardi Gras Indians, second line clubs and brass bands left hanging in the balance, Mrs. Harrison decided that the time had come for her to put her plan into action. Mrs. Harrison has donated the use of land she owns in the city’s 9th Ward for the construction of the facility that will house a museum/gallery, class rooms, a library, sports and recreation space as well as a performance space. A testimony to Mrs. Harrison’s will is the fact that she has already began classes and a youth book club without the benefit of major funding and without a permanent facility. The facility will be a UNESCO site. Her passions are as deep as her late husband’s and she is determined to see Guardians Institute reach its full potential with the help of generous supporters. The Guardians Institute is vital to the preservation of some of New Orleans’ indigenous cultural art forms. It is conceivable that these art forms may be lost or altered if current tradition bearers do not disseminate their knowledge to the next generation. It is imperative that these cultural art forms, many of which are unique to New Orleans and over 100 years old, be preserved by those who have maintained them thus far.
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Photo by: Michaelgirl Lamendola 7
Process: Scheme Generation | Ruff, Bojarski-Stauffer, Levy
INDEPENDENCE ST.
Scheme One
Scheme Three
N. JOHNSON ST.
N. JOHNSON ST.
N. JOHNSON ST. INDEPENDENCE ST.
Scheme Four
INDEPENDENCE ST.
Scheme Five
Scheme Six
N. JOHNSON ST.
N. JOHNSON ST.
N. JOHNSON ST.
INDEPENDENCE ST.
INDEPENDENCE ST.
Scheme Seven
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INDEPENDENCE ST.
Scheme Two
INDEPENDENCE ST.
=Guardians Institute = Guardians Institute
N. JOHNSON ST.
N. JOHNSON ST.
N. JOHNSON ST.
INDEPENDENCE ST.
INDEPENDENCE ST.
Scheme Nine
Scheme Eight =BASE = Base
grassArea area ==Courtyard/ Courtyard / Grass
Pavilion ==Outdoor Outdoor Pavilion
=Drive/ = Drive /Parking Parking
=Garden/ = GardenPlayground / Playground
PROCESS The Guardians Institute Project design team went through a comprehensive process of collecting a range of programming ideas and desires from the Guardians Institute and layering those ideas onto the project site. A series of conversations about the three properties the Guardians Institute owns and the ambitions of the non-profit were filtered through this matrix of possible site uses. Ultimately the Guardians Institute decided on a facility that would allow for immediate use and programming as a performance pavilion with an adjacent enclosed space to serve as a dressing area and as a conditioned space to hold events for the Guardians Youth Literacy program. This performance structure will serve the immediate needs of the non-profit as they raise money and support for a larger museum structure on an adjacent lot. Once the design team and community partner had agreed on an appropriate strategy for the site, the related zoning variances had to go through a lengthy review and approval process by the New Orleans City Planning Commission and the City Council. This process has further influenced the development of the site as the city has imposed site planning, material, and landscaping requirements as part of the zoning change request.
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HYBRID SCHEME Several themes emerged from discussions between the City Center design team and the community partner, one of them being the strong link that exists between African traditions and distinct cultural traditions of New Orleans. The design team looked to some of the New World translations of an Old World tradition, such as the crafted quilts of Gee’s Bend. A strategy for arranging elements on site emerged that was similar in execution and arrangement to the layering of these quilts. After a series of discussions about the desires of the Guardians Institute and the property designated for the project, a hybrid scheme emerged that placed the performance pavilion, gathering space, and parking in two lots while the third lot will be left for the development of the future museum. Initially the performance structure was placed towards the rear property line in order to provide a more generous gathering space for event audiences, and to produce a large courtyard space to share with the future museum structure. Although the City of New Orleans City Planning Commission imposed some changes on that proposed scheme, the overall organizational device remains.
African American Quilts Process: Hybrid Scheme | Ruff, Bojarski-Stauffer, Levy
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N. JOHNSON ST
INDEPENDENCE ST
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Aerial | Southeast
Aerial | Southwest
INDE
N. JOHNSON ST.
N. JOHNSON ST.
N. JOHNSON ST.
INDEPENDENCE ST.
INDEPENDENCE ST.
Hybrid Scheme 01
INDEP
N. JOHNSON ST.
N. JOHNSON ST.
N. JOHNSON ST.
INDEPENDENCE ST.
INDEPENDENCE ST.
Hybrid Scheme 02
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INDE
N. JOHNSON ST.
Hybrid Scheme 03
N. JOHNSON ST.
N. JOHNSON ST.
INDEPENDENCE ST.
INDEPENDENCE ST.
Perspective Elevation
=Guardians Institute
uardians Institute
ardians Institute
=BASE
=BASE
=BASE
=Courtyard/ grass area
=Courtyard/ grass area
=Courtyard/ grass area
=Outdoor Pavilion
=Outdoor Pavilion
=Outdoor Pavilion
=Drive/ Parkin
=Drive/ P
=Drive/ P
Process: Hybrid Scheme | Ruff, Bojarski-Stauffer, Levy
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SCHEMATIC DESIGN Site Plan
B
A
A
Future Development
B
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Floor Plan
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A
A
B 0
2
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Front Elevation
Section AA
Side Elevation
Section BB
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0 4
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View from Independence Street
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PROJECT TIMELINE
Permit Set Underway
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FALL 2010
SPRING 2011
Project Start / RFP Process Initial Scheme Hybrid Scheme (pages 8-13)
Schematic Design (pages 14-17) Proposal to City Council
City Council Approval
<
SUMMER 2010
<
< SUMMER 2011
JULY 2011
FALL 2011
DECEMBER 2011
Revised Scheme
Submit Permit Set
Break Ground
Opening Celebration
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Project Partners
THE GUARDIANS INSTITUTE ALEMBIC DEVELOPMENT COMPANY Project Lead:
SCOTT RUFF, Tulane School of Architecture Project Team:
ALEXANDRA BOJARSKI-STAUFFER NELS ERICKSON JASON LEVY XIAOYUN LI JERELLE CARRIERE ELLEN HAILEY JUSTIN PARK Sponsored By a Generous Grant From
JOHNSON CONTROLS, INC.
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