The LEED Platinum Lagniappe House, designed for Brad Pitt’s Make It Right Project, is highly praised among neighborhood homeowners for its responsiveness to its geographic and cultural context. The open floor plan weaves together indoor and outdoor spaces, giving homeowners public areas for socializing with neighbors and private areas in which to live. Front and side porches also reinforce connections between the residents, their neighbors, and the street. The Lagniappe House was the most popular design chosen by the Make It Right Foundation’s Lower 9th Ward residents. There are currently four versions of the Lagniappe House, each accommodating the varying needs of different homeowners.
The residence also includes cutting edge sustainable design strategies such as use of environmentally friendly building materials, high efficiency plumbing fixtures and passive ventilation techniques. Natural daylight is maximized by on southern and northern walls. The roof is sloped to the south to maximize the efficiency of the solar panels. Deep overhangs help minimize solar gain on south facing glazing. A significant amount of construction waste was diverted because the residence was designed on 8’-0” modules and advanced framing techniques were used. 62% of rainwater is used for landscape irrigation.
