USGBC LEED Multi-family Mid-Rise competition, 2011. The Draydes Center for a Sustainable Community brings neighborhood revitalization to the Oretha C. Haley Boulevard in New Orleans. With the sustainable renovation of an existing school building, and the construction of a new mid-rise residential complex, this community consists of a unique assembly of housing, commerce and education. The distribution of program elements, and the design of the landscape and building forms, demonstrate an integrated approach to community connection and environmental optimization. Intrinsic to the design are the fundamental sustainability strategies of on-site water retention, passive cooling and heating, energy demand reduction, and free energy harvesting.