The building program proposes to bring a culinary institute with restaurant to serve as a reactant, a catalyst for growth in the Desire Area of New Orleans.

The  ordering of the site is defined by it’s gabion walls, which takes the rubble from the site, the remains of the old neighborhood post Katrina, and building it into the skin that protects the building. This allows the old to echo into the new, the old neighborhood ghosting into the future.

The building’s primary structure, composed of glulam elements, holds the floor high enough to resist flooding, while also providing natural ventilation and space for mechanical systems and covered parking.