Having received devastating flooding to its campus in the Lower Ninth Ward, the Holy Cross School relocated to the Gentilly neighborhood after Hurricane Katrina. Determined to see their original campus revitalized for the benefit of the community’s continued growth and in a manner that reflects and celebrates the spirit, culture and amazing history of the site, the client sought the expertise of Williams Architects.

Williams teamed up with BNIM Architects to develop a dynamic master plan for the redevelopment of the campus, incorporating the retention of the original 1985 Administration building into office space and community use.

Innovative uses for the lakeside portions of the campus included green space, low density residential development, and low scale institutional uses. Additional higher residential structures are proposed to capitalize on the incredible river views, along with a community green platform above parking.

Triple bottom line thinking influenced every step of the plan’s creation. The plan was conceptualized collaboratively with the Holy Cross neighborhood, as this was critical to the mission of the School to ensure a legacy of community wide support and benefit.