In an effort to help rebuild the Lower Ninth Ward, an area of New Orleans ravaged by Hurricane Katrina, actor Brad Pitt commissioned 14 architects to design sustainable homes for his “Make It Right” project. This initiative to build 150 sustainable and affordable homes for Lower Ninth Ward residents involved architecture firms Adjaye Associates, Billes Architects, BNIM, Concordia, Constructs, Eskew Dumez Ripple, Graft, John Williams Architects, KieranTimberlake, Morphosis, MRVDV, Pugh + Scarpa, Shigeru Ban, and Trahan Architects.

The resulting models incorporate green features, such as passive solar design strategies, natural daylighting and ventilation, and use of recyclable materials. Many draw upon Southern architecture traditions, like the shotgun house, camelback house, and Creole cottage, but with a green twist.