Mold, leaks, rot: how Brad Pitt’s post-Katrina
housing project went horribly wrong
Guardian [U.K.],
by
Wilfred Chan
Original Article
Posted By: Ribicon,
2/3/2022 10:11:55 PM
For Hurricane Katrina survivors in the Lower Ninth Ward, it had seemed like a prayer answered: in 2006, Brad Pitt announced an initiative to rebuild New Orleans’ storm-ravaged Lower Ninth Ward with sustainable, flood-proof, affordable homes, designed by a list of A-list architects. The 109 homes on offer would give many survivors a chance to become first-time homeowners, and bring back a community devastated by the hurricane.(Snip)The houses now list a frightening array of defects: water intrusion, black mold, porches rotted through, stair rails collapsing, fires caused by electrical problems, plumbing problems and poor ventilation, according to a class-action lawsuit filed against Pitt
Reply 1 - Posted by:
Stencil 2/3/2022 10:24:01 PM (No. 1060739)
That's a big 10-4 to the OP. Essence of good architecture is its suitability to the regional climate.
21 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
padiva 2/3/2022 10:29:33 PM (No. 1060742)
Modular homes would have been cheaper.
13 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
MindMadeUp 2/3/2022 10:31:05 PM (No. 1060743)
Sounds like Pitt tried to do a good thing using bad people. If the "A-list" architects drew up the plans, and the builders followed the plans using specified materials, it all falls back on the "A-list" architects. Also, were there no building inspectors to certify the houses met whatever building code New Orleans has? If the buildings all met code, it sounds like the code needs updating. Pitt is a big target, but it's not at all clear that he is to blame.
34 people like this.
No good deed goes unpunished. I knew of some Amish workers who went down to help rebuild and came back saying they would never go again. The reason? The people there expected others to do the work for them and not have to contribute any sweat equity themselves. The thing about doing for yourself is that it makes what you have much more valuable. Appreciation is not in the vocabulary of the trained victim. They wallow in the pity and have no intention of helping themselves.
43 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
stablemoney 2/3/2022 10:39:36 PM (No. 1060749)
The ingrates got 20 years of free shelter.
27 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
DVC 2/4/2022 2:09:28 AM (No. 1060846)
Regular homes are the result of many, many decades of "trial and error", and as such are highly optimized for a good mix of affordability, durability, livability and maintainability.
Once you start this stupid "green stuff" you are back out there - on the bleeding edge of technology. And what bleeds is your wallet. Most "green ideas" sound good, and do NOT work, often have hideous downsides that are not discovered until years or decades later.
Aluminum wiring (cheaper and just as good), spray on foam (quick cheap, retrofittable without tearing out walls) and many other "great green ideas" have not worked out. Aluminum wires developed corrosion and burned down homes, is now illegal. Spray foam - some gave off toxic fumes, all do NOT let the house breathe properly, causing moisture buildup - rot, mold and termites.
"Green" actually translates to "very expensive and works badly".
15 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
virbots 2/4/2022 2:11:44 AM (No. 1060848)
So he's a slum lord.
4 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
singermom9 2/4/2022 2:57:02 AM (No. 1060865)
Residents should sue Pitt for a new house stating that he promised them a house and did such a bad job he needs to buy them another house.
4 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
petrichor 2/4/2022 8:45:09 AM (No. 1061051)
Sad to blame Pitt. He got what he thought were the best people. Sometimes the best people are not the people best for the job.
9 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
udanja99 2/4/2022 9:00:07 AM (No. 1061075)
OP nailed it. It’s not Pitt’s fault. It’s the fault of the homeowners who never bother to do routine maintenance. If you live in a humid climate, you need to have termite protection, protection from mold getting into your house and you need to powerwash the outside of the house or it will get covered in green slime, among other things.
11 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
F15 Gork 2/4/2022 9:23:35 AM (No. 1061101)
If you want something done right, never ever put a feel good liberal on it. They’ll F it up every time.
2 people like this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
JimJr 2/4/2022 9:27:33 AM (No. 1061110)
Many of the houses, it not all, were already developing these issues before they were occupied. Many were poorly designed for the climate of the gulf coast and all were poorly built. Pitt and his cronies got to virtue signal for weeks then split. Don't want to stay around those folks, huh Brad.
3 people like this.
Reply 13 - Posted by:
moebellini3 2/4/2022 9:27:51 AM (No. 1061112)
Agan, a liberal is someone who acts through emotion and not logic. This is nothing new, just look at democrats and their policies. Their results are all the same, one failure after another......
3 people like this.
Brad is learning to be like the government. Some people want free forever and there are those who take advantage of the situation.
1 person likes this.
Reply 15 - Posted by:
lakerman1 2/4/2022 10:04:02 AM (No. 1061169)
After Katrina hit, Speaker of the House and homosexual predator Dennis Hastert said something intelligent.
He said 'don't rebuild in that flooded area.' And he was shouted down.
1 person likes this.
Reply 16 - Posted by:
jinx 2/4/2022 10:56:54 AM (No. 1061262)
Kinda reminds me of Sean Penn and his little boat. These people have no clue and think that throwing money their way will fix things. NOT! I am not impressed with Pitt.
1 person likes this.
Reply 17 - Posted by:
DVC 2/4/2022 11:17:46 AM (No. 1061316)
I remember when I repainted my parent's home in Florida, I selected one of the "mildew proof" paints. It's Florida, it's very humid, the house was right next to a lake. Mildew on the exterior was standard. Get the proper paint....Oh, wait - has EPA made that illegal? No idea, not living there now. But EPA seems to make every other 'good thing' illegal, so probably that, too.
1 person likes this.
Reply 18 - Posted by:
skacmar 2/4/2022 11:36:49 AM (No. 1061335)
Ownership comes with responsibility to maintain the home. Did these people maintain their homes or just leave them to the elements? Judging by some of the neighborhoods, run down homes seems to be a cultural thing in that area of the world. Pitt is a big target for people used to getting things for free.
0 people like this.
Reply 19 - Posted by:
cheeflo 2/4/2022 10:19:12 PM (No. 1061874)
FTA: Keller believes Brad Pitt had good intentions. But she said the debacle had shown how celebrities like him can evade accountability, and what can go wrong when a state entrusts private individuals, or non-profit groups, to solve its housing problems.
Oh, yes. The government's solutions are always so efficient and cost-effective.
With its big-ticket architects and "green" materials/energy features, anyone could see from the start that this was a vanity project, although I'm sure he and everyone involved meant well. You can also be sure that the local government was hardly on the outside looking in ... it certainly inserted itself into the project.
Doin' good ain't got no end.
0 people like this.
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Follow the friendly voices and "go green," but it turns out that green and sustainable are very expensive shams. Arrange houses for people who flat-out don't care about basic maintenance because they've lived in handout housing all their lives and guess what, structures in harsh climates will fail quickly, especially when made using green and sustainable wood chips and glue. Hire celebrity architects and they'll design something flashy, never mind that they don't have the first idea about how to build in places where it's very hot and humid all the time, and very rainy besides. No good deed goes unpunished, so now Pitt is being sued.