Waggonner & Ball

04/22/2022

On we are honored that the Louisiana Children's Museum was recognized by The American Institute of Architects COTE Top Ten Plus Award! We are grateful to have worked with Mithun on a learning environment that complements the existing landscape and waterways of New Orleans City Park.

This Top Ten Plus recipient re-envisions its mission to holistically address the health and development of children in a state that often ranks 48th in educational outcomes.

01/11/2022

Yesterday spoke with Travis Loop on podcast to discuss how USS North Carolina’s Battleship museum, , is adapting WB’s approach.

🔗 Visit the link in our bio to listen to the entire podcast.

11/24/2021

We want to wish our friends and partners a Happy Thanksgiving from the W&B team. As we take this time to slow down and reflect, we find ourselves thankful for many things. One of those being our updated website that is scheduled to premiere in the new year. Until then, enjoy this sneak peek at our new headshots.

11/02/2021

We are encouraged that the City Plan has been approved by City Council and proud of the City team for creating a plan that rises to Charleston's flooding and housing challenges. In partnership with and and building on our Dutch Dialogues Charleston effort, WB conducted a Land and Water Analysis to provide data and technical input for the City Plan related to multiple flooding challenges. If implemented, the Plan's recommendation for elevation-based zoning would position Charleston as a national leader for flood mitigation and adaptation land use policy. 
 
Here's a snapshot of our analysis that informed the City's planning approach. Click the link in our bio to read more on what's next for Charleston. 
 

10/26/2021

As we near the end of hurricane season, W&B would like to look back on the from the devastation our region experienced and is still experiencing. Thinking back to the words of David Waggonner in the September issue of Architectural Record, "We have to let gravity and nature work". 

The devastation of hurricane Ida has encouraged necessary conversation about the progressive reimagining of the city's conventional infrastructure and the implementation of microgrids as an alternate power source in disaster events similar to the mobile microgrid initiatives aided by our amazing friends . Waggonner says, "The reliance on concrete has to be broken. We have to let water be where it needs to be". This is something that we are working towards in New Orleans with projects like Mirabeau Water Gardens, a part of the larger . This project will divert stormwater from the city’s drainage system, store and clean up to 10 million gallons of diverted stormwater, allow stormwater to infiltrate into the ground, capture runoff from neighboring streets, and provide an educational and recreational amenity that demonstrates how natural processes can be harnessed to enable more sustainable forms of water management. As a demonstration project, Mirabeau Water Garden will be a model for other open spaces and institutional sites throughout the city and region.

Tap the link in the bio to read more in ‘s October Editor's Letter titled "Living Life along the Edge".

10/12/2021

Conceived as a “city” for 400 pre-school children, this 216,624 square foot facility, including below grade parking and services, is located in Beijing’s Central Business District on the Third Ring Road, one subway stop south of Guomao, east of the Forbidden City. In this hyperactive urban context, a green building approach softens the environment for the toddlers, nursery, pre-kindergarten, and kindergarten students, while conserving energy and capturing storm water for reuse, positing sustainability in generational as well as environmental terms.
Our goal was to create a memorable place that would stimulate students’ imagination, curiosity and awareness. Surrounded by a green roof that spirals up and around from southwest to northeast corners of the U-shaped court, the playground is sheltered from winter winds by a four-story classroom wing, and warmed as the sun enters the space from the south over the shoulder of the ascending mass of the gymnasium.
This series of sketches by illustrates the user circulation and egress patterns of various spaces throughout the center.

10/09/2021

This evening at 6pm a candlelight vigil is planned to celebrate the lives of our team members at New Shiloh Baptist Church, 3825 Annunciation Street. Donations for the families are being accepted at: https://groundwork-neworleans.org/donate -- click "Donate"

Please join us as we honor these young men and the incredible efforts they made to improve their community and lives.

Today at 6:00 PM, a candlelight vigil is planned to celebrate the lives of our team members at New Shiloh Baptist Church (3825 Annunciation Street - at the intersection of Gen. Taylor)

Donations for the families are being accepted at https://groundwork-neworleans.org/donate -- click "Donate"
(We DO NOT have a gofundme set up at this time)
please share
thank you.

10/08/2021

Gretna City Park A window in time to Louisiana's natural history, Gretna City Park is awarded the 2021 Louisiana ASLA award.
Gretna City Park's huge cypress stumps and still-standing native trees reveal the pre-development landscape, and seasonal change is marked by blackberry and wildflower blooms. Flocks of native and migratory birds make the Park their home. The Park’s appearance and function is defined by water, and upgrades are designed to celebrate this important asset. The landscape design approach starts with stormwater and layers on improvements to access, passive recreational opportunities, and habitat and water quality. Space is created in the Park for stormwater storage now, with capacity that serves as an enabling project for future flood mitigation.
Gretna City Park is the first of six pilot projects to break ground for the LASAFE Program, funded through the National Disaster Resilience Competition. The regional resilience strategy was also developed by W&B. Here's a peek at the project from concept sketch to construction progress. Congratulations to our partners .la and thank you to !

10/05/2021

unveils the 5th iteration of its art triennial, titled "Yesterday We Said Tomorrow". Opening October 23rd, this event will feature exhibitions from artists around the world that will be housed in spaces across the city including the HNOC!
The Historic New Orleans Collection is a renowned institution dedicated to preserving the history and culture of New Orleans and the Gulf South. The assets include multiple historical buildings on two campuses in the Vieux Carré that serve museum, research, and publishing functions. Proceeding from comprehensive strategic planning, Waggonner & Ball's design expands existing facilities with restoration of the Seignouret-Brulatour House, reviving original features, including historical materials and colors, and carefully inserting a contemporary exhibition wing.
For Prospect 5, the HNOC will highlight works by , , and George Dureau. This triennial hopes to take a deeper look at how history is informing our present specifically in New Orleans where we are extremely invested in our city's long, rich history.

Check out the link in our bio to learn more information about locations and opening dates.

09/30/2021

Waggonner & Ball is excited to see the Ohio Creek Watershed Project under construction and in the press ! The project creates outdoor public amenities and helps mitigate the effects of chronic flooding in the neighborhood.

"Norfolk is one of the fastest-growing midsize cities in the country. But its location near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, where the James and Elizabeth Rivers meet, has made it one of the most at-risk: the area is bearing more of the brunt of rising sea levels than any other region on the eastern seaboard. To combat this, civic leaders are turning to natural solutions to address flooding.

At the center of these plans is the routinely overflowing Elizabeth River, which threatens low-lying areas, such as the historically black Chesterfield Heights and Grandy Village neighborhoods. The solution: green spaces capable of absorbing water. The Ohio Creek Watershed Project will include a restored tidal creek, as well as wetlands, trails, and a sports field, when it's completed in 2023. It will be connected to downtown by the 10.5-mile Elizabeth River Trail, a multi-use urban path."

-Leah Small for , September 2021 Edition

09/28/2021

We are proud to announce that Waggonner & Ball is among the recipients for the AIA LA '21 Merit Awards for our work on Resilient Hampton!

Waggonner & Ball is the prime consultant for , which builds upon earlier work from the Dutch Dialogues Virginia: Life at Sea Level workshop. The City committed to a holistic, multi-phase effort that includes citywide planning, addressing resilience with a local military base, and the design of specific projects that will create multiple benefits. This broad, comprehensive, and long term strategy values existing assets while planning for future adaptation.
The first step in creating a strategy for a resilient city by identifying both threats and community values. Analyzing the main forces of water in Hampton - storm surge, tidal action, stormwater, and groundwater - help understand the current condition and plan for the future. A framework of principles, goals, and values developed from place-driven analysis, including public workshops and community meetings. Understanding places that share common water conditions will guide future projects, and an evaluation tool will assist with prioritizing implementation of resilience efforts.
A partnership with developed a unique addendum to a previous Joint Land Use Study in order to prioritize design strategies for resilience and adaptation, so that the can continue to support the base.