Hagars House Project Ish

The Tulane City Center worked with Hagars House and the First Grace Community Alliance to design and build an Outdoor Enrichment Room for the children living at Hagars House. The space, known as Project Ish, will be a playroom and educational space for children transitioning from homelessness to a stable living situation. The project involved converting the existing back deck of the shelter into an enclosed, safe, multifunctional space which is an extension of the house and is situated between the home and the community garden.

Fifteen students worked collaboratively on the design of the project with continual input from the residents and staff of Hagar’s House. The compact (400s.f.) and expressive scheme includes a linear storage wall, a loft playspace, and a butterfly roof which collects rainwater to be used in the adjacent community garden. The project was designed and built in the fall of 2010 over the course of a 13-week studio.

Project Ish is one of several project that the Tulane City Center initiated in 2010 with the help of Johnson Controls, Inc. First Grace Community Alliance was one of many non-profit organizations in the New Orleans area who responded to our annual Request for Proposals.

Special thanks to Dash Lumber and Standard Iron for their support