Team Moffatt & Nichol Working with West 8 is One of Three Teams Selected as Finalists for Mississippi River Delta Design Competition
On the 22nd of September The Changing Course Leadership Team announced that three teams; Baird & Associates, Moffatt & Nichol and Studio Misi-Ziibi have been selected to participate in the Changing Course Lower Mississippi River Delta design competition.
These teams will develop innovative designs for a self-sustaining Lower Mississippi River Delta that reduce land loss in the region while improving navigation conditions and strengthening resilience for local communities and industries.
The three finalist teams, chosen after a global search, will compete in the first phase of a design competition that will involve developing solutions to restore the delta’s degraded ecosystem – while meeting the needs of navigation, coastal industries and the region’s unique communities and culture. One or more teams will be selected to advance to a second phase in spring 2015 in which plans will be further refined. The final designs are intended to assist Louisiana coastal planners and engineers with developing the state’s 2017 Coastal Master Plan.
West 8, recognized for its multi-disciplinary work and large-scale master planning and design and landscape interventions, is the prime designer for the Moffatt & Nichol team. Moffatt Nichol, one of the premier coastal engineering firms in the world, leads the team.
The full team includes, Deltares a leading research institute for water and coastal issues; Louisiana State University Coastal Sustainability Studio a leading voice bridging the efforts of scientists, engineers, architects and landscape architects working to envision a better future for coastal Louisiana; Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies; Moffatt & Nichol (LEAD);RAND Corporation; University of New Orleans Pontchartrain Institute of Environmental Sciences; West 8.
Each of the three teams will develop a preferred design for the Lower Mississippi River system, including using the natural power of the Mississippi River to protect and restore the delta landscape while addressing the needs of navigation, flood risk management, fisheries and coastal communities.
“In a very strong competition, these winning teams stood out because their experts bridge strong regional knowledge with innovative ideas from deltas around the world,” said Carlton Dufrechou, Leadership Team Member and general manager, Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. “We are confident these teams have the vision and experience to develop bold solutions for the delta and our people, economy and culture.”
Coastal Louisiana was shaped and built by the Mississippi River. Over the last century, nearly 1,900 square miles of wetlands – an area approximately the size of Delaware – have disappeared due to river management that starves the delta of critical land-building sediment. Changing Course seeks to develop an improved river management plan that can halt land loss and restore the delta ecosystem, while improving navigation and increasing industry and community resilience.
About Changing Course:
Changing Course is a design competition aimed at developing innovative solutions to rebuild and protect the Louisiana coast. It is supported by The Rockefeller Foundation, blue moon fund, Greater New Orleans Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, The Selley Foundation and The Walton Family Foundation; with leadership support from Van Alen Institute, a nonprofit organization that mobilizes the power of design to transform cities, landscapes and regions to improve people’s lives, and Environmental Defense Fund, which has 30 years of experience in the Mississippi River Delta region; and with technical support from BuroHappold Engineering, a worldwide consulting and engineering firm.
More information on Changing Course is available at www.changingcourse.us.
Follow Changing Course on Twitter at @ChngingCourse and on Facebook at facebook.com/ChangingCourse.us.
