Trapolin-Peer featured in PRC Article, "Contemporary design in historic contexts"

Date
April 01, 2022

Author
John P. Klingman, Preservation Resource Center

Category
Studio News, Project Update

This article was originally featured in the April 2022 issue of Preservation in Print.  Article and excerpt written by John P. Klingman. 

The most appropriate architecture reflects its time, its place and the cultural values of its builders. With respect to place, it is the elements of New Orleans architecture that are more fundamental than stylistic features. Beginning with the interaction between the building and the street, elements like porches, balconies or galleries promote neighborly connections. Also important is the provision of shading in our semitropical climate, with vegetation and building components such as deep overhangs, shutters and louvers. Establishing the scale of the building to be commensurate with the surroundings is fundamental. Finally, there is the indoor/outdoor connection developed between the building and its garden or courtyard, perhaps hinted at from the street. It is the careful attention to these elements that connects a contemporary design approach to New Orleans’ celebrated architectural history.