St. Joseph Rebuild Center continues to win awards

The St. Joseph Rebuild Center continues to win awards for the work of the Detroit Collaborative Design Center and the New Orleans based firm, Wayne Troyer Architects.

The Rebuild Center, a safe refuge that serves as a day center for homeless individuals in New Orleans, evolved out of the post-Hurricane Katrina relief efforts that began soon after the storm's destruction in 2005. Four years later, the project, already the recipient of numerous awards, is still receiving accolades.

Most recently, the project was recognized by NCARB, the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, with one of four $7,500 cash prizes in its 2009 NCARB Prize for Creative Integration of Practice and Education in the Academy. The 2009 grand prize, which the UDM School of Architecture won in 2002, went to Iowa State University.

According to NCARB, the selection jury was "impressed with the way in which students collaborated with architects on all aspects of the project, from the initial client meeting to ribbon cutting." The award was announced during the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture Annual Meeting Awards ceremony in March.

The Rebuild Center was also one of four $10,000 first prizes of the 2009 Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence.