Frank Gehry is not exactly known for restrained, practical structures. His most famous architecture projects are literally flashy – museums with highly reflective, undulating metal walls, for example. But Gehry’s recent collaboration with Brad Pitt’s Make it Right Foundation to house victims of 2005’s Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans prove that the architect is willing to take on more humble projects, too.
Gehry has completed his first building for the foundation, a duplex in pastel pink and purple designed to be both sustainable and affordable. It contains a three-bedroom residence on one side and a single-bedroom home on the other, along with a canopy of solar panels that provides both power and shade for the rooftop terraces.
In addition to solar power, the home features fiber cement boards that can stand up to strong winds. Like all of Make it Right’s homes, this duplex was built to LEED Platinum certification standards.
“I really believe in what Brad is doing for the community and was honored to be included,” Gehry says. “I wanted to make a house that I would like to live in and one that responded to the history, vernacular and climate of New Orleans. I love the colors that the homeowner chose. I could not have done it better.”

