A stone’s throw from levees breached by Hurricane Katrina, a striking modern structure by architects Matthew Berman and Andrew Kotchen is rising. And a certain movie star is beaming like a proud papa. “I want to be here when this is finished—and visit a month after a family moves in,” says Brad Pitt, who with the environmental group Global Green USA and the Home Depot Foundation sponsored construction of the two-story, 1,400-sq.-ft. house for low-income victims of the disaster. Now they’re hoping to build more, using private donations, and to eventually house 23 families in similar buildings. On Aug. 21 Pitt gave PEOPLE a tour of the home, pointing out eco-friendly fea­tures like solar panels and treated wood that protects against mold. Those tweaks will “reduce utility bills by 75 percent,” says Global Green president/ CEO Matt Petersen. Their plans may also help revive a great city. “I think we'll really improve quality of life,” says Pitt. “That's what I call a victory.”
 
For more information on the project, go to Brad Pitt's Make It Right Foundation website at makeitrightnola.org.
 

(Right)Two years after Hurricane Katrina, Brad Pitt shows off his labor of love: an environmentally friendly - and affordable - new home in the city’s Lower Ninth ward. Pitt joined forces with Global Green’s Matt Petersen.