Before the storm, the city tried to engineer water out of sight. But, David Waggonner says, āyou canāt live with water if you canāt see water.āFor years, David Waggonner designed courthouses and other public buildings at his architectural practice, Waggonner & Ball, in New Orleans. Then Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005, and Waggonner became convinced that New Orleans was getting something fundamentally wrong about its approach to flooding and water.Ā