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Reimagining Downtown Lafayette
Lafayette, LA
Concept
The design aims to create an accessible and lively downtown by creating an arts hub to serve as the anchor.
Through an integration of local environmental and cultural conditions, the design will bring a deeper purpose to downtown Lafayette.
Climate Parametrics
Lafayette is located in an extremely humid climate, making passive building systems difficult because of mold. Mimicking the form of “prairie mounds” – low, dome-like mounds composed of loose loamy sand and native grasses — micro-climates were created throughout the site.
Functional Design
Emphasizing the new Arts Hub's gateway are structural cables for the Convention Center roofs. The cables serve a three-fold purpose of reducing truss depths, creating a solar chimney and producing an iconic shade canopy.