School of Architecture Strategic Plan
The School of Architecture is a leader in building exemplary professional expertise and rigorous scholarship on the built environment through diverse perspectives, knowledge integration and applied research emerging from the Mississippi delta and engaging global environments.
The School of Architecture adopts the following four interrelated objectives:
Reinforce a culture of diversity and innovation
Geographically, the Mississippi delta in which LSU is located hosts diverse cultures and peoples that settled and developed the land and produced cultural innovations. This diversity was generated through the intersection of coast and river with links to the Caribbean, Latin America and far-reaching cities in the northern states and Canada. The School of Architecture aims to cultivate the richness of this interaction through academic programs and initiatives that uncover the contribution of these diverse cultures in developing the hybrid environment that characterizes the state of Louisiana. The school is committed to recruit faculty and students with diverse perspectives and backgrounds to generate architectural innovation that is supported and enhanced through a continuing dialogue on racial, cultural, gender, and economic difference.
Discover and learn holistically
The built environment is a locus of multiple challenges that face our society today such as environmental degradation, energy depletion, post-disaster recovery and social inequities. Situated within the flagship research university of the State of Louisiana, the School of Architecture will continue to build partnerships with various departments and centers around campus, and the wider community, in order to develop holistic approaches to address these complex contemporary challenges. The school is dedicated to the advancement of architectural expertise while seeking teaching and research collaborations with humanists, scientists, social scientists and artists to produce integrated knowledge on the built environment through multi-, inter- and transdisciplinary methods of inquiry and action.
Advance applied research
The iterative process of architectural design has the capacity to promote action by
integrating quantitative and qualitative data/parameters through visual, textual and
digital forms of analysis and representation. By developing initiatives of embedded
design, service learning and community engagement, architects are able to employ their design skills to convert theoretical research produced by diverse actors and methods to implement strategies for spatial transformation. The School of Architecture will extend the mission of Louisiana State University as a land-grant and sea-grant institution by investing in curricula and research that exploit the uniqueness of the design process to trigger positive change for the communities of Louisiana and beyond.
Enrich the world
The School of Architecture will participate in shaping the future by producing models of architecture practice and research that are locally rooted and globally engaged. Emerging from the geographic, cultural, ecological and technological context of Louisiana, these models will be showcased through scholarship, academic partnerships and design competitions at national and international venues. The school will continue to consolidate and expand understanding of the world through study abroad programs, international visitors, institutional partnerships, global studios and seminars. Positioned within one of the most dynamic regions that shaped the contemporary world, the school is dedicated to advance the role of the architecture profession in building a more equitable and hopeful global future for all.