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Jacob Lyons Wins Third Place in the 2020 Steel Design Student Competition

Jacob Lyons, BArch 2020, won third place in the 2020 Steel Design Student Competition, awarded by the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), for his design titled Pesce Plaza.

The competition recognizes eighteen exceptional projects, in two categories, that explore a variety of design issues related to the use of steel in design and construction. The 2020 ACSA/AISC Steel Design Student Competition challenged architecture students to design an “urban food hub.” Students explored ways to incorporate food production and distribution into an urban setting.

Located along the Plank Road Corridor in Baton Rouge, Pesce Plaza is “an educational urban food plaza, community garden center, public park, farmers market, and micro-culinary school that emphasizes healthy cooking and propagation with local fish and vegetation,” according to the project overview.

“I am so excited that my 5th year final architecture studio project was announced as selected by the elite organization ACSA,” Lyons shared. “My entire college career was dedicated to finding my own vision and design individuality, which led me to explore many different design fields, including: urban design, architecture, landscape architecture, graphic design, and marketing. Pesce Plaza was the first project I was able to fully have design freedom, allowing me to integrate all aspects of my diverse design background into one project.”

Pesce Plaza is a compelling design with an art to the presentation that is understated,” the competition jurors commented. “There’s a buildable practicality of the proposal which makes the elements on the plans believable. The drawings are beautiful, simple and clear. The student’s successful solution tackles the design problem head-on with a clear step by step process. The project shows a clear understanding of steel structure with beautiful execution.”

Faculty advisors were assistant professors of architecture Kris Palagi and Soo Jeong Jo, and instructor Tara Street.

Pesce Plaza Project Design