Masood Koochaki’s Mardi Gras-inspired studio project, “The Spine: A Celebration of Mardi Gras and Collective Presence,” received an International Design Awards (IDA) 2025 Silver Award in Commercial Architecture – Cultural/Educational Architecture, with Louisiana State University recognized as the winning university.

Masood is a dual degree Master of Architecture (MArch) and Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) student studying at the LSU College of Art & Design. The interdisciplinary approach integrates design principles for a wholistic understanding of built environments.

“My research focuses on inclusive design and shaping climate responsive public spaces,” Masood said. “In my design work, I’m especially interested in how architecture can translate local culture into durable civic spaces while meeting real needs of comfort, accessibility, and resilience.”

The Spine is a community center in New Orleans’ Seventh Ward that transforms Mardi Gras’ ephemeral festival into a permanent architectural framework. Its central procession spine threads through workshops, theaters, galleries, and gathering spaces, making circulation performative. “Float-inspired form, textile-patterned façades, and a wave-like timber canopy evoke movement, craft, and cultural memory.”

“The project reinterprets Carnival’s dynamic processions into enduring spatial typologies, offering a civic vessel where festivity, craft, and cultural memory coexist year-round,” he wrote in his design statement.

The project was developed at the LSU School of Architecture (ARCH 7006) with guidance from assistant professor of architecture Annicia Streete.

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

Learn more about the Master of Architecture program.

The Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture has an established international reputation as one of America’s leading and consistently top-ranked programs.

Learn more about the Master of Landscape Architecture program.