A project designed and constructed by LSU School of Architecture students and faculty was awarded an Honorable Mention at the American Institute of Architects’ Rose Awards ceremony in July.

The YMCA Baranco-Clark Pavilion, a collaboration between the LSU School of Architecture and the Center for Planning Excellence, was designed and constructed by AIA member and LSU Associate Professor of Architecture Jim Sullivan and four architecture students: Steven Armstrong, Marc Berard, Megan Harris, and Stacy Palczynski. The pavilion offers shade and a place for gatherings adjacent to a raised playground in a large rear yard that previously offered no respite from the sun. A team from Baton Rouge Community College installed a solar panel on the pavilion that will provide enough energy to run lights and fans around it.

“This project was a great partnership between the School and the community, including the Center for Planning Excellence and the YMCA,” says Director of the School of Architecture Jori Erdman. “It allowed our students and faculty use their design skills in a real world setting that also benefits the community. The project is a simple but elegant reminder that good design and thoughtful construction can have great impact.”

The Rose Awards are given annually by the AIA Baton Rouge to recognize the design achievements of architects and architecture firms in the Baton Rouge area. A jury of outside professionals reviews submitted projects and selects the winners in a variety of categories including commercial projects, residential projects and unrealized projects.

“The Solar Pavilion provides a space the Old South Baton Rouge community can use for decades to come,” said Boo Thomas, CPEX

President and CEO. “From housing the great educational programs of the Baranco Clark YMCA, to serving as a model in the community for sustainable development, the pavilion is sure to have a long-lasting impact.”

For more information, visit the project website at www.ymcadesignbuild.blogspot.com