UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA AT LAFAYETTE . SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

Building Institute

The Building Institute is UL Lafayette’s integrated project delivery, design-build program. The program brings architecture students, architects, engineers and contractors together in the design and construction of single-family, market-rate homes. The homes are built on infill property in the urban core neighborhoods of Lafayette, Louisiana and then publically sold at a market-rate. Students work hand-in-hand with local contractors to build the homes which achieve sustainability standards such as the National Homebuilder’s Green Building Standard or LEED. The Building Institute is structured through a graduate design studio in the fall, a construction documents course in the spring and the construction course in the summer. Students receive academic credit for each course and in addition, several team leaders receive paid summer internships allowing them to accrue IDP credit. The Building Institute is not a simulation- it is hyper-reality. As architect-developers, the students become agents of change.

Building Institute added 6 new photos.16/10/2017 @ 18:55

MODESTEhouse Dedication on Wednesday night at 5:30 at Fletcher Hall. Hope to see you!

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Building Institute12/10/2017 @ 22:38

MODESTEhouse Featured in New Orleans' Magazine

http://bayoubrief.com/2017/09/15/tiny-houses-could-become-a-big-presence-in-new-orleans/

Tiny Houses Could Become a Big Presence in New Orleans

When it comes to houses, is bigger always better? According to proponents of the tiny house movement In Louisiana, the answer might just be no.

bayoubrief.com

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Building Institute07/10/2017 @ 18:43

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Building Institute03/10/2017 @ 14:40

UL Architecture Students’ MODESTEhouse for Habitat for Humanity
Dedication October 18, 2017 at Fletcher Hall, 421 E. Lewis St. @ 5:30-7:30PM

[Lafayette, LA, 9/20/17] – The MODESTEhouse, a 216 square foot tiny home designed and built by UL Architecture students will be dedicated and the keys turned over to the new Lafayette Habitat for Humanity homeowner on Wednesday, October 18, 2017.

Through a partnership between Lafayette Habitat for Humanity, Upbring Disaster Response, the UL Foundation, the UL School of Architecture and Design, Acadian Home Builders Association, Love Acadiana , and the Community Foundation of Acadiana, this $25,000 home was funded and will be sold through Lafayette Habitat for Humanity to an individual from New Iberia, Louisiana who lost his home in the August 2016 floods.

The MODESTEhouse features an innovative structural system similar to boat construction to make it extremely light and strong. The north wall is completely glazed with NASA-designed insulative polycarbonate and has continuous storage shelving on the interior. In addition the home has a covered porch, corrugated metal and cypress siding, solar panels, and energy efficient heating and air-conditioning.

The Dedication is open to the public, with a brief dedication ceremony to be held at 6 p.m., and the home will be available to tour before and after the ceremony. Parking for the event will be in the UL Parking Garage off of Girard Park. Light refreshments will be served.

For additional information or an interview contact W. Geoff Gjertson, AIA, Professor at gjertson@louisiana.edu/337-278-2722, or Melinda Taylor, Lafayette Habitat for Humanity Executive Director at 337-258-4458.

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Building Institute updated their cover photo.30/09/2017 @ 8:15

PROJECT CATEGORY : Featured / Homes / Large Projects

EVENThouse

Lafayette, Louisiana

The EVENThouse was the first market-rate, sustainable home in the UL Lafayette Building Institute’s Neighborhood Infill Program which was designed and built in the 2010-2011. Its name comes from the student’s interpretation of the program as a place for the events of life. The home demonstrates a unique public-private partnership whereby a public trust lends money to the university who in turns serves as architect and developer- designing, building and selling the home. A local contractor worked in tandem with the students. In this unique project delivery system, students are actively involved through participation and decision-making with all the design/construction entities. The UL Lafayette Building Institute is structured through a graduate design studio in the fall, a construction documents course in the spring and a construction course in the summer. Students receive academic credit for each course and in addition, several team leaders receive paid summer internships allowing them to accrue IDP credit. The EVENThouse sets a precedent in the at-risk neighborhood it was built by being the first new home built in over 30 years and by achieving the National Green Building Standard level of Silver while remaining market-rate. In this way, the home serves as a sales “comp” for the real estate market where there was none before, thus easing the way for future green projects.

Project Delivery:

Design-bid-build (Students designed the project, produced construction drawings, bid the project, and worked with a contractor to build the home) 50% students and 50% contractors/subcontractors.