2011 Barataria Exchange: Jean Lafitte
Learning from Lafitte takes a trans-disciplinary approach to the examination of relationships between the built, natural and cultural environments of the Jean Lafitte area, 35 minutes south of New Orleans by car, in the Barataria Basin. At the core of the project’s research proposals and studios, run in conjunction with the LSU School of Architecture, is the development of place-based resiliency strategies; with emphasis on environmental systems and services, and community service and engagement.
Comprised of independent scholarly research and two architectural studios: a fourth year undergraduate service-learning studio “Barataria Exchange” and a second year graduate level studio focused on environmental systems “Learning from Lafitte”, the project leverages the expertise of Lafitte residents, academics, social activists, historical precedents/research, and students through in-depth exploration of the geography’s complex systemic coastal issues. In the Fall 2010 term, the Barataria Exchange Studio challenged students to reexamine operations of place via unconventional oppositions of “inside vs. outside” and “natural vs. artificial” through an intense five-stage process: creating a common language, engagement, reflection, re-engagement and critique. Ultimately resulting in the development of proposals and a trans-disciplinary pedagogy for design education, the project expands the application of architectural studio and disciplinary strategies as a framework for engaging multiple communities and types of knowledge through design process.
Project proposals and paradigm are disseminated through academic peer-reviewed publications and lectures, and in regular meetings and presentations with the Mayor, Council(wo)men and residents of Lafitte. Additionally, as a mechanism to further the project’s outcomes, an experimental Zine publication, designed for distribution within the town of Jean Lafitte and targeted parties within the region’s resiliency and academic communities, catalyzes sophisticated dialogue between diverse stakeholders.