CSS Projects

Conduct an assessment of relevant regulations to coordinate legal and policy implementation mechanisms for flood control and stormwater management Update enforcement protocols and conduct staff training to meet and enhance...

LURAC is focused on the development of techniques, processes, policy recommendations and outreach through “design research.” A range of case study examinations, physical mapping, community engagement, studio-based design, and synthesis...

CSS encouraged the development of Amite River site-specific design studios in Architecture and Landscape Architecture, promoting multi-disciplinary research and design thinking approaches for problem-solving in this important region. Once research...

This project engages students and faculty from Louisiana State University and the University of New Orleans with community members to conduct separate but coordinated urban design studios. The community needs...

Gathering and disseminating local ecological knowledge about landscape functionality Providing high quality, accessible information on current and future environmental conditions to influence community decision-making Evaluating past events to support adaptation...

Barataria visualization These two images will demonstrate two aspects of Coastal Louisiana for inclusion in a video being developed by CRCL. In addition these images will be shared widely by...

Formalize a new framework to promote safe and sustainable development in coastal Louisiana Reinitiate a functioning delta by reactivating to some extent all major distributaries Redesign a new New Orleans...

The Baker Canal Corridor Project will create a culturally sensitive collaborative that brings environmental projects, entrepreneurship, research and education to communities in a manner that encourages a comprehensive understanding and...

Students were required to propose a bold future for Morgan City, designing building and site systems to facilitate exchange within a proposed degree of fortification or fluctuation.

Fabricating the Delta introduced digital fabrication as an act of making, analyzing, and positioning design in relation to coastal restoration. The final product was a full-scale kiosk that presents the...

In the NERR Research Facility Studio, the students addressed the challenges of building within a deltaic condition. The emerging ecosystem, lying between blurred lines of land and water, provides a...

Complementing the overarching theme, the course was composed of two major components addressing specific research agendas within the CSS: 1) the development of content for the Expanded Small Scale Physical...

The intent of the studio was to research regional planning, coastal ecology, ecological restoration, large-scale water management and infrastructure, and the complex relationships formed between settlement and ecology over time....

The design projects chosen by student teams defined and then critically evaluated the variety of ecological and man-made systems at work in varying scales on the site. The students addressed...

The goal was to understand an architectural documentation and design process for investigating at-risk towns in the Gulf South, using Leeville as a case study.

The goal of this design investigation is to discover ways for Chevron, its employees, and the environment to successfully and sustainably co-exist in the productive and ever-changing Louisiana environment. The...

Attempting to confront the very particular challenges of design in a transforming Louisiana landscape, the Grand Isle Studio – an architecture course at LSU – addresses the challenge of architectural...

Develop speculative, insurable building models that engage economic and technical challenges in high risk communities. Document and add physical building conditions such as elevation, structural systems, materials, and construction assemblies...

The project aims to develop interdisciplinary knowledge of best practices in coastal environmental communication, using research and expertise in environmental psychology, coastal sustainability, community resilience, mass communication, and public relations....

The research seeks to provide insights into the conditions under which residents and local officials of south Louisiana communities are more likely to implement mitigation and adaptation measures in response...

Develop the technology for commercial fishermen to access various datasets through one viewing platform on their mobile device. Outside of hurricane season the app provides additionally relevant information about waterways...

Demonstrate the feasibility of CSEB (Compressed Stabilized Earth Blocks) systems as hurricane-resistant low-cost housing, through the design of a proof-of-concept CSEB house on Louisiana’s coast. This proof-of- concept design includes...

The Tactical Extreme Scenario Trial [TEST] investigates variations of designed responses to transformation amongst a retreating coastline. Can migration patterns be influenced by and participate with infrastructure design requirements through...

This project integrates architecture, coastal bioengineering, and coastal plant science to develop solutions for structures that can sustain themselves and the coast. Specifically, we look to design a habitable structure...

The study (1) investigates assumptions about the future of the Mississippi River delta and the people who live in it and depend upon it using powerful novel statistical forecasting tools;...

The I-10 Megaregion project uses the best available research, combined with a systems and design-thinking approach to envision the future mega-region along the Gulf Coast, with coordinated planning around development...

The design and management strategies attempted to minimize nutrient runoff while achieving the best outcomes for agriculture, ecosystem services, and sustainable community development.

The design competition “Changing Course” chose three multi-disciplinary design teams in a search for a bold, yet implementable, plan of action for addressing the next century on the Louisiana Delta...

The Mayors’ Institute was intended to address the following challenges: how can design create a path for the American City to become resilient to an increasingly dynamic environment? Moreover, can...

A team of architecture, landscape architecture, coastal ecology, economics, and engineering faculty and students designed new strategies for the Lower 9th Ward’s future. The project also engaged in community outreach...

The project goals include 1) build upon the foundation of LRAP; 2) help the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) to connect community and large scale environmental planning; 3)...

LRAP was founded and developed by the CSS with the state’s Office of Community Development – Disaster Recovery Unit (OCD-DRU) and with funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and...

This study examines the hypothesis that a large part of individual and community resilience results from strong but dispersed spatial networks that link people socially and economically across the broader...

The design of a 9,000 square foot exhibition space and development of exhibit content on coastal protection and restoration to be housed in the Center for River Studies.

The program is intended to educate and foster an understanding of CPRA’s efforts to implement a complex system of coastal community sustaining and restoration measures that will ensure the reduction...

Design and construct Mobile Environmental Research Vessels (MERVs) to study the social and environmental relationships of Bayou Lafourche, support research methods, and create field studies courses in history, architecture, and...

The Dredge Research Collaborative (DRC) investigates human sediment handling practices, through publications, an event series, and various other projects. DredgeFest Louisiana was a three-day symposium field expedition, and speculative design...