Students 'Coastal Capture' project a success

Four architecture students from UL Lafayette’s very own School of Architecture and Design have been on a wild ride with the success of their project Coastal Capture. Students, Kaylyn Kirby, Ryan Duplechain, Ravelle Reed, and Nathan Menart recently took an all expenses paid trip to Virginia to visit the architectural office of William McDonough who founded MBDC, a global sustainability consulting and product certification firm.  This trip was the prize for winning “Best in Show” at Gulf Coast Green 2010 with their ARCH 402 project Coastal Capture.

While in Virginia, the students attended a reception held in their honor at MBDC, and were able to visit with scientists involved in “Cradle to Cradle,” a certification which assesses a product’s safety to humans and the environment and design for future life cycles.  They were also able to visit with William McDonough who shared personal stories and the work of his architectural office with them.  In addition, this past spring Coastal Capture was recognized for special merit as one of fifteen out of 354 submissions in the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA) 2010 Student Design Competition.  Because of this recognition, they were invited to attend the IFLA Congress in Suzhou, P.R. China.

The project, Coastal Capture, monitors wetland degradation along the Chenier Plains which stretches from Chenier Au Tigre to the historical.  The students’ proposed intervention seeks to restore the delicate harmony of the Louisiana Chenier Plain ecosystem; to harmonize the existence of the urban condition with the delicate, yet vital, system of the Chenier Plain; and to ensure the sustainable inheritance of both land and resources for generations to come.

Congratulations to these hard-working, environmentally-aware students on their great achievements!