Ashlie Boelkins Elected as At-Large Director for ARCC Board

Ashlie Boelkins, AIA, Associate Professor of Architecture in the School of Architecture and Design at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, was recently elected as an At-Large Director for the 2024-2026 Architectural Research Centers Consortium (ARCC) Board.

Founded in 1976, the ARCC is an international association of architectural research centers, academic institutions, and organizations committed to fostering a strong research culture and supporting infrastructure within the architecture and design disciplines. Through conference programming, grant and award initiatives, workshops, and its research journal Enquiry, the ARCC works to improve the quality of life in the built environment.

The ARCC Board is dedicated to advancing its mission through strategic oversight and impactful initiatives. This includes organizing conferences, administering awards, and managing grant programs. The Board collaborates to strengthen the architectural research culture among member institutions and foster partnerships across academia, industry, and beyond.

Boelkins is a tenured professor at ULL, where she teaches both undergraduate and graduate studio courses, as well as graduate seminars and independent research-focused coursework. As the founding principal of ARCH&also, an award-winning residential and creative practice based in Louisiana, her work explores the boundaries of architecture and the evolving role of architects. Her multi-scale projects range from master planning efforts in underserved communities to residential designs, exhibitions, and collaborative installations.

As both an educator and practitioner, Boelkins leads outreach initiatives that include exhibitions and public performances. Notable projects include “10 Years, 10 Stories,” which celebrated the lives of Hurricane Katrina survivors in collaboration with Eskew Dumez Ripple Architects, and “EnVision daBerry” in New Iberia, LA. Her installation projects, such as “UnFolded,” “Parade,” “Fragments,” and “Rounding the Edge” at the Acadiana Center for the Arts in partnership with Basin Arts, reflect her interdisciplinary research into the relationships between architecture, movement, and performance. She also integrates these forms of creative practice into her classroom through workshops and focused studios, co-hosted with organizations such as The Moving Architects in New York City and HUGO, the international research division of Corgan Architects.

Boelkins' work has been recognized through international and interdisciplinary collaborations, including the “Moving Boundaries” project in Guadalajara, Mexico, and Amares, Portugal, and AIA’s “Mission 2130.” Her research and projects have been presented at prestigious conferences such as the International Conference on Architectural Communication (COCA), the ACSA Annual Meeting, and the SARCH International Conference on Architecture in Havana.

Currently, Boelkins serves as the Graduate Coordinator for ULL’s Master of Architecture program and is the founder of the program’s Internship Exchange Experience. She holds the College of the Arts Board of Regents/Coca-Cola Endowed Professorship in Architecture and has been awarded a Mid-Career Faculty Fellowship with renowned architect and researcher Sarah Robinson as her mentor.

Boelkins has received numerous accolades, including ULL’s Outstanding Masters Mentor Award and Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor Award. Nationally, she was honored with the New Faculty Teaching Award from the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) and the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Young Architect Award.

In addition to her academic and research roles, Boelkins has held leadership positions within AIA Louisiana and currently serves as a delegate for the Louisiana State Selection Board, which awards state-funded projects to architects across the U.S. She is also an active peer reviewer for the European Association for Architectural Education (EAAE) and ACSA, and has served on design juries and studio reviews for numerous architecture programs, including those at the University of Arkansas, the University of Cincinnati, Louisiana State University (LSU), and Miami University.

https://www.arcc-arch.org/congratulations-to-the-2024-2026-elected-arcc-borad-of-directors/