Jennings, Louisiana
The Hub
In the heart of downtown, the Hub serves to foster young professional development and an engaged community. Including a café, short-term housing, rentable offices, collaboration spaces, and a rooftop garden, it offers amenities that will encourage growth and collaboration that build the foundation for the future of Jennings. Inherent in the program is the idea of vertical and horizontal connection: social gathering spaces are interspersed through the floors linking the rooftop garden to the ground floor café and outdoor event spaces that merge with the surrounding parking lots. Using design strategies to further sustainability and aesthetic appeal through live walls, curves mimicking the Nezpique Bayou, and local art from William Tolliver, the Hub’s cultural connection to Jennings is showcased.
Context
In collaboration with 5 colleagues in an interdisciplinary team of Interior Design, Architecture, and Landscape Architecture students, we devised a city-wide system driven by food and culture to promote financial and professional development and growth within Jennings. With one "node" per team member, the system we created for Jennings to retain its culture--while looking toward a future of expansion--was designed to work seamlessly to provide the city with a blueprint for development.
Creating Community
Creating “third places” and collaborative, flexible work environments for young professionals and community members was a key component of the Hub’s design. Bringing in biophilic strategies and access to the outdoors, these social spaces create a sense of community that extends beyond the walls of the Hub.
Planning for a Resilient Future
After a semester of research, designing, and site visits, we presented our designs to the Mayors of our respective cities, staff from the Lieutenant Governor’s office, the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering, and various faculty from LSU, Tulane University, and the University of New Orleans.