The INDesign Awards is a juried competition produced annually by IND Media to recognize excellence in architecture, interior design, historic preservation and urban planning across the One Acadiana footprint (Lafayette and eight contiguous parishes). The awards luncheon provides a forum to explore ideas and best practices for thoughtful, responsible growth and development throughout Acadiana.
This year’s event is slated for Thursday, April 6, and the focus is squarely on the Lafayette metro. The topic: How Can We Develop Acadiana’s Urban Core to Succeed in the 21st Century? Panelists include Rachel DiResto, executive vice president for the Center for Planning Excellence in Baton Rouge, who led the phase two update of the city’s successful downtown master plan and specializes in transportation strategies to address complex regional planning issues; Harry Weiss, One Acadiana’s vice president for Urban Revitalization & Development and a 30-year veteran in community redevelopment and historic preservation in Grand Junction, Colo., Asheville, NC and Sante Fe, NM; and Geoff Dyer, director of design and interim CEO for Lafayette’s Downtown Development Authority, a specialist in mixed-use urbanism whose career spans over 100 projects in 18 states and 4 Canadian provinces. Moderator will be Christiaan Mader, editorial director of IND Media’s new magazine The Current and lead reporter for The Independent’s coverage of the I-49 Connector.
The luncheon, slated for April 6 at noon at The City Club at River Ranch, is sponsored by Southern Lifestyle Development, Van Eaton & Romero Realtors and One Acadiana. A limited number of tickets are available at $50 per person or $495 for a reserved table of eight. For more information, contact Jenna King via email at [email protected] or by phone: (337) 769-8602.
Virtual tours of winning projects are available online at theind.com. Winning firms in the commercial division include Architects Southwest, Architects Beazley Moliere, the Downtown Development Authority Design and Development Studio, Abell+Crozier+Davis, Vermilion Architects, Barras Architects, EcoLafayette and Poché Prouet. Winners in the residential category include Edson Davis, Kally Sere, Brianne Jenkins (Grayson Carter Design), Larayn Guidroz (Swags Studio) and Cheryl Scurlock (Decorating Den Interiors).
To see photo galleries of this year's winners, click here and here.