Liane Hancock
Conference Chair
Liane Hancock is Associate Professor of Architecture where she holds the Contractors Educational Trust Fund/BORSF Professorship in Art & Architecture. Her research is divided between developing innovative foundation design pedagogy and scholarship on building materials and construction methods. She teaches courses on foundation design, building technology, and sustainability. Her current pedagogical research, in collaboration with Kiwana McClung, Claire Schulz, and Kris Lyon, focuses upon the space of studio, accommodation of disabilities, and recognition of unintended power dynamics within the classroom. Across her career she has also endeavored to broaden the field of construction history research by telling the stories of the men and women who work within the construction field. Her focus has primarily been on the history of reinforced concrete, but she has also written on Zahner’s technologically advanced building envelopes, the stone architecture of Texas frontier forts, and prefabrication of cast iron facades in New York City. She is co-author of the book The Green Building Materials Manual - A Reference to Environmentally Sustainable Initiatives and Evaluation Methods (2021). She holds degrees from MIT and Columbia University GSAPP.
Dr. Pasquale De Paola
Conference Chair
Pasquale De Paola, Ph.D is a tenured Associate Professor and Director of the School of Design at Louisiana Tech University School of Design. He holds the Howard Endowed Professorship in Architecture, recognized for innovative pedagogy. With degrees from LSU, Columbia GSAPP, and Texas A&M, his Ph.D. dissertation, A Question of Method, focused on Aldo Rossi's Architettura Razionale and the 1973 Milan Triennale. This work earned him the ARCC King Medal for architectural research, honoring innovation, integrity, and scholarly prowess in architectural and environmental design research. Pasquale's research spans Italian architectural culture, design pedagogy, computational processes, and resilient urbanism.
Having worked for notable architects, including Carlo Aymonino and Richard Rogers, he has also taught at institutions like Columbia GSAPP and Texas A&M. Through numerous papers and presentations, he dives into speculative and resilient architectural design and production practices. His ongoing project, Architecture in the Age of Contingency, delves into emerging speculative architectural pedagogies. He co-founded L.U.R.A.C. (Louisiana Universities Resilient Architecture Collaborative), to create a cohesive network across Louisiana, uniting architecture, landscape architecture, and planning programs via studio-based education focused on resilient building and community design.
Steering Committee
Sarah Young
Associate Professor of Architecture, School of Architecture and Design, College of the Arts, The University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Claire Schultz, Ph.D
Assistant Professor of Art Education, School of Visual Arts, College of the Arts, The University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Kiwana T. McClung
Chief Diversity Officer and Associate Professor of Architecture, School of Architecture and Design, College of the Arts, The University of Louisiana at Lafayette
William Doss, Assistant Professor of Architecture, School of Design, College of Liberal Arts, Louisiana Tech University
Kaden Beilman, Lecturer of Architecture, School of Design, College of Liberal Arts, Louisiana Tech University
Tom Futrell, Department Chair, Associate Professor of Graphic Design, School of Design, College of Liberal Arts, Louisiana Tech University
Jake Dugard, Associate Professor of Graphic Design, School of Design, College of Liberal Arts, Louisiana Tech University
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette
The University of Louisiana of Lafayette proudly preserves and celebrates the Cajun and Creole cultures. Our rich heritage is interwoven in our traditions and is a part of everyday life on campus. UL Lafayette embodies the cultures and spirit that are the heart of Louisiana. We embrace each other’s uniqueness and share a sense of community, determination, innovation, and joie de vivre — an exuberant enjoyment of life.
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, the largest member of the University of Louisiana System, has a student population of 16,450, and is a midsize urban, public, four-year institution of higher education offering bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees in the professions, arts, and sciences. Within the Carnegie Classification, UL Lafayette is designated as a Research University with the highest research activity (R1) with graduate programs that are STEM-dominant. A significant percentage of the students are at the undergraduate level (84%) with a setting that is primarily residential. Nine Colleges administer the University’s academic programs: Arts, Education, Engineering, General Studies, Liberal Arts, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, B. I. Moody II College of Business Administration, the Ray P. Authement College of Sciences, University College, and the Graduate School. The University offers an exceptional education informed by diverse worldviews grounded in tradition, heritage, and culture. It is dedicated to achieving excellence in undergraduate and graduate education, in research, and in public service. The University’s mission is to develop leaders and innovators who advance knowledge, cultivate aesthetic sensibility, and improve the human condition. Through instruction, research, and service, the University promotes regional economic and cultural development, explores solutions to national and world issues, and advances its reputation among its peers.
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette School of Architecture and Design
The University of Louisiana Lafayette's School of Architecture and Design is excited to co-host NCBDS 39. We invite you to meet our rich community of Architects, Interior Designers, and Industrial Designers. Our focus, as a School, is on ethical, innovative design practices that positively impact both local and global environments.
Our comprehensive undergraduate and NAAB-accredited graduate architecture programs emphasize exploration of the environment through physical, social-cultural, technological, and professional lenses. The curriculum balances technical and poetic aspects of design, enabling students to find their place within the architectural profession. Our CIDA-accredited interior design program intertwines creativity and practicality, equipping students for varied design career opportunities. We instill the value of balancing aesthetic needs and technical functionality when creating human-centered environments. Our NASAD-accredited industrial design program, the only one of its kind in the State of Louisiana, cultivates a hands-on learning environment that prioritizes user needs, universal design, sustainability, human-centered design, and ergonomics.
Each curriculum blends technical skills with an understanding of design's social and environmental implications. At its heart, UL-Lafayette's School of Architecture and Design aims to nurture aspiring architects and designers, instilling the knowledge, skills, and ethics necessary for a positive global impact.
First Year Program
First-year undergraduate students pursuing a degree in architecture, interior design, or industrial design have a coordinated first-year studio sequence, design communications course, and survey of design course in common. These courses provide a hands-on immersion in versatile, universal skills identified as shared by our teaching of design disciplines; ideation, prototyping, evaluation, collaboration, craft, communications, and foundational terminology.
Acknowledging the needs of our incoming students, our first-year curriculum and pedagogy have recently undergone substantial change. Our redesigned curriculum maintains our first-year program's legacy of creative expression and experimentation while adapting to build a more inclusive and equitable experience for students with different strengths and backgrounds.
Louisiana Tech University School of Design
The Louisiana Tech University School of Design (SOD) is a vibrant community that welcomes individuals who have a passion for solving creative challenges and dedication to perfecting their craftsmanship. It's a place where budding artists, designers, and architects find a nurturing environment to shape their talents, refine their technical skills, and embrace the ethical responsibilities that come with their chosen fields.
The SOD faculty is a diverse group, comprising active artists, experienced designers, accomplished architects, and dedicated scholars. Their collective expertise provides students with a rich learning experience, instilling qualities like focus, creativity, and resilience that are indispensable in the design realm.
The SOD encompasses four distinct programs: Architecture, Graphic Design, Interior Design, and Studio Art. Within these programs, the SOD offers undergraduate degrees including Architectural Studies (BSAS), Interior Design (BID), Studio Art (BFA), and Graphic Design (BFA). The School broadens its offerings to encompass graduate degrees in Studio Art (MFA), Photography (MFA), Graphic Design (MFA), and Architecture (M. Arch). Each degree program is accredited by the relevant national accreditation body, ensuring the highest quality of education. Additionally, the SOD provides a range of minors including Architecture, Art History, Graphic Design, Interior Design, Game Design, Pre-Medical Illustration, Scientific Visualization, and Studio Art.
As students progress through the SOD, they're encouraged to take on challenges, innovate solutions, and nurture their unique creative voices. The Louisiana Tech University School of Design stands as a supportive community that fosters growth, learning, and creative exploration, nurturing the next generation of skilled professionals ready to make their mark in the evolving landscapes of art, design, and architecture.
Louisiana Tech University Foundation Design Pedagogy
At the Louisiana Tech University School of Design, our core mission is to provide a thorough and immersive education that embraces the artistic, technical, and ethical dimensions of Architecture, Interior Design, Graphic Design, and Studio Art. Rooted in our deep-seated polytechnic tradition, our foundation pedagogical approach seamlessly blends hands-on experiences with immersive learning, nurturing individuals who can embody the diverse essence of a designer. This fusion marries the creative spirit with technical finesse, anchoring the fundamental principles of our disciplines.
Our exploration commences through foundational projects, directing students to polish their abilities in shaping design inquiries, constructing captivating narratives, and visually articulating ideas. This curriculum nurtures hands-on aptitude, hones craftsmanship, enhances visual acuity through attentive observation, and cultivates intellectual skills including comparison, abstraction, and evaluation. As students engage with diverse mediums and techniques, this curriculum instills a profound self-assuredness in their cognitive, conceptual, and technical capabilities.
We also firmly believe in the power of collaboration within the design realm. This extends across professional domains, involving interactions between clients and designers, as well as within project teams and communities. In the academic context, individual dedication illuminates performance, benefiting both students and instructors. In our studios, students construct evolving and coherent rationales, shaping individual work approaches, fostering expressive modes, and diving into the exploration of ideas. This collaborative ethos serves as a bedrock, preparing all design students for the dynamic landscape of professional
Land Acknowledgement
It is necessary to acknowledge the very real foundation of the current spaces we inhabit; therefore, we recognize the Indigenous Peoples as the traditional stewards of the land where this conference takes place and the enduring relationship that exists between them and their traditional territories.
We want to acknowledge that the University of Louisiana at Lafayette is on the land of the Atakapa-Ishak, and until very recently, this area was known as the Atakapas District under French, Spanish, and American colonialism. We want to express our gratitude to Elders, past, present, and future, of the dozens of other First Nations in the Louisiana area, including the Chitimacha, Opelousa, Avogel, Tunica-Biloxi, Coco Tribe of Canneci Tinné, Jena Choctaw, Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, and Coushatta. We also honor the enslaved peoples of African descent forced to work this land when it was part of the Mouton family’s sugar plantation, Ile Copal. We thank them all for stewarding the land upon which we are carrying out our work today. We acknowledge the painful history of genocide and forced removal from this territory and honor, respect, and celebrate the many Indigenous peoples connected to this land and this community. As designers, our research, scholarship, and practice are inextricably linked to the Indigenous lands on which our projects are built and the resources with which our projects are made.
This acknowledgment demonstrates a commitment to beginning the process of working to dismantle the ongoing legacies of settler colonialism. This should be a collective action. Land acknowledgments do not exist in a past tense or historical context: colonialism is a current ongoing process, and we need to build the mindfulness of our present participation.