Holly & Smith Architects 2023 in Review and Looking Ahead to 2024

Holly & Smith Architects 2023 in Review AND LOOKING AHEAD TO 2024

As the architecture world evolves each year, 2023 marked another chapter of growth and accomplishment for Holly & Smith Architects. We take pride in the completion of Champ Cooper Middle School Additions Phase 1, NOPD 4th District Police Station, D.C. Reeves Elementary School Addition, Ponchatoula High School Classroom Addition, and the Brother Martin Batting Facility. Noteworthy projects, LSU Barnes Ogden Art and Design Complex and Entergy Aerosol Building Interior Renovations, were also both captured through professional photography in 2023.

Additionally, H/S celebrated the publication of our monograph, “Design for Life in the Deep South,” was honored as one of the 2023 Best Places to Work in Baton Rouge, expanded our horizons by relocating our Lafayette studio to a new suite, and a momentous ceremony attended by Good Morning America Co-Anchor Robin Roberts and Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards saw the official groundbreaking for the Robin Roberts Broadcast Media Center and renovation of D. Vickers Hall at Southeastern Louisiana University.

Looking forward, 2024 holds the promise of even more exciting ventures and opportunities for H/S.

Champ Cooper Middle School Additions Phase 1

With the grand opening of the new classroom addition on August 9, 2023, Champ Cooper paved the way for an excellent start to the school year, reflecting the remarkable growth of the community. The Champ Cooper School Classroom building is a 22,060sf one-story building that is the first of three phases to the school campus. Providing the students with this new learning environment adds to our excitement, ensuring they have an enriching and collaborative space to engage in their studies. Stay tuned, because we can’t wait to get this project professionally photographed!

Frank A. Anzalone General Contractor, Inc. was the General Contractor for the project.

Consultants include Fox-Nesbit Engineering, LLC (civil, structural), M & E Consulting, Inc (MEP engineering), and Futch Design Associates, Inc. (food facility designer).

NOPD 4th District Police Station Completed December 2023, this 18,600sf twostory police headquarters replaced original facilities that were no longer able to service the needs of the community. These spaces can be used by the community enforcing the mission of CommunityOriented Policing and neighborhood engagement.

A Ribbon Cutting will be coordinated by the City in the near future, and we can’t wait to get this project professionally photographed.

Smith Construction Company was the General Contractor for the project. Consultants include Julien Engineering & Consulting, Inc. (civil, structural), and Lucien T. Vivien, Jr. & Associates Inc. (MEP engineering).

HOLLY & SMITH ARCHITECTS, APAC

D.C. Reeves Elementary School Addition

Completed June 2023, this 8 classroom addition to an existing elementary school in Ponchatoula, Louisiana was developed around the idea of a clustered learning environment, where all 8 classrooms are centered around a multi-use collaborative makerspace. A ribbon cutting ceremony in August 2023 allowed visitors a chance to tour the new wing. Brunt Construction Inc. was the General Contractor for the project. Project team included Fox-Nesbit Engineering, LLC (civil, structural), and M & E Consulting, Inc (MEP engineering).

Ponchatoula High School Classroom Addition

Completed in January of 2023, this 10,000sf, 8 classroom addition is the completion of a master planned extension of the eastern most wing originally completed by H/S is 2005. It is the terminus of the wing and features classrooms centered around an expanded corridor used for group projects and collaboration. CM Combs Construction was the General Contractor for the project.

Project team included Fox-Nesbit Engineering, LLC (civil, structural), and M & E Consulting, Inc (MEP engineering).

Brother Martin High School Batting Facility

Completed December 2023, this new baseball batting facility for Brother Martin High School in New Orleans is a 3,800sf covered facility with (3) 70-foot long pitching and batting lanes, which can be easily subdivided into (6) shorter lane conditions. The new structure is positioned beyond left field of Brother Martin’s Farley Field and provides direct access to the home team dugout and bullpen areas. With this addition, practice can continue for the Crusaders after dark and during days of inclement weather. A groundbreaking ceremony will be held in late January 2024, unveiling the facility to the campus. Gibbs Construction was the General Contractor for the project.

Project team included Schrenk Endom & Flanagan, LLC (civil, structural), and IMC Consulting Engineers, Inc. (MEP engineering).

LSU Barnes Ogden Art & Design Complex Formerly called the Old Engineering Shops and then the Studio Arts Building, the now Barnes Ogden Art & Design Complex began its life circa 1924, along with nine other buildings designed by architect Theo C. Link as part of the original master plan for Louisiana State University. Completed in Late 2022, this project was professionally photographed in 2023. The new building houses modernized facilities for the School of Art, including ceramics, printmaking, and sculpture programs as well as offices. Students started classes in the building for the Spring 2023 semester.

Ratcliff Construction Company, LLC was the General Contractor for the project. Consultants include Fox-Nesbit (structural), Salas O’Brien (MEP), Stantec (civil), DufrechePerkins (landscaping), and J.S. Held (environmental).

2023 Awards for the LSU Barnes Ogden Art & Design Complex AIA Louisiana Merit Award AIA New Orleans Merit Award IIDA Award Of Recognition “The dialogue between new interventions and existing elements is pragmatic, tactical, and skillful.”

- AIA New Orleans Jury Member HOLLY & SMITH ARCHITECTS, APAC

Awards and Recognition: Grateful for Acknowledgment Holly & Smith Architects is sincerely appreciative of the recognition received in 2023. The LSU Barnes Ogden Art and Design Complex earned accolades such as the AIA Louisiana Merit Award, AIA New Orleans Merit Award, and the IIDA Award of Recognition. These honors reflect not only our efforts but also the collaborative spirit of everyone involved.

LSU Barnes Ogden Art and Design Complex

2023 Best Places to Work

Being recognized as one of the “2023 Best Places to Work in Baton Rouge” is a humbling acknowledgment, emphasizing our commitment not only to architectural excellence but also to fostering a positive and collaborative work environment.

Additionally, the publication of the H/S book, Design for Life in the Deep South, serves as a shared resource, celebrating our collective knowledge and experiences.

H/S Book Reveal Celebration

Looking Forward to 2024 with H/S Exciting Construction Ahead: What’s Set to Be Completed in 2024

As we look ahead to 2024, H/S eagerly anticipates the completion of projects like the Nunez Community College Student Testing and Career Counseling Center, Covington High School Classroom Additions, LNG Lake Charles Readiness Center, Tabor Dermatology and the Brothers of the Sacred Heart Province Office. The adaptive reuse project for Our Lady of Lourdes Church - Event Venue, alongside initiatives like the Baronne Street Hotel and Celeste Landing, are set to breathe new life into existing structures.

Nunez Community College Student Testing and Career Counseling Center

LNG Lake Charles Readiness Center

Tabor Dermatology

Our Lady of Lourdes Church - Event Venue

Groundbreaking Ventures: What’s Kicking Off in 2024

Looking further into 2024, H/S is preparing to break ground on several exciting projects, such as the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Engineering Building, LNG Lafayette Readiness Center, Southern University Baton Rouge Student Life Center, Southern University New Orleans Nursing School, Brasuell Pediatric Dentistry, Olivier Orthodontics, Destrehan Dental Clinic, and four schools for the Rapides Parish School System (Nachman Elementary School Addition, Cherokee Elementary School Addition, Brame Middle School Improvements, and Horseshoe Drive Elementary Renovations). Also set to begin in 2024, our adaptive reuse project for Our Lady of Lourdes School Boutique Hotel and the restoration of the St. Louis Cathedral.

University of Louisiana at Lafayette Engineering Building

LNG Lafayette Readiness Center

Southern University Baton Rouge Student Life Center

H/S EXPERIENCE As human beings, we spend our personal and professional time within the built environment. As Architects, we are privileged to create spaces where people can gather, live, learn, work, eat, sleep, and worship. Therefore, it is incumbent that we design spaces that enhance the quality of life and nurture a greater passion for living. Our design approach is influenced by the environment, culture, and community in which architecture exists. To take it further... We Design for Life.

Brasuell Pediatric Dentistry

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