2020 Gumbo Final - Book - Page 47
Story: Perla Rodriquez
Photo: Bella Biondini
Design: Chloe Bryars
P
Southern
Beauty
An architectural gem in Baton Rouge
atrick F. Taylor Hall is more than just the home
of the LSU College of Engineering— it is an
architectural gem in Baton Rouge.
Patrick F. Taylor Hall was awarded the AIA
Baton Rouge Gold Rose Award in August. This
award recognizes exceptional designs by local
architects in hopes of bringing the community
together and spreading awareness of the
outstanding work across the greater Baton
Rouge area.College of Engineering Dean Judy
Wornat said receiving the award is an honor for
the College of Engineering.
“Receiving the Gold Rose Award is an honor, as
it reflects the collaborative spirit that was very
much a redesign of Patrick F. Taylor Hall,” Wornat
said. “Each day, our faculty and students are
working together, sometimes across disciplines,
to create solutions to the world’s most pressing
technical challenges, and our state-of-the-art
facility helps drive those efforts.”
Patrick F. Taylor Hall, referred to as “PFT” by
many students, was recognized for its innovative
integration of transparent and collaborative
interior architecture.
PFT was designed by Perkins+Will and Coleman
Partners Architects and completed in 2018.
According to AOS Interior Environments, the
project included a 130,000 square-foot expansion
of the existing 300,000 square-foot building,
and it is now the largest academic building on
the University’s campus and in Louisiana. PFT is
also one of the largest freestanding academic
buildings in the U.S.
PFT received its name from 1959 alumnus Patrick
F. Taylor. Taylor, an LSU petroleum engineering
graduate, is responsible for the creation of the
Taylor Opportunity Program for Students, better
known as TOPS.
“[Taylor] believed that everyone deserves the
opportunity to earn a college degree regardless
of his or her economic means,” reads the College
of Engineering’s website. “His legacy continues
today with the newly renovated and expanded
Patrick F. Taylor Hall.”
PFT provides students and staff with 134,989
square feet of teaching and laboratory space
and 41,202 square feet of student collaboration
space, according to the College of Engineering’s
website. These spaces are intended to stimulate
innovative thinking and foster breakthroughs in
science and engineering.
Engineering students, including chemical
engineering sophomore Brennan Hagan, have
taken advantage of the many areas to learn and
study that are available to them in PFT.“PFT has
such an open environment with plenty of study
spots and rooms to choose from, along with
many modern labs and classrooms,” Hagan said.
The transparency of the classrooms and study
spaces at PFT reveal their theme of “Engineering
on Display.” By simply walking through the halls,
one is able to see students and professors
at work. The design of PFT supports 21stcentury learning, providing students and faculty
with a variety of spaces for collaboration and
independent work so they can choose how they
prefer to learn, gather and work.
The interior of PFT can be described as modern
and is unique compared to the interior of other
buildings on the University’s campus. AOS
helped procure lounge seating that demonstrates
the spirit of the University, with gold fabrics
against purple textures and supports, and its
commitment to modern teaching methods,
education and research.
Students on campus agree that PFT provides
students with modern and innovative study
spaces that promote learning.“PFT’s modern
design enables me to be motivated to stay
ahead on my schoolwork because it has such
a productive atmosphere,” computer science
sophomore Justin Nicols said.
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