Project Type: Design/Build - Pavilion and Birding Outlook
Collaborators: Small Center, Tulane School of Architecture, Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge
Date of Completion: 2019
Project Summary Design/Build Studio

Studio Team
Design/Build Lead: Professor of Practice Emilie Taylor Welty (Colectivo)

Project Manager: Nick Jenisch (TSC)

Students: Abby Boedigheimer, Luke Borden, Paolo Cattani, Madison Cook, Jordan Day, Joanne Engelhard, Perry Feinstein, Tao Li, Gabrielle Proeh, Jacob Smiley, Lingfeng Ye , Caroline Zimmermann

Drone photography by Jose Cotto


Bayou Sauvage Outlook is a project designed and prefabricated by the Spring 2019 Small Center design build studio. The project serves as a small pavilion and birding outlook on the shore of Lake Pontchartrain at Irish Bayou. A popular fishing, crabbing, and kayaking spot, for thousands of visitors each year, this site in a National Wildlife Refuge is only 15 minutes from downtown New Orleans and yet worlds apart.

Responding to the request of a durable, low maintenance structure in a storm-prone zone, the design team explored working with steel and a CNC Plasma cutting technologies to cut, bend, and fasten an intricate shade screen wall that frames views and ties the project back into its site.

The final shade screen wall has been prefabricated and awaits installation on site by early 2020.

current and future scenarios

The studio partnered with Workhaus, Eric Lynn's CNC Plasma shop to research, test, and fabricate


Emily Baker from the University of Arkansas Fay Jones School of Design, David Merlin of One to One, and Rashidah Williams and Jose Cotto of Small Center offer critiques of the student work