In the Shadows of the Interstate
A forgotten piece of land adjacent to an Interstate becomes the site of a home that reinterprets how average Americans can live.
This house encourages and nurtures small business ventures as well as flexible living/working situations. The house simultaneously functions as a home, art/design studio, and occasional gallery. It is equipped with over 250 linear feet of gallery lighting, as well as a billboard-like art installation attached to its exterior walls. The images that wrap the structures are easily changed for various events and occasions.
The site for this project is in the Perkins Road Over-Pass area, where one can walk to a locally owned and operated grocery store, hardware store, drugstore, dry cleaner, and bookstore. The overpass also contains some of Baton Rouge’s best restaurants and bars. This dense commercial area is bisected by a raised section of Interstate 10, which serendipitously serves as covered parking for the surrounding establishments. Despite its economic success, the area has retained a raw, gritty character. The site for this project is located on the edge of this commercial district and backs up to the Interstate. Due to the lot’s unusual dimensions, zoning, and proximity to the Interstate, it remained vacant for over 40 years.
This project won a Louisiana AIA Honor Award & was published in Dwell Magazine
