Associate Professor Michael A. McClure, FAAR was named the 2011 University of Louisiana at Lafayette Distinguished Professor.


Associate Professor W. Geoff Gjertson, AIA, Co-Director of the Building Institute, has spent the last two years with his graduate students translating the research and successes of the 2009 Solar Decathlon Home, the BeauSoleil Home, into additional housing prototypes. This summer the Building Institute, along with Habitat for Humanity volunteers, broke ground on a house for Ms. Louida Fuselier, whose home burned down in 2008. Additionally, a second team of students with the Building Institute began the Event House, a market-rate home on an infill lot in an at-risk neighborhood, that will be sold to fund future Building Institute homes. Both homes will be completed in November, 2011. The Habitat House will cost $85,000($78/sf)and the Event House is expected to sell for $153,000 ($88/sf.) Finally, the BeauSoleil Home will be featured in two upcoming books: Design Like You Give a Damn (2) and The Accessible Home by Taunton Press.


Director Robert Mckinney was relected to Executive Officer of the University of Louisiana Lafayette Faculty Senate, also elected 2012 Chair of the Louisiana State Board of Architectural Examiners, elected Secretary of the Southern Conference of the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, and Chair of the 2012 Educator Practioner Conference for Southern Conference of the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards to take place February 2012 in Atlanta.


Professor George Loli has retired ofter 37 years of teaching at UL Lafayette.


Associate Professor Corey Saft was elected ACSA Southwest Regional Director for a 3 year term and a recently completed project, the Le Bois House, was named one of USAToday‘s Top Green Homes of 2010.