E.J. Ourso College of Business

The E.J. Ourso College of Business at Louisiana State University is a glass and steel ‘academical village’ for business education. The courtyard site plan and building forms are contextual— recalling the sloped roof pavilions and arcaded courtyards of the adjacent historic campus. To illustrate a forward looking aesthetic that embodies the mission of the school, which is to generate business innovation in Louisiana and the Gulf region, these traditional architectural forms are constructed of contemporary materials and details. The pavilions are clad in ceramic coated translucent mirror glass and the rotunda is clad in a bronze solar screen resulting in a composition of forms that are ephemeral apparitions of the original campus. This composition reflects the strong heritage of the campus while looking to the promises of the future.

The design team researched glass technologies and developed a cream colored ceramic fritted insulating glass unit with mirror glass back panel which creates a moiré pattern over the surface of the pavilions resulting in a three dimensional appearance that is similar in color and modeling to its stucco-clad neighbors. The south and west sides of the rotunda are surrounded by a custom bronze screen that utilizes an arch motif which recalls the university’s treasured campus arcades. The screen is designed to shield the glass rotunda from harsh solar gain.

At the ground level, the pavilions, which house the classrooms are interconnected by an arcade and surround the landscaped courtyard. Internally, a multi-story business commons, located in the rotunda, opens up visually and physically to the courtyard and is the iconic centerpiece for the business school campus.