by ArchitectureWeek

When the Baton Rouge, Louisiana chapter of the AIA selected their annual design award recipients in September 2003 , they chose a variety of commercial and institutional projects — from a futuristic planetarium to a minimalist sanctuary — that represent the cultural diversity of this historic city in the American South.

One recipient of the "Rose Awards" is the Louisiana Arts and Science Museum, said to be the premier civic institution of Baton Rouge. The museum's newest addition, the Irene W. Pennington Planetarium, with a "space theater," is the creation of STBP Architects in association with The Haizlip Firm. The 23,000-square-foot (2,100-square-meter) structure was designed to improve science education in the city, while overcoming significant site constraints and complementing an existing museum. A transparent, multistory lobby is an entertaining circulation space that lures passers-by into the high-tech theater.

In the award-winning sanctuary of St. Jean Vianney Catholic Church, Trahan Architects used simple forms and materials and the play of natural light to express a spiritual intensity. Responding to a client request for minimal ornamentation, the architects created a space that focuses instead on the essentials of the mass. Bronze doors within the chamfered concrete frame create a threshold into the sacred space. The solidity of the concrete massing contrasts with the delicacy of the glazing system.   >>>

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The Irene W. Pennington Planetarium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, by STBP Architects and The Haizlip Firm, is a recipient of a Rose Award for design excellence. Photo: Jeffrey Jacobs/ Architectural Photography, Inc. The sanctuary of St. Jean Vianney Catholic Church by Trahan Architects. Photo: Timothy Hursley   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.