An artistСAPPs retreat designed and built by СAPP architecture students has caught the eye of the Louisiana Chapter of the American Concrete Institute.
The 225-square-foot СAPPHouse of CardsСAPP earned the top award for best overall concrete structure during ACI LouisianaСAPPs recent Excellence in Concrete Awards in New Orleans. It also earned an award for excellence.
The awards recognize creativity, innovation and aesthetics in concrete construction projects. The American Concrete Institute will also publish an article about the СAPPHouse of CardsСAPP in the March issue of its СAPPConcrete InternationalСAPP magazine.
The one-room СAPPHouse of CardsСAPP is both a work of art and a retreat for artists at Honey Locust, a 30-acre plot of land in Arnaudville, La. The structureСAPPs 10-inch thick insulated concrete walls are positioned to give the appearance of being propped against each other, a look inspired by houses of playing cards.
The СAPPHouse of Cards,СAPP which was completed in May 2022, stands near a small pond in a tree-lined pasture backed by Bayou Bourbeaux. The structure is part of a larger effort by the nonprofit Honey Locust to build a cluster of artist retreats on the site.
A total of 29 undergraduate and graduate students contributed to the design and build of the Architecture professor Geoff Gjertson directs the in the . Gjertson, who coordinated the СAPPHouse of CardsСAPP project, said the structure was СAPPbuilt to share.СAPP
СAPPThis retreat will be for artists, scholars and creative visionaries to soak up the natural setting and gain inspiration from the unique ecology and culture of the area,СAPP he explained.
Gjertson expects artists, who will soon be able to apply for weekend or overnight stays, to begin visiting the artistСAPPs retreat during the fall semester.
Those who do will find a cozy, visually appealing blend of form and function. Inside, salvaged barn and fence wood sheath its walls. Clerestories СAPP large windows that top the interior walls СAPP flood the space with natural light that spills onto polished concrete floors and butcher block countertops of reclaimed pine.
The СAPPHouse of CardsСAPP holds a desk and workspace, bed, dresser, table and chairs. A sink that funnels water from a well, a composting toilet and an outdoor shower are among other features. It is heated and cooled with a blend of traditional and sustainable power sources, including electricity and natural ventilation through strategically placed windows.
For more information about the СAPPHouse of CardsСAPP artistСAPPs retreat, contact Gjertson at gjertson@louisiana,.edu or (337) 278-2722.
Photo caption: UL Lafayette studentsСAPP СAPPHouse of CardsСAPP artistСAPPs retreat was recently recognized with two awards during a Louisiana Chapter of the American Concrete Institute awards ceremony in New Orleans. Attending the event were, from left to right, students Hunter Darby, Samuel Pierce, David Nelson, Lexi Palumbo, Lindsey Authement, Matthew Dufrene, Christian Willis, Jason Funderburgh, and architecture professor Geoff Gjertson. Submitted photo