Yazoo Plaza transforms underutilized space adjacent to the Louisiana Art & Science Museum into a vibrant urban courtyard. Now serving as the living room for the museum, the plaza accommodates both large gatherings of school children and smaller groups having a quiet lunch.
The museum, once a bustling train station in the 1920s, is now dedicated to the understanding and appreciation of art and science "by presenting unique, educational, and entertaining experiences that encourage discovery, inspire creativity, and foster the pursuit of knowledge."
The design builds upon the mission by incorporating both art and science and native plants that represent local ecologies. An original wood and iron train canopy is preserved as the featured structure in the plaza, providing shade for visitors. Original clay bricks are reclaimed and reused in the plaza's paving design.
Yazoo Plaza also serves as a hinge in the Central Green, an open space park network in downtown Baton Rouge. Yazoo’s design suggests galactic motion and planetary orbits, taking design cues from the museum’s planetarium.
Role/Scope: Lead landscape architect. Schematic design, construction documents, construction administration.
Firm: Suzanne Turner Associates.
View the design report here and a digital study model video here.
Set within the Burden Museum and Gardens in the heart of Baton Rouge, the Micro Farm Master Plan provides a place where home gardeners and micro farmers can learn about best practices for small scale agriculture.
Role/Scope: Lead landscape architect. Schematic design, visioning, and client engagement phases.
Firm: Suzanne Turner Associates.
Greenwood is the largest community park within the East Baton Rouge Parish park system. The design concept was conceived as an educational landscape derived from the cultural history and natural habitats of the site.
Original site infrastructure was built by the US Air Force for ammunitions storage for nearby Harding Air Field during WWII. The historic connection with the military provided design inspiration for green spaces and play areas. Paths, voids, and activity areas are arranged within circular and radiating forms, recalling shock waves and craters.
Role/Scope: Lead landscape architect. Schematic design, construction documents, construction administration.
Firm: Reich Landscape Architecture.
A contemporary pavilion overlooks the tournament croquet court in Baton Rouge’s City/Brooks Park. Surrounded by a low, board-formed concrete edge, iron fencing, and ipe wood bumpers, the court is home to weekly matches held by the Red Stick Croquet Club.
Role/Scope: Lead landscape architect. Schematic design, construction documents, construction administration.
Firm: Suzanne Turner Associates.
Refined and minimalist, the event lawn and courtyard at Ann Connelly Fine Art is designed for open-air social gatherings and intimate outdoor showings.
Role/Scope: Lead landscape architect. Schematic design, construction documents, construction administration.
Firm: Suzanne Turner Associates.
This contemporary courtyard compliments a 1950s modernist structure designed by renowned architect A. Hayes Town. The building houses the corporate headquarters for Business First Bank in downtown Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Role/Scope: Lead landscape architect. Schematic design, construction documents, construction administration.
Firm: Suzanne Turner Associates.
This outdoor gallery courtyard is designed to showcase contemporary art, sculpture, and interventions created by the homeowner. The space is intimate, immersed in a forest of mature trees.
Role/Scope: Lead landscape architect. Schematic design, construction documents, construction administration.
Firm: Independent.
In downtown Baton Rouge, Beauregard Town’s first community garden is a partnership between the Beauregard Town Civic Association and the First United Methodist Church. The all-organic garden provides residents a gathering space beyond traditional gardening for planned and spontaneous interactions.
This project was completed during my tenure as the Beauregard Town Civic Association president.
Role: Co-founder, designer, garden management plan author.
Firm: Independent.
In 2002, during an internship with EDSA Orient, I worked on several mixed-use developments in Beijing and Zhuhai, China. I returned to China as a consultant with Element Architects in 2009.
While in Shenzhen, near Hong Kong, I worked on a large-scale mixed-use development in Dujiangyan city. The city is named for the ancient flood control system that was built in 256 B.C. and is still in use today. This system was the conceptual inspiration for the project’s storm water management strategy.
EDSA Orient Role: Primary master planner for mixed use development.
Element Architects Role: Principal, primary designer for mixed use development.
