This exclusive event, for AIA leaders only, gives volunteers the opportunity to gain information and knowledge through workshops designed to help participants in their leadership and advocacy roles. Representing AIA Louisiana were Ron Martinez, President Elect, AIA Louisiana, Paula Peer and Nick Marshall, New Orleans, Rachel James, Shreveport, Kendal Broussard, South Louisiana, Jimmy Hebert, Baton Rouge, Elizabeth Galan, Southwest Louisiana, Stephen Arceneaux, Coastal, and Steve Maher, National Board Member representing AIA Louisiana. Guided by a vision for the future of the profession, the conference provided … Continue reading AIA Louisiana Members Attend Snowy 41st Annual Grassroots in Washington DC →

AIA Louisiana participated in a roundtable discussion on January 8th with leaders from the Louisiana Professional Engineering and Land Surveying Board, Board of Architectural Examiners and the Office of State Fire Marshal. Among topics discussed were pending 2015 legislation, firm rules and education funding for students. Joe Delaune, Chief Architect for OSFM, gave a presentation on the new electronic plan review system (Phase I). Phase II will allow shared access to all government agencies. AIA Louisiana asked for clarification of the Department of Health and … Continue reading AIA Louisiana/LAPELS Examine DHH Requirements →

The Louisiana Office of the State Fire Marshal hosted an Industry Roundtable meeting on January 22nd. Joe Delaune, Chief Architect, announced that detailed testing on the electronic plan review system is set to begin on February 2nd and will last approximately 3 months. The new system will allow use of credit cards for submittals and licensing fees. Licensing, plan reviews and inspections should be available electronically by mid-year. Volunteers are needed for testing. Interested firms may contact AIA Louisiana at inquiries@aiala.com.

In the opening forum of the 2015 race for Louisiana’s next Governor, 300 attendees heard three Republicans and a Democrat say that state leaders have to restore voter confidence in how state infrastructure dollars are used before any major funding hikes are feasible. The Gubernatorial primary may be 10 months away, but, the first face-to-face debate among all four major announced candidates – U.S. Senator David Vitter, Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne, Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle and State Representative John Bel Edwards was held January … Continue reading AIA Louisiana Hosts First Gubernatorial Forum →

Stephanie Riegel | Greater Baton Rouge Business Report   The four announced candidates for this year’s gubernatorial race squared off today for the first time in a forum dedicated to discussing the state’s transportation and infrastructure needs. During the nearly two-hour gathering, Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle, Rep. John Bel Edwards, Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne and U.S. Sen. David Vitter steered clear of the kind of political jabbing that typically characterizes such forums. Instead, they delved in detail into their respective plans for funding critically … Continue reading La. gubernatorial candidates lay out ideas for addressing state’s woeful infrastructure →

December 8, 2014 General (runoff) elections occurred over the weekend for a handful of federal and local offices. Following is an overview of the results.  U.S. Senate In the only statewide contest Cong. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, defeated incumbent U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-New Orleans, by a twelve-point margin (56 percent to 44 percent). This race drew considerable national attention several months ago as it became clear that Cassidy was gaining serious momentum and was in position to unseat Sen. Landrieu, a three-term incumbent and … Continue reading Louisiana General Election Recap →

Following is a review of who’s who and what’s next in key Louisiana elections. As a reminder, all candidates in Louisiana run against each other in their respective primary regardless of party affiliation (i.e., we do not have partisan primaries). With the primaries over now, candidates who did not win outright will advance to runoffs, which will be decided on December 6th.  U.S. Senate Three-term incumbent U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-New Orleans, and Cong. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, squared off in what was one of … Continue reading Louisiana Elections Update →

By: Stephanie Riegel  |  The Baton Rouge Business Report Planning Director Frank Duke says new design guidelines being drafted for Baton Rouge should ideally include height restrictions for new downtown buildings. Duke says one of the biggest problems with the city’s existing zoning code is that it allows for unlimited building heights downtown. “It creates the perception that there is unlimited value, which means you have a lot of surface parking because people are waiting for that right price, that great catch to come in, … Continue reading A Call for Height Restrictions on New Downtown Buildings →