LAPALCO OFFICE BUILDING
LOCATION: Marrero, Louisiana, United States
PROGRAM: New Construction Office Building
CLIENT(S): Confidential
STATUS: Design
PROJECT TEAM: GOAT (Architecture and Interiors); Marais Consultants (Civil & Structural Engineers); Huseman & Associates (MEP Engineering)
Located on a prominent, triangular parcel along busy Lapalco Boulevard in Marrero, Louisiana, GOAT developed this two-unit office building for a local State Farm Insurance agency looking to improve on their current work environment. The distinctive building transforms a challenging, oddly-shaped site into a high-impact commercial presence that centers the comfort of the agency’s team members.
The architectural concept was driven by two core imperatives: maximizing usable square footage and maximizing the natural light that penetrates the atypical footprint into the interior workspaces. The resulting massing is a dynamic architectural form that addresses the challenging site constraints while remaining simply constructable.
GOAT team: Paula Bechara, Colin VanWingen, Peter Spera III
Simple, contemporary materials, including a durable cement fiber rainscreen cladding system and an exposed steel framed walkway canopy complement the expressive architecture while accents of State Farm’s trademark red integrate the client’s brand identity seamlessly with the modern aesthetic. Inside, the building’s structure is celebrated with exposed cross-laminated timber (CLT) framing, allowing for large open spaces and showcasing sustainable structural materials, while complementing the primary interior finish of birch veneer plywood.
The outcome is a comfortable and inspiring work environment. The vaulted, daylit interior spaces offer a bright, inviting, and highly functional office that stands as a contemporary anchor within the local commercial landscape. This project demonstrates how thoughtful design can convert site limitations into architectural strengths, yielding both maximum utility and visual appeal.
