Louisiana State Museum

The Louisiana State Museum and Sports Hall of Fame (LSMSHOF) is the result of the union between two apparently disconnected realities. In this modern building Louisiana’s history meets the world of sports. The museum is configured to consider athletics as a component of cultural history and analyzing the interconnections between the two. Also the visiting paths were designed in order to have interconnections between the two collections.

Designed by Trahan Architects with Method Design and CASE, the new $12.6 million venue has complex design, generated with the help of BIM technology, that reflects the disparate subjects in one fluid contemporary structure.

Located in Natchitoches, Louisiana ,that is the oldest settlement from the Louisiana Purchase, the museum is nestled in front of the historic Cane River Lake.

The architecture has been inspired by the surrounding landscape: by observing the distinctive geomorphology of the area and the hydromorphology of the river, Trahan Architects derived the buildings geometry . The corridors recall, in fact, with their shape, the fluidity of the river, connecting the various exhibit parts of the building.

Also, the foyer reflects the river’s fluvial geomorphology, sculpted out of 1,100 digitally milled cast stone panels. Being the focus of the organic interior space, it will serve as a space for community gatherings and special events.

Gill Tomasini

WHERE HISTORY AND ATHLETICS MEET AND CONVERGE UNDER ONE ROOF