Lafayette, Louisiana, is known for its cuisine, traditional music, and world-class festivals. It is immersed in traditional Cajun and Creole culture, dubbed “the Hub City,” with its central role in the Gulf Coast’s oil and gas industry. It is a vibrant, sprawling city with plenty to offer visitors and residents.
The city’s commercial industry is growing exponentially, making it the perfect time to open a business in the area. In this list are ten of the best commercial architects in Lafayette, Louisiana, chosen based on their honors, portfolio, and affiliations.
ACSW Architects
115 East Main St., Lafayette, LA 70501
ACSW Architects was formed in February 2020 by merging two regional industry leaders, Abell+Crozier Architects and Architects Southwest. The firms came together to form a highly diverse and talented team committed to bringing the talent and resources required for any project in the region.
ACSW has a cumulative fifty-seven-year history of developing award-winning projects in various classifications, ranging from master planning to interior design to commercial and civic architecture. Its expertise ranges from new-building design to exterior remodeling and additions, interior renovations, programming, campus planning, and community engagement.
Serving clients in Lafayette, Monroe, Scott, and Baton Rouge, the firm is headed by Steve Oubre, AIA, LEED AP, Gregory V. Damico, AIA, Eric Crozier, AIA, and Chad Abell, AIA. Its portfolio includes educational, cultural, and financial initiatives. The University of Louisiana, Southwest Louisiana Community College, and the Acadiana Center for the Arts are among its clients.
Trahan Architecture & Planning
1700 Kaliste Saloom Rd Ste 301, Lafayette, LA 70508
Trahan Architecture + Planning creates custom residential architectural house plans that are unique to each client and their site. As a licensed residential architect, the firm strives to give each client the best customer service possible.
Russell G. Trahan, the owner of Trahan Architecture + Planning, is a licensed architect who earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 1996. Russell is a member of the National Association of Home Builders, One Acadiana, and The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards. His honors include being named to the 2019 List of Top Rated Local Architects in Louisiana and receiving the Houzz Customer Service Award in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. Similarly, he proudly served his community as President of the Kiwanis of Acadiana-Lafayette Chapter from 2016 to 2017.
SO Studio
436 E Vermilion St Ste. 103, Lafayette, LA 70501
Stephen Ortego established SO Studio in 2016, after serving in the Louisiana House of Representatives. It is an architecture and urban design firm headquartered in Lafayette, Louisiana, emphasizing creative designs appropriate for their time and place. It values its heritage buildings, and as a result, specializes in historic preservation.
SO Studio applies its expertise in urban buildings and landforms to the community scale by developing master plans for new neighborhoods and infill projects. It also incorporates expert knowledge into its buildings through interior design projects for new construction and renovations.
Under the leadership of Stephen J. Ortego, AIA as its principal architect, its works were featured by Louisiana Life Magazine and VIE Magazine in 2021. Stephen is a graduate of the Tulane School of Architecture. While he was at Tulane, Stephen spent time in Central America, where he learned tropical architecture in Guatemala and Belize via Tulane’s study abroad program and created his thesis five times on the coast of Honduras.
Architects Beazley Moliere
300 Heymann Blvd, Lafayette, LA 70503
Architects Beazley Moliere, established in 1955 by David L. Perkins, is one of Acadiana’s oldest and most respected architectural firms. It has given birth to many of Lafayette’s architectural landmarks. It strives for perfection and to provide architecture that is sensitive to the needs of its clients, neighborhood, and environment.
Charles Beazley, AIA, and principal architect Adam Beazley, AIA, LEED AP lead the firm. Charles has been engaged in architecture and planning for forty-seven years and has been a principal in Architects Beazley Moliere and its predecessor for the past thirty-two years. Adam is a LEED Accredited Professional who is well-versed in all aspects of sustainable design. He has over sixteen years of experience in the design company, carrying out projects ranging from healthcare and office spaces to churches and banks.
Barras Architects
921 Harding St, Lafayette, LA 70503
Since 1965, Barras Architects, situated in the center of Lafayette, has served as a local and regional architectural design firm. For half of a century, the firm has maintained the ethos that its principals, project architects, and support staff must adhere to a prescriptive set of design fundamentals to best facilitate clients’ needs and desires in a timely and cost-effective manner. This process has resulted in a reputation for providing carefully constructed, well-managed projects, and it has persisted in attracting clients looking for high-quality design and project management.
Robert Barras and Shannon Barras head the company as its owners and principal architects. Robert has been an architect for more than fifty years. His experience ranges from commercial, healthcare, educational, and industrial design to civic parks and master planning. Sharon has been an architect for twenty-two years and holds a position at the University of Virginia in facilities, planning, and construction.
Chase Marshall Architects
1720 Kaliste Saloom Rd B3, Lafayette, LA 70508
Chase Marshall Architects serves Lafayette clients with commercial architecture services. It was established in 2009 and has since brought expertise and innovation to each design, treating each project as a new and exciting issue. It is also engaged in the continued presence of its constructed work over time.
It is keenly aware that the choices it creates as a designer will have a long-term effect on the experiences of the people who take up the spaces and the natural environment. As a result, it always works to develop places that elevate the art of architecture, meet the needs of its clients, and enhance people’s lives.
John Chase heads the firm as its principal architect. He is a twenty-nine-year veteran of the architecture and planning industry, holding a degree in Bachelor of Architecture from Louisiana State University. He is also a former president of the AIA South Louisiana Chapter, a former Executive Vice President of AIA Louisiana, and a Leadership Lafayette graduate.
O’Rourke & Frick Architects
103 Exchange Place, Suite 202, Lafayette, LA 70503
O’Rourke & Frick Architects, Inc. is a commercial architecture firm that specializes in visually satisfying, cost-effective, and responsive spaces. It has been in operation since 1958, with projects all over Louisiana, and the scope of its work has ranged from A. Hays Town home renovations to multi-story office building renovations. The firm’s goal has always been to create striking architecture while staying within budget and limitations. It believes the clients’ perspectives are as crucial as its experts’ perspectives, and its architecture caters to the daily needs of the people who live in it.
Brent Frick, the firm’s current President, has been a registered architect since 2008. Brent earned a Professional Bachelor of Architecture degree with honors from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 2004 and has been with the firm since then. Brent has also been a licensed Landscape Contractor since 1994.
Ackal Architects
4906 Ambassador Caffery Pwky Bldg H, Ste 800, Lafayette, LA 70508
William Ackal founded Ackal Architects in Lafayette, Louisiana, in 1994 and since then, he has delivered quality architectural services both locally and internationally. Architectural projects completed by the firm include educational, medical, biomedical, office, retail, residential, municipal, and multi-use facilities. Site analysis, programming, schematic design, design development, construction documents, bidding, negotiation, and construction administration are among its services.
Under the direction of Bill Ackal, the firm’s goal in the practice of the profession is to find the best solution for each of its clients’ unique design requirements. It carefully considers their wants and concerns and collaborates with them to create an architectural program that meets and often surpasses client expectations. It confronts each project as a unique challenge, always keeping the client’s budget, timeline, and program requirements in mind.
Ziler Architects
101 Calco Blvd, Lafayette, LA 70503
Ziler Architects was founded in 1994 and incorporated in 1998. Its success is directly related to its dedication to its customers. It strives to achieve the project’s objectives while also developing a facility that is functional and cost-effective.
It is a Commercial Architecture firm that provides services such as space planning, programming, interior design, construction administration, property management assistance, facility planning and management, storm damage assessment, forensic architecture, expert witness, and roof and waterproofing consultation. The firm’s principal architects are James O. Ziler and Sean R. Primeaux. The two direct the firm in serving clients in Lafayette, Walker, and Livingston. Ziler Architects is made up of members of the American Institute of Architects and LEED Green Associates.
Gossen Architects
220 La Rue France, Lafayette, LA, 70508
Kevin Gossen established Gossen Architects in 1988, with a design versatility that spans traditional southern-style homes to transitional modern contemporary commercial work. The firm has four architects to ensure the quality and precision of its work remains consistent. Because its staff’s expertise varies, its designs are distinctive and prominent.
The press covered the firm’s notable projects under Kevin Gossen’s supervision. It has been recognized by Discover Lafayette, Luxury Homes News, and The Advocate. Its process begins with an initial design, including hand-drawn floor plans and elevations, laying purpose, and architectural form. The preliminary sketches transform into detailed construction documents. The final construction document drawings consist of plans, sections, elevations, and 3D perspective renderings. The company ensures that its designs match the final product during the construction process by checking the project at least once a week.
