A one-of-a-kind house, designed by UL Lafayette architecture students, is up for sale in Lafayette's historic Freetown neighborhood. Students helped build the energy-efficient COURhouse at 324 Jackson St., which takes its name from its interior courtyard. (The French word “cour” means “courtyard.”) It is listed at $190,000.
"Because cooking and family gatherings are so important in South Louisiana, we created a home that focuses on those activities," said Geoff Gjertson, a UL Lafayette architecture professor who directs the School of Architecture and Design’s Building Institute.
The COURhouse kitchen has a 16-foot vaulted ceiling and is connected to the central courtyard via a 10-foot by 7-foot rollup glass door. The courtyard is also accessible through sliding doors in the living room and French doors in the master bedroom.
The 1,508-square-foot house has three bedrooms and two bathrooms. It features solar panels and energy-efficient appliances.
The student designers incorporated cypress siding from an 1850s house in Arnaudville, La. The material was donated by the homeowner, Ken Simeral, a real estate agent who has supported the Building Institute.
The COURhouse is the third structure created for the University’s sustainable housing program. Students design energy-efficient homes that are built on vacant lots.
“Our goal is to have advanced architecture students design and build one home each year,” said Gjertson.
The COURhouse was designed by architecture students Barrett Bertrand, Nicholas Clesi, Abigail Comeau, Daniel Ferg, Liran Timianski, and Jennifer Young and was built by 25 students, in conjunction with J.C. Dugas Construction
Associates Inc. Its construction was a joint effort of the UL Lafayette Building Institute, Ragin' Cajun Facilities and the Lafayette Public Trust Financing Authority.
The LPTFA is handling the sale of the home. Requests for showings should be made to Rebekka Miller, program coordinator, at (337) 504-2314.