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51��Ƶ at Lafayette graduate, David Jaubert, earned his master’s in architecture from Harvard Graduate School of Design and is currently a director at Toshiko Mori Architect.

Although his architectural prowess has taken him all over the world, David’s original major at UL Lafayette was computer science. He discovered his passion for architecture while working at Louisiana Digital Reproductions, a family-owned architectural print shop.

“Ultimately, there was a moment when I was on-site at an architecture office, and I saw a phenomenal image of their work pinned up on the wall,” David recalled. “It struck something inside of me that I knew I had to cultivate. I switched majors soon after that and started my path into architecture.”

David continued to work for Louisiana Digital while attending UL Lafayette. Between semesters he also worked for Architects Southwest, the UL Lafayette Community Design Workshop, and ’s firm, architecture.  

“These real-world opportunities during my time at UL Lafayette gave me a rich variety of work experience that offered a broader perspective on my studies,” David explained.

Travel/Architecture around the world

After graduating from UL Lafayette David moved to New York City to work for DBOX, a multi-disciplinary agency where he focused on architectural visualizations and art direction. He also enrolled in Harvard Graduate School of Design to earn his master’s in architecture.

During the summer in graduate school, David moved to The Netherlands to work for the Office for Metropolitan Architecture in Rotterdam.

“I worked on the Torre Bicentenario, which was set to be the tallest building in Latin America but ultimately did not get built,” he explained. He also worked on the Fondazione Prada, which was later constructed in Milan, Italy.

After Graduate School

Over the last decade, David has been developing his career at Toshiko Mori Architect in New York City. Being a boutique firm, he was exposed to many facets of the practice and given a lot of responsibility from the beginning.

“During my first year, we won a competition to design a rooftop pavilion for the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, a project that I ultimately managed and oversaw construction on,” David recalled. “It became my first project as a young architect.”

David’s involvement in residential, cultural, and institutional projects has increased steadily over the years.

“I recently completed a technically challenging ground-up commercial building on Mott Street in Manhattan,” he shared, “which felt like the first true realization of my ongoing interest and research in computational and parametric design.”

David plans to continue pushing his abilities and pursuing his interest as far as he can as a practicing architect. He is currently overseeing an expansion of the Buffalo Botanical Gardens in Buffalo, New York.  

Preparing for success at UL Lafayette

“My undergraduate experience at UL Lafayette was tremendously exciting, as it was an eye-opening time of self-discovery and creative potential,” David recalled.

Although he chose the University for its computer science program, he found the architecture program to be outstanding. David enjoyed the education process and the relationships he built with his professors, but his favorite aspect was the camaraderie of the studio culture.

“There is a powerful bond that is formed when you are working under pressure with your studio mates late into the night,” David shared. “Those friendships are enduring and last a lifetime.”

Naturally, David’s favorite classes were these architecture studios, particularly in his first year with Hector Lasala and George Loli.

“It was a mind-expanding adventure into a new realm of creativity and possibility,” he reminisced.

The architecture program at UL Lafayette gave David a comprehensive set of skills that prepared him for his future career. He found his courses equally emphasized the poetic and pragmatic aspects of architecture.

“The practice of architecture is uniquely situated within the realms of art, science, and business,” he explained. “UL Lafayette prepared me to understand architecture across this spectrum and cultivated an enduring drive and passion for the profession.”

A special thank you

“I would like to thank all of my professors for their inspiring work and what they have contributed to our field and our community: Hector Lasala, George Loli, Michael McClure, Geoff Gjertson, Eddie Cazayoux, Andrew Chandler, Greg Watson, Corey Saft, Robert McKinney, and Tom Sammons.” – David Jaubert