When Dillard University opened its Innovation Collective last August, the four-story, 251-bed residence hall created far more than additional student housing. The project embodied what the university calls its “communiversity model” — an approach that unites living, learning and community service within a single environment.
“To our design team, living, learning and community service had to be considered at the root of all architectural decisions,” said Raymond Armant, senior architect at Trapolin-Peer Architects, “from determining the building programming and programmatic layouts to how those spaces were developed and detailed.”
In addition to Trapolin-Peer Architects, the collaborative design-build project brought together Landis Construction, CDW Services and AOS Interior Environments to create a facility that serves both Dillard students and the surrounding Gentilly neighborhood.
As Louisiana’s oldest HBCU, Dillard University carries a profound historical legacy that the design team worked carefully to honor while creating a distinctly contemporary building. The result balances tradition with innovation through thoughtful material choices and building form.
“For our team this meant that the exterior façade needed to incorporate a white palette on a primarily masonry façade, which is prevalent across the main campus,” said Armant. “Change of materials and planes at defined openings in the façade were inspired by the historic conditions found across campus. Ribbed fiber cement panels or different plans of masonry were used in lieu of the more traditional wood panels.”
The building is L-shaped with two residential wings intersecting to form a central hub.
“The north wing of the L is scaled to three stories to better fit with the adjacent residential district, while the southern wing stands at four stories and takes on a ‘kinked’ form with a curved façade to reflect the curvature of the more commercially oriented Norman Mayer Avenue,” explained Alan Wold, project architect at Trapolin-Peer.
The first floor of Innovation Collective serves as the building’s heart. It features a student lounge, communal kitchen and dining area, recreation room and multipurpose space for university and community events. The second floor includes a conference room with an open balcony overlooking the main lounge below — a design decision with clear intent.
“The utilization of a double-height space in this area opens a dialogue between these two spaces emphasizing it as a zone for interaction and collaboration to occur for all building guests and residents,” Wold noted. “The placement of this double-height space between the main public and student entries also enhances a sense of arrival to the building, giving users the immediate impression that the Innovation Collective is not just a residential facility, but a place for learning, collaboration and community service as well.”
Throughout the building, students have access to various study environments — from private rooms to open gathering areas, wellness spaces and phone booths. Interior designer Alex Pappas, who led the interior design for Trapolin-Peer, faced the challenge of creating distinct atmospheres while maintaining visual continuity.
“The main challenges were acoustics and flexibility,” said Pappas. “The building had to support both quiet study and active collaboration in very open spaces, so we layered in soft surfaces like carpet, upholstery and acoustic ceilings to control sound, while designing layouts that could easily adapt as needs changed.”
Color played a crucial role in both wayfinding and creating appropriate moods for different spaces.
“We started with Dillard’s brand identity standards, which were helpful in guiding our color language throughout the building,” explained Austin Hogans Menold, project designer at Trapolin-Peer. “We were inspired by the ‘Dillard Blue’ identity and wanted to expand on the palette.”
The team assigned specific meanings to different hues throughout the building.
“We had the greens represent circulation, areas of egress and travel — the stairs and the elevator lobby,” said Hogans Menold. “The blues generally represent areas of gathering, both formal and informal.”
Color choices were also informed by behavioral research.
“We knew from research that color affects how people feel and how they behave in a space, so we used that to guide our decisions,” said Pappas. “Social areas got richer, more energetic vibrant pops, and quieter areas shifted into softer greens and blues to help support focus and calm.”
AOS Interior Environments also partnered with the design team to provide furniture and furnishings for the communal spaces.
“When we were brought onto the project, what immediately stood out was the strength of Trapolin-Peer’s design vision and Dillard University’s commitment to creating an environment where students could truly thrive,” said Suzanne Dumez, business development lead at AOS Interior Environments. “As the FF&E [furniture, fixtures and equipment] partner, our role was to support that vision through thoughtful furniture solutions that elevate the student experience.”
The furniture supports the communiversity concept in multiple ways.
“We weren’t designing the architecture or interiors, but we helped reinforce the design team’s intent by selecting pieces that supported connection and flexibility; soft seating to encourage gathering, ergonomic solutions for focused work and multipurpose furniture that adapts to community events,” noted Julia Stefanski, design and project manager at AOS.
For the study and social spaces, Pappas prioritized adaptability.
“The primary goal [in these spaces] was to support both collaborative work and individual, focused study,” she said. “That drove us toward modular, lightweight furnishings that could be easily reconfigured while still feeling stable and substantial.”
Armant said the design-build delivery method with Landis Construction and CDW Services created a uniquely collaborative dynamic.
“It allowed us to collectively understand and commit to the goals of the project and use our different professional backgrounds and experience to help achieve them,” he said. “Having contractor input and guidance on cost, alternative systems and constructability was a great benefit throughout all stages of design.”
This collaborative approach led to real-time problem-solving that might not have occurred under traditional delivery methods. For instance, early in the project, budget considerations required switching the primary structure from cold-form metal framing to wood construction — a significant change that the integrated team navigated successfully.
Now operational for several months, the Innovation Collective is fulfilling its mission of supporting student life.
“It has been such a joy seeing the students take ownership of the spaces,” said Hogans Menold. “We have seen the students rearrange the furniture to support their needs. It’s nice to see the study rooms and gathering spaces serve multiple forms of function and see how easy it is for the students to do this.”
Dillard University Innovation Collective
4141 Norman Mayer Ave. // 504-283-8822 // dillard.edu
IG: @dillarduniversity // FB: @dillarduniversity // LINKEDIN: @dillarduniversity
Quick Look
Number of Years in Operation: Building opened in August 2025
Style of architecture: contemporary/contextual
Square Footage: 71,415
Architecture: Trapolin-Peer Architects
General Contractor: Landis Construction, LLC + CDW Services, LLC
Interior Décor: Trapolin-Peer Architects
Art and furnishings: AOS Interior Environments and GBP Direct
