“Can we people do more with this facility?” This is the question I asked myself when I stood in front of the column gallery of the old Coca-Cola building on Airline Highway last Sunday afternoon. I will ask myself the same question if I stand in the column gallery of LSU Student Union. Not because the two look almost like twins, but because they’re parts of my mental map of this town after living here for 13 years. Baton Rouge is undergoing a change of its face.
Recently, we heard the news that Costco will build its first store at the site of old Coca-Cola plant. We also heard the news that the LSU School of Engineering will expand Patrick F. Taylor Hall.
Is there a possible marriage between these two big deals? What would happen when we deconstruct the old Coca-Cola plant and reuse it to build the new parts of Taylor Hall? The new images we will have, a clean slate for Costco, a save for the budget of the state and a true engineering spirit for LSU. Think of it.
Hongwei Zhao
architect
Baton Rouge
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