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The Spine: A Celebration of Mardi Gras and Collective Presence,  | International Design Awards Winners
The Spine: A Celebration of Mardi Gras and Collective Presence,  | International Design Awards Winners
The Spine: A Celebration of Mardi Gras and Collective Presence,  | International Design Awards Winners
The Spine: A Celebration of Mardi Gras and Collective Presence,  | International Design Awards Winners
The Spine: A Celebration of Mardi Gras and Collective Presence,  | International Design Awards Winners
The Spine: A Celebration of Mardi Gras and Collective Presence,  | International Design Awards Winners
The Spine: A Celebration of Mardi Gras and Collective Presence,  | International Design Awards Winners
The Spine: A Celebration of Mardi Gras and Collective Presence,  | International Design Awards Winners

The Spine: A Celebration of Mardi Gras and Collective Presence

UniversityLouisiana State University
Lead DesignersMasood Koochaki
Project LocationNew Orleans, United States of America
Prize(s)Silver in Commercial Architecture / Cultural / Educational Architecture
Entry Description

The Spine is a community center in New Orleans’ Seventh Ward that transforms Mardi Gras’ ephemeral festival into a permanent architectural framework. Its central procession spine threads through workshops, theaters, galleries, and gathering spaces, making circulation performative. Float-inspired form, textile-patterned façades, and a wave-like timber canopy evoke movement, craft, and cultural memory. Design Statement: The project reinterprets Carnival’s dynamic processions into enduring spatial typologies, offering a civic vessel where festivity, craft, and cultural memory coexist year-round.