The Italian Renaissance inspired styling of this 1350 person capacity alumni and conference center, and 200 room hotel carefully interprets the rich architectural heritage of the LSU campus. Built in two phases, the materials, colors, and architectural features were selected and detailed to evoke the spirit of LSU while the design emphasizes the pedestrian character of the campus.
The design process for this facility not only involved research into the detailing of the original campus buildings and studies of how to interpret those details in today’s materials, but also involved extensive research into Alumni Centers and University Foundations from across the country.
The Lod Cook Alumni Center has served as a model for other Alumni Centers across the country, frequently being visited by building committees. It serves as a gathering point for alumni from all over the world.
Additionally, the building design was instrumental in leading to the development of the LSU Campus Design Guidelines to emulate the successful contextual design themes of the Lod Cook Alumni Center.
Following the Alumni Center project, WHL designed the adjacent Cook Conference Center and Hotel and the University Sports Museum.