EskewDumezRipple

Industry	Architecture
Founded	1989
Headquarters	New Orleans, Louisiana
Key people	Steve Dumez, Director of Design Allen Eskew (deceased) Mark Ripple (retired)
Number of employees	50+
Website	www.eskewdumezripple.com

EskewDumezRipple (EDR) is a New Orleans and Washington, DC-based architecture, interiors and urban planning firm recognized for producing innovative projects grounded by a strong understanding of context, culture, and environment. Established in 1989, the studio has transformed from a local firm doing nationally recognized work to a national firm that has retained its local roots. Recipients of the prestigious 2014 Architecture Firm Award from the American Institute of Architects,^[1] the firm has continued to find meaningful ways to shape community and the profession at large.

From the firm’s inception, four core values endure: Design Excellence, Environmental Responsibility, Community Outreach, and Client Commitment. Every aspect of the practice has been structured to support these ideals. The resulting body of work—ranging from intimate interiors to large-scale urban planning projects—reflects our aspirations for building community, regardless of project scale, scope or complexity.

Firm History

Founded in 1989 in New Orleans, Louisiana, EskewDumezRipple is one of the Gulf South’s largest, and most highly decorated, architecture firms.

When Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in late summer 2005, EskewDumezRipple was already an award-winning firm of emerging national significance. In the eight years following the storm, the firm exceeded its own high expectations, receiving more than a dozen national awards across a remarkable range of project types and scales, including an AIA Housing Award, an AIA Small Project Award, and Institute Honor Awards in all three program areas — Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Regional & Urban Design.

Immediately after Katrina, the practice had reorganized to better contribute to the essential work of recovery across the devastated landscape of New Orleans. The firm was a pivotal contributor to the Louisiana Recovery and Rebuilding Conference (the first large-scale, multi-stakeholder gathering held after the storm in November 2005), the 2006 Bring New Orleans Back Commission Urban Planning Committee, the Unified New Orleans Plan (UNOP), the Sustainable Restoration Plan for the Holy Cross/Lower 9th Ward neighborhood, the New Orleans Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT), and, more recently, the New Orleans Civic Center Planning Task Force and the New Orleans Strategic Hospitality Task Force. In the words of Alex Krieger, FAIA, Professor of Urban Design at Harvard, EskewDumezRipple is “a seminal professional organization; a gathering of talented architects, insightful planners, committed urban activists, environmental stewards, and citizens fully engaged in the welfare of their home domain.”

In 2009, EskewDumezRipple signed on to the American Institute of Architects 2030 Commitment program, a national collective of firms committed to carbon neutrality of buildings and projects by 2030.

Director of Design, Steve Dumez of EskewDumezRipple (Photo by Craig Mulcahy)

In 2014, EskewDumezRipple received the 2014 Architecture Firm Award, the highest accolade given by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), celebrating the high caliber work and accomplishments by the firm. AIA describes the award as, “the highest honor that the American Institute of Architects can bestow on an architecture firm for consistently producing distinguished architecture.^[2]” The award was presented just days after the unexpected loss of one of the firm’s founding members, Allen Eskew; the entire 50-person firm accepted the award on stage in Chicago, much to the surprise of the audience. Director of Design Steve Dumez stated, “It is the firm award, not an individual award.”

Following the firm’s award-winning 2014 year, EskewDumezRipple continued to gain prestige by winning national project contracts and making a name for itself through its innovation and commitment to environmental advancements in architecture.

In 2021, EskewDumezRipple expanded its national and international reach by opening a second office location in Washington, D.C., increasing its firm overall size and influence in the industry.

Notable projects

The Bruce Museum of Arts and Sciences in Greenwich, CT, one of EskewDumezRipple's recent designs. (Photo by Timothy Hursley)

• The Bruce Museum of Arts and Science, Greenwich, CT
• Center of Developing Entrepreneurs (CODE), Charlottesville, VA
• Audubon Nature Institute Aquarium and Insectarium, New Orleans, LA
• Thaden School, Bentonville, AR
• Dalney Building at Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
• Mya, Salt Lake City, UT
• Louisiana State History Museum, New Orleans, LA
• New Orleans East Hospital, New Orleans, LA
• New Orleans Bioinnovation Center, New Orleans, LA
• 930 Poydras Residential Tower, New Orleans
• Lycee Francais de la Nouvelle-Orleans, New Orleans, LA
• Poydras Home, New Orleans, LA
• LSU Shaw Center for the Arts, Baton Rouge, LA
• Ace Hotel, New Orleans, LA
• Olney Theatre Center for the Arts, Olney, MD
• Children's Hospital New Orleans Ronald McDonald House Charities, New Orleans, LA
• Kate and Laurance Eustis Chapel at Ochsner Clinic, New Orleans, LA
• Prospect.1 Welcome Center, New Orleans
• Hilliard Art Museum, Lafayette
• New Orleans Riverfront Development Plan, 2012

Awards

Day of Service

The firm is nationally recognized for employing architecture as a catalyzing force for civic and social good. In January of 2015, EskewDumezRipple launched its first Day of Service, an annual firm-wide initiative that simultaneously strengthens its commitment to building community and honors the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. Each MLK Day the firm donates the services of its entire staff to amplify the capacity of organizations working to better the New Orleans community. The day is an opportunity to concentrate the skills and interests of the entire studio towards assisting larger ongoing community efforts, and enables community organizations to participate in a collaborative design process, one adapted to their particular design challenge. This exchange of knowledge benefits the firm—constructing a deeper understanding of community needs—and benefits the partner organization in further realizing their mission via design excellence. Challenges can be tackled through a wide range of services including building and landscape design, graphic advocacy, branding, marketing and communications planning, and urban engagement at a range of scales.

Through intensive, day-long charrettes, each team—with representation from Marketing to Administration; Designer to New Hire—participated in the collaborative event tailored to each organization’s particular challenge.

References

External links

• Official website