Program Directors

Byron is an established architect, educator, New Orleans native, and alumnus of Tulane University. He has traveled a path from New Orleans through Harvard’s Graduate School of Design to professional practice in central Europe, and eventually back at home.

He now finds himself committed to building his locally-based practice bildDESIGN, in conjunction with his academic role as senior professor of practice at Tulane’s School of Architecture and director of the school’s design/build program UrbanBuild. From 2011-2014 he served as one of the founding endowed social entrepreneurship professors in the universtity-wide program in Social Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship (SISE).

With more than 30 years of experience in the fields of architecture and construction, Byron is committed to critical assignments that exemplify a collaborative planning approach and a dedication to the regional remediation of New Orleans. As a local, Byron understands the impact of pre-Katrina problems on a post-Katrina world and the challenges set forth. The comprehensive nature of such tasks fuels his investigations in pursuit of progressive contextual infill possibilities that encourage and advance the revitalization of New Orleans’ urban fabric.

Hugh Jackson is a rising designer, builder, and educator living in New Orleans. He is co-teaching the URBANbuild Research Studio. Hugh originates from Charlottesville, Virginia where he gained his initial building experience by experimenting with various apprenticeships. Hands-on experience from building trades including fabrication, plumbing, and HVAC would later temper the formal design skills acquired from his undergraduate education.

In his time attending Tulane School of Architecture, Hugh’s student work followed a common focus of sustainability and resilience. These qualities transcend a variety of scales across his work, from rethinking vast urban infrastructures to designing energy efficient single-family schemes. This work would culminate in Hugh’s thesis, a cross-disciplinary collaboration with Tulane’s School of Engineering to design a scheme for a net zero building. In 2022 their project was awarded 3rd place in ASHRAE’s annual competition. Since graduating, Hugh has collaborated with BILD, a New Orleans design/build firm. Here, Hugh has honed his skills and applied his talents to award-winning projects in the residential market.

As part of her commitment to advancing human health and wellbeing in the built environment, Hannah became a WELL Accredited Professional in 2021. Her first design love was interior design, as she received a degree in Interior Design from UT Austin before pursuing a Master of Architecture from the Tulane School of Architecture.

Hannah’s design and teaching philosophies rest heavily upon the idea that design should go beyond visual and formal studies and prioritize its impact on people.

As a graduate student, she spent eight months in Santiago, Chile while working for Felipe Assadi Arquitectos, conducting a travel fellowship on poetry and architecture, and spending a semester at the Universidad Católica de Chile as an international student.

After graduate school, she worked as a researcher at Eskew+Dumez+Ripple studying acoustics in architecture and its effect on health and productivity. Most recently, she has been an interior and architectural designer at Trapolin-Peer Architects, working on both adaptive reuse projects and new construction.

Some of her local projects include the 2021 prototype house for unCommon Construction, St. Augustine High School, an affordable senior living facility with Providence Community Housing, the new headquarters for Son of a Saint, and assisting with the LEED certification of Edna Karr High School.

Though she recently returned to life on land, in her spare time you can find Hannah sailing on Lake Pontchartrain in the sailboat she once called home.