The town of Lafitte, Louisiana, is located in an area of outstanding natural beauty approximately 60 miles to the South of New Orleans. The town suffers from two key issues; 1) Tourism revenue is severely limited by the fact that the town is inaccessible for those without a car, and 2) The town is frequently afflicted by significant flooding which can leave the civic leadership without a base from which to conduct relief efforts.

      My solution, presented to an enthusiastic Mayor's Office of Lafitte, was for a re-purposed barge, designed to take tourists from the New Orleans Riverwalk to the tourist attractions of Lafitte in an hour, returning at the end of the day. The plans for the barge included crew quarters, a restaurant to promote local Lafitte cuisine, and an exhibition space conceived to complement the seasonal tourist festivals that Lafitte has already established (eg: The festival of the Classic Car in the Springtime). In addition, the locational flexibility of the barge meant that it could be repurposed, as required, as a community focal-point and base for civic relief efforts during times of severe flooding.