Turner Industries: IPS Facility
Location: Port Allen, Louisiana



From the inception of this project, Trahan Architects’ charge from Turner Industries was to design a facility that is rooted in the company’s service to the industrial economy. After studying the pipe fabrication processes, and specifically, the heat induction bending process at Turner Industries pipe fabrication shops, Trahan Architects created a design that not only embodies the very services Turner Industries provide, but seeks to provide a contemporary, sculptural representation of the work by Turner employees.



Trahan Architects’ design for the Turner IPS administrative facility is responsive to the uniqueness of Turner Industries and informed by the process for which Turner has built a world-class reputation. The building itself is a manifestation of Turner’s technological capacities, craft and expertise. With exposure to Interstate 10, this design allows this IPS administrative facility to become a gateway to the actual work conducted on site and a brand for the services Turner Industries provide.



The Design

The proposed design embraces the site by negotiating around existing site conditions, creating zones of inter-activity that can enhance the use of the facility by both customers and employees.



The building itself becomes a showcase for Turner Industries’ services, with the design incorporating Turner’s heat induction bending by proposing the main structure of the building be fabricated out of bent steel tube, an idea extracted from visiting the IPS facility. The design provides cohesion, identity and branding for Turner Industries.



The potential of heat induction bending as a structural means allows for a more open and fluid approach to designing and shaping space. These structural ribs will be fabricated on site and erected at considerable time and cost savings to the client.

The undulation of the roof plane pulls away to maximize light and views from interior administrative spaces, then pushes forward to shelter from direct light and up and out to create entry and canopy. By running east to west, the building allows for maximum exposure to north light.



The subtle bends in the form create new spaces that did not previously exist, an entry plaza that will shape employees’ and clients’ experience of accessing the building and a small, intimate courtyard space in the back that can be used by all employees for breaks or lunch, bridging the relationship between the administrative and fabrication shop employees.

Metal skin is used for the building as a metaphor for the tough industrial nature of the site. The experience of the building will change constantly throughout the day as the sun moves across the sky with its daylight striking the metal skin at varying positions.



The design embodies the goals, qualities and aspirations of Turner Industries. It will send a message of quality, commitment and forward thinking to its employees and clients by creating a facility that has a better user interface and working environment.

Turner Industries Building - text / images from Trahan Architects Jun08



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