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Ashley Bell Davis is a newly licensed architect in Louisiana. After working for over seven years at local architecture firms, she now co-owns and runs a firm with her husband. 

“At the end of 2018, my husband and I’s business was successful enough for me to be able to work full time,” she explained. “So, I left the firm that I was at to focus on our company, which is a multidisciplinary architecture, civil engineering and project management firm.”

Davis Design & Consulting

Since starting their business, they’ve had to make a few changes. Ashley is working on incorporating new capabilities into her company as a licensed architect. The couple is also balancing work responsibilities with their role as new parents.

“My short-term career goals are working on rebranding our business now that we are able to offer architectural services since I got licensed, and also trying to find a balance with running our business out of our home while raising our 6-month-old son,” Ashley said.

“The long-term career goals are for to focus on providing professional architecture, civil engineering and project management services to our clients,” she said. 

“We are moving towards focusing on design-build projects and working directly with contractors and owners in order to deliver a project in the most cost-effective method,” Ashley explained.

Collaboration at UL Lafayette

Ashley chose UL Lafayette for her undergraduate and degrees in architecture. She says she really appreciates the real-world experience she received here.

“At UL Lafayette, the architecture program focuses on collaboration in the way the first-year studios are a combination of architecture, interior design, and industrial design students. Also, many classes are done with group projects,” she explained. 

“This reflects the collaborations that happens in the real world, both in the office with co-workers and through design with other consultants,” she said. “I have applied this skill to be able to collaborate in my professional career.

“I was also able to take a civil engineering elective in graduate school where I worked with the College of Engineering in a project to assist with the design of a park in Sunset, La.,” she said. “This is relevant to the current work that I do in collaboration with engineers because my husband is a licensed civil engineer and we run our business together.”

While architecture classes provide real-world experience to apply in your everyday career, Ashley’s study abroad class gave her new perspectives and experiences.

“I really enjoyed my Intro to Architecture and Design class in with in 2010,” she said. “This class was an amazing way to learn about Florence and other Italian cities, through learning the history of the buildings and forming hands-on experience by exploring the city and sketching.”

Staying Involved

Along with her classroom experiences, Ashley gained real-world practice through the school’s . 

“I was able to work in the Community Design Workshop in the School of Architecture and Design, which allowed me to able to work on development projects on campus like the Quad redesign, research for the parking garages, and preservation documentation for the oak trees,” she said. 

“I was a member of , , and during my time at UL Lafayette,” she said. “These organizations allowed me to network, get involved, and give back to the school.”

 For Ashley, networking and community were important pieces of her time here and they continue to be important in her life today.

“My favorite part about the architecture program at UL Lafayette was the relationships I formed with my classmates, professors and staff at School of Architecture and Design. That created a sense of community, as well as the events and traditions within the school, that make me feel like a part of a family,” she said.

“I still am in touch with the people I met through organizations on campus,” she said. “Professionally, I was able to continue my involvement with becoming active with the and .”

Ashley has found multiple ways of staying involved, including coming back to UL Lafayette to be an adjunct professor, teaching Construction Drawings and Professional Practice (ARCH 464). 

“It was a delight being back in Fletcher Hall,” she said, “and being able to contribute to the future of the profession by sharing the knowledge I gained in my professional work with the undergraduate students. I hope to be able to teach at the School of Architecture and Design again in the future.”