16 LSU interior design students designed plans for new Baton Rouge emergency department

When Dr. Mark Laperouse and his team at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center sat down to make plans for a renovation for the emergency department, they did not expect to turn to 16 LSU undergrads.

A $55 million renovation began in August 2025 at Our Lady of the Lake, the only Level 1 trauma center in the Baton Rouge area. The hospital cited two reasons for the refresh: to increase capacity and improve patient care.

Our Lady of the Lake emergency room to undergo $55M renovations. Here's what to know.

"We wanted the environment to match the quality of care inside the department so there’s nothing left for misinterpretation," Laperouse said.

In 2019, Laperouse, the physician medical director of emergency services at the Lake, reached out to Julie Elliott, a professor of interior d