William Netter discovered what he wanted to do with his life when an architect spoke to his senior class in high school.
“I immediately knew that was what I wanted to do because the profession combined my biggest interests: creativity, design, and construction,” he said.
When deciding where to major in architecture, Will weighed his options.
“I chose to attend UL Lafayette because I was impressed by the quality of the student work and the enthusiasm of the professors teaching in the department,” he said.
“I highly value the education I received at UL Lafayette. My time there was some of the most transformative years of my life,” he said. “What stands out most to me is the support from faculty and staff and the sense of camaraderie amongst my peers, forming bonds that continue to this day.”
Architecture as a Student
Some of Will’s classes that still stand out over a decade later are his junior and senior year studio courses. Through Architectural Design IV (ARCH 302), he “fell in love with urban design and saw the power architecture had to improve cities as a whole.”
“In my third year in the program, we studied architecture through the lens of urban planning,” he said. “This opened my eyes to how architecture is not simply the design of an individual building, but how that building fits within the context and affects the quality of spaces within a city.”
The following year Will took Architectural Design V (ARCH 409), his senior year design studio.
“This studio motivated me to think about buildings and the environment holistically,” he said. “Everything I learned in this course gave me the skills to go out into the world, after graduating from UL Lafayette, with a sense of confidence and pride that helped me navigate the profession.”
In his classes, Will gained “a comprehensive understanding of architecture” while also learning ways to include his design background.
“Through this broad approach to design education, I was able to narrow down what my particular passion was within the realm of architecture and pursue it with vigor,” he said
Architect Out in the World
After graduating from UL Lafayette, Will earned his Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn). He practiced at firms in New York City and Chicago before moving back home to New Orleans.
Will is now a project architect at EskewDumezRipple where he has worked on design competitions and a university master plan project. He is currently designing a junior high school.
“Having recently moved back to Louisiana, my short-term career plan is to get involved in the community,” he said. “As a person of color in architecture, I’ve come to realize there is a lack of diversity and representation in the profession. It is my goal to expose the youth to the field and motivate young professionals to pursue careers in the arts and design.”
