$29M Digital Media Center Dedicated at LSU; Charter School Buys New HQ Building for $1.6M

By Eliza Theiss, Associate Editor

Gov. Bobby Jindal, EA Executive Bryan Neider and LSU President and Chancellor F. King Alexander officially dedicate the LSU Digital Media Center

The Louisiana digital technology sector celebrated yet another boost with the official dedication of the Louisiana Digital Media Center in Baton Rouge. The $29.3 million project, located on Louisiana State University’s (LSU) Main Campus, now provides 94,000 square feet of high tech space, housing both commercial and education tenants.  The $26.3 million in construction funding was provided by State of Louisiana capital outlay dollars, with an additional $3 million infrastructure grant made available by the U.S Economic Development Authority.

LSU’s Center for Computation and Technology (CCT) and LSU’s Arts, Visualization, Advanced Technologies and Research (AVATAR) program represent the facility’s university tenants.  The CCT will house about 190 faculty, staff and students, providing state-of-the-art audio-visual teaching facilities supporting LSU’s digital media and software development research on 50,000 square feet of space. The AVATAR initiative brings in an additional 200 students per week to the Digital Media Center.

The project’s main commercial tenant is Electronic Arts Inc. (EA). The company set up its North American Test Center (NATC) in the facility, taking up 30,000 square feet of space. EA’s initial plans of creating 220 full- and part-time jobs with an annual payroll of $5.7 million have been exceeded and the company plans to grow into the 400 to 600 job range.

In other education news, online charter school Louisiana Connections Academy (LCA) has purchased the Parkview Office Building on Jamestown Ave., where it plans to relocate its operations, reports  >The Advocate. Operating under the name Friends of Louisiana Connections Academy, the charter school’s board acquired the 80 percent occupied office building for $1.6 million from Abdul and Maimoona Khan. LCA will take up residence on fourth floor, which will provide about 8,000 square feet.

Image courtesy of Louisiana State University