John Coyle

Design-Build Shop Manager

John Coyle serves as the Design-Build Shop Manager for the Albert and Tina Small Center for Collaborative Design, where he leads the delivery of community-based design-build projects that connect architectural education with public service. Working closely with faculty, students and community partners, he oversees project development, fabrication and construction while advancing experiential learning through the design-build curriculum.

Since moving to New Orleans in 2008 to pursue his Master of Architecture at Tulane, John has dedicated his career to advancing resilient, equitable and environmentally responsive communities and spaces through collaborative design. Drawing on his experience as a student at the Small Center, John founded urbanscapes design + build, an interdisciplinary practice specializing in green infrastructure and stormwater management, resilient landscapes and public placemaking. Among their notable projects is The Greenway Plaza, which transformed a former parking lot along the Lafitte Greenway into a vibrant public space that now hosts regular community events and a weekly farmers market.

As an Adjunct Professor at Tulane, John co-taught the 2024 Design-Build Studio, guiding students through the design and construction of the Sprout Pavilion on the Lafitte Greenway. Previously, he served as Construction Manager for Youth Rebuilding New Orleans, where he taught building trades to local youth through the construction of affordable housing. John’s work is rooted in the belief that public-interest design and design-build education provide a powerful framework for preparing students to address complex social, environmental and technical challenges.