NEW ORLEANS—TLC Engineering for Architecture sees opportunity in New Orleans. The Louisiana city's post-Hurricane Katrina construction boom has intensified, fueled in part by Mayor Mitch Landrieu's pledge to get a wide array of public works projects done by the city's tricentennial in 2018.

TLC, which opened a New Orleans office in the city's central business district earlier this year, is in the midst of three significant projects. The firm is working with Louisiana National Guard Readiness Center in Franklinton, LA, the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans, and Tulane University's new River and Coastal Center. TLC is also working to team with commercial real estate professionals, architect, and contractors in New Orleans to pursue projects in the hospitality, government, and higher education market segments.

GlobeSt.com caught up with Heather Tank, a mechanical project engineer at TLC and one of the company's leaders in New Orleans, to get her take on the opportunities and challenges to execute projects there in part one of this exclusive interview. Be sure to check out the Southwest edition tomorrow morning for part two.