Room: F150-151

Audience: Architects

Call to Action: Weave the social and cultural aspects of a project’s locale into your design process. Dream big about community impact: understand how your project can create opportunity for those it serves.

Abstract: A once in a lifetime opportunity: designing a school and community hub on Navajo Nation, which will serve the rural area for generations. Lukachukai Community School became much more than a building, despite the fast-track schedule and remoteness—thanks to a collective vision between designer, contractor, owner, and the community itself. This session delves into strategic workarounds for rural design challenges and shines a light on often-overlooked opportunities go above and beyond for a community’s unique needs. Topics include: communicating design possibilities, managing lead times, designing within BIA guidelines, feasibility + maintainability, school as a community hub, and creating safe places that harmonize between long-standing tradition and forward-thinking design. Video link »

Learning Objectives:

1. Include weaving the social and cultural aspects of a project’s locale into your design process, dreaming big about a project’s impact on its community, overcoming rural constructability challenges, and breaking down barriers that prevent students from accessing a quality education. These objectives address project design and planning, project development and documentation, and construction and evaluation.