HUD Archives: News Releases

NATIVE AMERICANS WIN CULTURAL DESIGN AWARDS

Henry G. Cisneros, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced the fiscal year 1995 winners of HUD's Cultural Design Awards for innovative and creative designs of Native American housing across the nation.

The Cultural Design Award categories and winners are:

• Overall Cultural Design - the Navajo Housing Authority, located in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah
• Tribal Facility - the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe, located in the State of Washington
• Prototype Cultural Design - the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, located in Montana
• Consultation - the Cook Inlet Housing Authority, located in Alaska
• Energy Conservation - the Oneida Housing Authority of Wisconsin

These important awards reflect the Department's commitment to creating change in Indian housing design and development. The awards also challenge Indian housing authorities, architects, engineers, and all others involved in the development of Native American housing to support and promote the concepts provided in the publication "Our Home - Giving Form to Traditional Values".

Information regarding the Cultural Design Award program and copies of "Our Home - Giving Form to Traditional Values" may be obtained from any HUD Area Office of Native American Programs in Chicago, Denver, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, Seattle, and Anchorage, or the Office of Native American Programs, HUD Headquarters, Washington, DC. Photos are available by request to the Office of Native American Programs, Ms. Jennifer Bullough at 202/755-0068.

The winners of this competition are diverse and range over the entire continental United States.

The Navajo Housing Authority won the overall Cultural Design Award for homes designed by the Navajo Indian owned architectural firm, David N. Sloan and Associates. The design is based on the traditional Navajo hogan concept and illustrates the internal and external features of a hogan and the importance of direction, balance, and harmony. The use of the hogan design allows the occupants of the homes to conduct gatherings in the traditional manner.

The Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe won the Cultural Design Tribal Facility award for the "7 Cedars Casino" -- the result of three years of meticulous planning. The facility was designed by Group West Associates, Inc. to blend in with the beauty of the Olympic Peninsula. The exterior is a rustic lodge style in stained cedar. Three totem poles depict tribal history and culture. An art gallery, located inside the main entrance, is designed to represent a traditional longhouse.

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes won the Cultural Design Prototype award for their People's Center, developed to promote, preserve, and enhance Salish and Kootenai culture. Designed by Paul Bishop, the center includes a circular dance arbor in front and a rotunda at the heart of the building. The skylight designed by Marie Torosian and the use of timber poles encircling the rotunda evoke the native drum. The design includes earth berms which enclose and support the building and make it more a part of the earth.

The Cook Inlet Housing Authority won the Cultural Design Consultation award for a 75-unit independent living facility for older Alaskans. This project incorporates the needs, thoughts, and ideas of elderly Alaskans into the design. The design team held public hearings and conducted extensive interviews and discussions with the future residents. The building was designed by Koonce Pfeffer, Inc., to reflect the character of a small village or community. The interior corridors of the building resemble streets or neighborhoods.

The Oneida Housing Authority won the Cultural Design Energy Conservation award for its use of active and passive solar energy, structural orientation, and efficient and renewable energy technology in new home construction. These homes, located in Wisconsin, were designed to be as energy-efficient as possible. The architect, Joseph Leo Godkin, used vertical south facing glass to provide up to one third of the winter heating needs. Earth berms and the strategic planting of windbreaks improved energy efficiency by approximately 20 percent. The reduction in energy use for home heating is expected to produce an annual savings of $500 per home.

Presentation of the awards will take place at the National American Indian Housing Council Conference in Washington, D.C. in June.

Content Archived: January 20, 2009