Design Build Bluff
Encyclopedia
__INDEX__
DesignBuildBLUFF is a non-profit organization based in Park City, Utah
that designs and builds sustainable housing, and is noted for its award-winning and innovative home designs. It is named after Bluff, Utah
where their campus facility is located and because of Bluff's close proximity to the Navajo Nation
. Each year, graduate-level architecture students from the University of Utah College of Architecture and Planning
, and more recently, The University of Colorado Denver
, design and build a home for a member of the Navajo Nation, at no charge to the home recipient. The homes are built with sustainable architecture
techniques and feature locally produced construction materials. The program is currently expanding to other universities in The Four Corners region.
program at Auburn University
, known as the Rural Studio
, which was founded by Samuel Mockbee
. In the Rural Studio model, students abandon the comforts of campus and home for a cooperative life, to learn about architecture
through action. The design-build paradigm emphasizes experimentation, scale mock-ups, in-process design iterations, consensus-building through ideas and emotions, and juxtaposing diametrically opposed cultures.
, rammed earth
, passive solar, rainwater catchment
, permaculture
, straw bale construction, Icynene foam
(a green, water-based, open-celled building insulation product
), and materials salvaged from the landscape of the reservation itself such as substratum and reed from the local riverbed.
Design plans are formatted around donated and recycled materials such as windows, doors and appliances. Additionally, the homes are built from a unique Navajo Nation-produced Flex-Crete, a new concrete block product made with fibrous aggregate from the surrounding soil, thereby further reducing the need to import building materials. Building sustainable, off-grid
homes that have little impact on the environment accomplishes for the Navajo Nation the mission of respecting the landscape while providing adequate housing.
DesignBuildBLUFF is a non-profit organization based in Park City, Utah
Park City, Utah
Park City is a town in Summit and Wasatch counties in the U.S. state of Utah. It is considered to be part of the Wasatch Back. The city is southeast of downtown Salt Lake City and from Salt Lake City's east edge of Sugar House along Interstate 80. The population was 7,558 at the 2010 census...
that designs and builds sustainable housing, and is noted for its award-winning and innovative home designs. It is named after Bluff, Utah
Bluff, Utah
Bluff is a census-designated place in San Juan County, Utah, United States. The population was 320 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Bluff is located at , in the scenic and very sparsely populated southeastern Utah canyonlands of the Colorado Plateau.According to the United States Census Bureau, the...
where their campus facility is located and because of Bluff's close proximity to the Navajo Nation
Navajo Nation
The Navajo Nation is a semi-autonomous Native American-governed territory covering , occupying all of northeastern Arizona, the southeastern portion of Utah, and northwestern New Mexico...
. Each year, graduate-level architecture students from the University of Utah College of Architecture and Planning
University of Utah College of Architecture and Planning
The University of Utah College of Architecture and Planning is an academic college of the University of Utah, offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in architecture and city and metropolitan planning...
, and more recently, The University of Colorado Denver
University of Colorado Denver
The University of Colorado Denver, shortened as CU Denver, UC Denver, or UCD, is a public university in the United States state of Colorado. It is one of three schools of the University of Colorado system. The university has two campuses — one in downtown Denver at the Auraria Campus, and the other...
, design and build a home for a member of the Navajo Nation, at no charge to the home recipient. The homes are built with sustainable architecture
Sustainable architecture
Sustainable architecture is a general term that describes environmentally conscious design techniques in the field of architecture. Sustainable architecture is framed by the larger discussion of sustainability and the pressing economic and political issues of our world...
techniques and feature locally produced construction materials. The program is currently expanding to other universities in The Four Corners region.
History
DesignBuildBLUFF was founded in 2000 by University of Utah Professor, Hank Louis. The program is modeled on a design-buildDesign-Build
Design-build is a project delivery system used in the construction industry. It is a method to deliver a project in which the design and construction services are contracted by a single entity known as the design–builder or design–build contractor...
program at Auburn University
Auburn University
Auburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest universities in the state. Auburn was chartered on February 7, 1856, as the East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts...
, known as the Rural Studio
Rural Studio
The Rural Studio is a design-build architecture studio run by Auburn University which aims to teach students about the social responsibilities of the profession of architecture while also providing safe, well-constructed and inspirational homes and buildings for poor communities in rural west...
, which was founded by Samuel Mockbee
Samuel Mockbee
Samuel "Sambo" Mockbee was an American architect and a co-founder of the Auburn University Rural Studio program in Hale County, Alabama....
. In the Rural Studio model, students abandon the comforts of campus and home for a cooperative life, to learn about architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
through action. The design-build paradigm emphasizes experimentation, scale mock-ups, in-process design iterations, consensus-building through ideas and emotions, and juxtaposing diametrically opposed cultures.
Design and construction
The program emphasizes the design and construction of Navajo Nation homes using "green-build" techniques such as earthen plasterEarthen plaster
Earthen plaster is a blend of clay, fine aggregate, and fiber. Other common additives include pigments, lime, casein, prickly pear cactus juice , manure, and linseed oil. Earthen plaster is usually applied to masonry, cob, or straw bale interiors or exteriors as a wall finish...
, rammed earth
Rammed earth
Rammed earth, also known as taipa , tapial , and pisé , is a technique for building walls using the raw materials of earth, chalk, lime and gravel. It is an ancient building method that has seen a revival in recent years as people seek more sustainable building materials and natural building methods...
, passive solar, rainwater catchment
Rainwater harvesting
Rainwater harvesting is the accumulating and storing of rainwater for reuse before it reaches the aquifer. It has been used to provide drinking water, water for livestock, water for irrigation, as well as other typical uses. Rainwater collected from the roofs of houses and local institutions can...
, permaculture
Permaculture
Permaculture is an approach to designing human settlements and agricultural systems that is modeled on the relationships found in nature. It is based on the ecology of how things interrelate rather than on the strictly biological concerns that form the foundation of modern agriculture...
, straw bale construction, Icynene foam
Foam
-Definition:A foam is a substance that is formed by trapping gas in a liquid or solid in a divided form, i.e. by forming gas regions inside liquid regions, leading to different kinds of dispersed media...
(a green, water-based, open-celled building insulation product
Building insulation materials
Building insulation materials are thermal insulation used in the construction or retrofit of buildings.The materials are used to reduce heat transfer by conduction, radiation or convection and are employed in varying combinations to achieve the desired outcome .-Categories:Insulation may be...
), and materials salvaged from the landscape of the reservation itself such as substratum and reed from the local riverbed.
Design plans are formatted around donated and recycled materials such as windows, doors and appliances. Additionally, the homes are built from a unique Navajo Nation-produced Flex-Crete, a new concrete block product made with fibrous aggregate from the surrounding soil, thereby further reducing the need to import building materials. Building sustainable, off-grid
Off-the-grid
The term off-the-grid or off-grid refers to living in a self-sufficient manner without reliance on one or more public utilities....
homes that have little impact on the environment accomplishes for the Navajo Nation the mission of respecting the landscape while providing adequate housing.
Projects
- 2000 - Bandstand Project
- 2001 - Bend In the River Project
- 2002 & 2003 - The Kunga House
- 2004 - Rosie Joe House
- 2005 - Brian Johnson House
- 2006 - Caroline Lameman House
- 2007 - Dora and Baxter Benally House
- 2008 - ShipShop & BathHouse; Bluff campus renovation
- 2009 - Whitehorse House
- 2010 - Yanito House & Windcatcher House