Nakai House

UT, United States

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Nakai House

UT, United States

Firm

University of Utah - DesignBuildBLUFF

Type

Residential › Private House

YEAR

2011

SIZE

1000 sqft - 3000 sqft

DesignbuildBLUFF is a non-profit
organization located in southeast Utah. The organization works with college
students to help Navajos on the Indian reservation. Collaborating with
DesignBuildBLUFF, during the summer of 2011 eight students from the University
of Colorado at Denver designed the house, and during the fall semester moved to
Utah for the build.The house was built for an impoverished Navajo
woman. With little-to-no construction experience, the team completed the house
in 80 days with a budget of $25,000. The team’s final design is a true response
to the client’s aspirations, existing site conditions, and extreme desert
climate. More importantly, the successful completion of this project hopes to
inspire young architects and show them that with determination, persistence and
the will to improve people’s living conditions, modern and thoughtful designs
can be achieved even with little funding. Client
Lorraine Nakai is an avid collector of books,
memorabilia, objects, etc. When the team met her, she had her collections piled
and dispersed within her old house. She expressed a strong desire to be able to
showcase her eclectic collections in her new home – they were truly a part of
who she was. Furthermore, she broached ideas that questioned the traditional
bedroom, flexibility, and efficiency of space. Program We deeply regarded our discussions with the client
about showcasing her collections as well as the notions of flexibility and
efficiency. As a result, a 50-foot long bookshelf, which stretches the length
of the house, serves a dual purpose. First, it transforms the interior of the
house into a diverse exhibit. Secondly, it provides a buffer between “serving”
and “served” spaces. The height of the undulating ceiling subtly layers the
space in three zones of privacy. The fire place, which is an integral part of
the Navajo culture, stands proud as a singular object in this space.

Context Amidst an arid desert and three existing structures
on site, and a lonely tree, the team placed the building so as to create an
outdoor communal courtyard. The courtyard opens to the south to accept the cool
breezes in the summer, while the building shields the courtyard from the frigid
western winds in the winter.

Interior Despite a mere 745 sq.ft footprint, the usable
space within the house, including occupiable space, storage lofts and bookshelf
space, encompasses more than 1100 sq.ft.
The efficient interior attempts to achieve two things.

First, it challenges the notion of the traditional
bedroom as there are no “true” bedrooms in the house. The main “bedroom”
comprises a sleeping nook - or an enfolding “womb” as the client refers to it.
The nook is built into the bookshelf, so that when our client rests, she is
gently enveloped in her collections.

Secondly, the design merges the interior with the
beautiful desert landscape. The “stepping” of the floor plan allows for
beautiful vistas (one of which is provided by a floor-to-ceiling window
bathroom window) to the mountains several miles north of the house. A splash
window in the kitchen frames views of the desert landscape while the frameless
pop-out window on the north-side blurs the boundaries of indoor and outdoor.

Exterior The orientation of the house and exterior envelope
are a true response to the extremities of a desert climate. To keep the house
cool in the summer, the building’s large south opening, porosity to the east,
and detailing of door stops allow for cross ventilation. The house is entirely cladded
with reclaimed spandrel glass, which is detailed to hang 2 inches proud of the
exterior walls. This detailing keeps the harsh sun and frigid winds from coming
in direct contact with the walls of the house. The house stays cool and quiet
in the summer and warm in the winter.