Building & Architecture in the Utah Desert

This is Design Build Bluff and it was started by Hank Louis at the University of Utah School of Architecture. It's about designing and building sustainable, low maintenance, cost effective houses in the Navajo Nation in Southern Utah. I love it and think it's brilliant. It started as a project to promote hands-on experience in building and architecture back in 2000 and totally took off.
The program involves 22 grad students (they built the model in the photo above) who live out in Bluff, Utah for a semester and build a home for a member of the Navajo Nation. So crazy. I think it sounds amazing. Now before they head out to the desert to build, they spend the entire previous semester selecting a family in need of a home and then work closely with them to customize it to fit their specific needs. It's such a cool program and the stories behind the families are so good. It's worth checking out.


Design Build Bluff


Hank Louis


photos via Design Build Bluff