Rendering by Ali Bengtson
Collaborators: Rachel Loya, Ali Bengtson, Olivia Miller
In partnership with The UNL Center for Great Plains Studies and the Otoe-Missouria Tribe, Walking in the Footsteps of our Ancestors project
Over the course of this project, we worked closely with tribal partners to design architectural interventions that work to reconnect the tribe to their native lands and bring awareness of there presence to the public. Regrowing Roots is located on Spring Creek Audubon Prairie and aims to create a space where tribe members can reclaim active stewardship of their land and practice and teach their culture. The site includes spaces for artistic practices, traditional gathering and storytelling, and the growing and cooking of food, as well as housing for visiting tribe members.
Concept and goal diagram created through conversations with tribal members and partners
Existing site conditions at Spring Creek Prairie
Land preparation plan (by Rachel Loya) and sequential massing diagram
Design Process:
This project started with a process of learning and understanding the tribe’s culture, history, traditions, and values through tribal engagement training, research and meetings with tribe members. We translated the needs and values we heard from these meetings into our main project concept and programs, and overall design approach. Our proposal not only includes a building and integration into the site, but also a plan to form a joint stewardship agreement and to build in a way that is respectful to both the land and Jiwere-Nut’achi culture.
Plan drawings by Olivia Miller and Ali Bengtson
Site Integration:
In addition to a building that provides spaces for gathering, cooking, and art making, the entire site was utilized to gardens for growing significant plants and access to the prairie. Site elements like the entry gate and decorative boundary fence give the site an important sense of safety and privacy while welcoming tribe members in their own language. While we represented placeholder designs on elements such as the fence (right), these are also intended to invite participation from visiting artists as a canvas for their own designs.
Lodging
Makerspace/Studio
Indoor/Outdoor Kitchen
Rendering by Ali Bengtson