Upper Fruitland Community Hall

Upper Fruitland
Community Hall

year

2019

client

Upper Fruitland Chapter

location

Fruitland, New Mexico, United States

TAWAW role

Architectural Design

architect of record

Tawaw Architecture Collective, PLLC

1

Background

Community Empowerment

Upper Fruitland is located in the four corners region of New Mexico on the Navajo Nation Reservation. In co-creation with the Upper Fruitland Chapter officials and the community, the community hall design includes a main reception area and a cemetery. The design was derived from incorporating traditional culture and the surrounding landscape. The cemetery is to span across 40.6 acres to accommodate approximately 9,000 burial plots, reception building, and maintenance building.

2

Approach

Deriving Inspiration from Culture

The design inspiration is taken from the Navajo Hogan. The ASU design team has done multiple studies of the tectonics of the Hogan, materiality, and the cultural representation of directionality. Upper Fruitland is surrounded by vegetation, with the steep slopes of sharp-crested ridges providing inspiration for the reception building.

1

number of community engagements

3

Impact

Modern and Traditional Balance

One of the design challenges was the balance between modernity and tradition Navajo culture. Upper Fruitland wanted the culture represented in the design, while still maintaining a modern appearance. There have been many iterations of the interpretation of the Hogan. The ASU team aimed to honor the original shape, repeated as a cluster of forms.