Schedule : About [DesignBuildBLUFF]

DesignBuildBLUFF is a program for graduate students to realize architecture that nurtures the spirit and improves the lives of all who experience it.

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Schedule

As DesignBuildBLUFF is a program for graduate students of Universities and Colleges, our schedule is based on an academic schedule.

First Semester

fall semester for the University of Utah

summer semester for the the University of Colorado

DesignBuildBLUFF students enroll in a three-credit preparatory course.

This course familiarizes students with Navajo history, culture, and lifestyle, allows them to select a Navajo family, and gives them studio time to design a house for the family.

Interview:
Early September

The students will visit Bluff, Utah and interview several Navajo families in need of a home in remote areas.

Selection:
Early September

The students will pick one family from the candidate families.

This will be the family for whom they will design and, ultimately, build a house.

Design:
September to December

Students group themselves into teams of two or three based on similarity of design, concept, and systems.

Presentation to Critics:
Mid-December

Students will present to local critics. Based on their feedback and input from the student group, two or three designs will be chosen to show to the family.

Presentation to Family:
End of December

The students will travel to Bluff to present the family with the designs picked from the local presentation. From these, the family will pick one design for the students to construct in the next semester.

Second Semester

spring semester for the University of Utah

fall semester for the the University of Colorado

During the Spring Semester, DesignBuildBLUFF students take five credits of design studio, three credits of construction technology and three credits of architectural history.

Build the house:
From January to May

Students spend their days out on the jobsite or in the shop. Their evenings are spent refining their designs, creating materials lists, and charging up for the next day.

Their schedule typically keeps them in Bluff for two weeks and then back in Salt Lake City for one week to reconnect with family and friends.

History class of Native American:
From January to May

In addition to working on the house, students take a history class to learn about Native American culture once a week in Bluff.

Maintenance of former projects:
From January to May

Students also maintain the projects from past years while they stay in Bluff.

Celebration:
Middle of May

The last day of the program, all students and staff celebrate the completion of our project.