Lakota Heritage Center
Summer Studio 2017 with Prof. Carl Lewis
Most heritage centers only display the past and showcase the culture, but rarely address the contemporary issues of the community. This heritage center will have a more active role in helping the reservation and Lakota Sioux population.
The heritage center is composed of two major programs: a museum wing and a pre-collegiate educational institute. The project is designed under the guidance of the Lakotan architecture design principles. The form of the museum is a juxtaposition of rectangular boxes and spheres. The spheres are expanding outward and exploding out of the restriction of the frames. It is a metaphor for the power and tenacity of the Sioux nation and it also symbolizes the constant struggle they’ve been encountering.
The institute will house younger generation and help them combat alcohol & drug addiction, sexual abuse, and suicide, and give them educational opportunity and health care. In addition, they will be able to receive career training and have the opportunity to work at the museum in order to gain income and experience. Part of the heritage center’s missions is to help the reservation to move forward by considering the future of the tribe.
With both the museum and the educational institute, the architecture aims to reconstruct the community and re-channel the power of the nation by giving younger generation in the reservation a sense of purpose.
The heritage center is composed of two major programs: a museum wing and a pre-collegiate educational institute. The project is designed under the guidance of the Lakotan architecture design principles. The form of the museum is a juxtaposition of rectangular boxes and spheres. The spheres are expanding outward and exploding out of the restriction of the frames. It is a metaphor for the power and tenacity of the Sioux nation and it also symbolizes the constant struggle they’ve been encountering.
The institute will house younger generation and help them combat alcohol & drug addiction, sexual abuse, and suicide, and give them educational opportunity and health care. In addition, they will be able to receive career training and have the opportunity to work at the museum in order to gain income and experience. Part of the heritage center’s missions is to help the reservation to move forward by considering the future of the tribe.
With both the museum and the educational institute, the architecture aims to reconstruct the community and re-channel the power of the nation by giving younger generation in the reservation a sense of purpose.
Lakotan Architecture Principles from Dr. Craig Howe:
- Centering: How the concept of center is understood by the community
- Orienting: Positioning the center in relation to the landscape and skyscape
- Moving: The order of entering, moving through, then exiting space
- Arranging: The proper internal placement of spaces in relation to the center
- Echoing: The concept most people use for design guidelines, including forms, colors, numbers, shapes, plants, animals, and time. It is the reflection of forms and materials in the environment