“I started thinking about how about how culture, language and tradition could be brought into my work,” she said.
About 20 are being manufactured at the factory and the first one will soon be placed in Window Rock so people can see it. Most of the chapter houses will get at least one of these prototype homes. There are about 115 chapter houses in Arizona and New Mexico. A Navajo housing department will select who will live in these homes.
“We’re doing the site work now and each of these homes will be on a foundation,” she said.
The project is supported by ARPA and the funds will not be affected by budget cutbacks because they have already been allocated. Each unit will cost about $295,000. The homes are 1,280 square feet and are considered midsize homes.
All the homes are near utilities such as water and will be all electric. Some may need septic systems.
Begay, who has owned Indigenous Design Studio and Architecture (IDSA) for 13 years, said these traditionally designed homes will provide housing and jobs for her Navajo people. The homes will incorporate many of the ideas of hogans.
“We’ll include our principles of our connections with the sky and earth,” she said. “Local plants, vegetation and colors will also be used.”
During the colder months on Navajo, warmth is needed, so the homes will also have traditional wood stoves.
Begay said the modular units will be durable and have materials that can be purchased at nearby stores like Home Depot.
Most ZenniHomes have beds that fold out from the ceiling, but that is not traditional, so these homes will not have that. “The question is what do the people who will live in these homes want? We want to give them what’s needed so we will have options,” she said.
In addition, the homes will be prepped for solar in case that is an option in the future.
Begay says the intention is to bring generational value, as the homes will appreciate over time. And taxes from the homes will be used within the Navajo communities.
“This is built on Navajo by Navajos for Navajos.”
She says 82% of the employees are indigenous, with 174 out of 211 employees being Native American. Most of them worked for Navajo Generating Station before it closed down.
Begay connected with ZenniHome about two years ago. “I see it as a great opportunity. I see the prospects growing. Other tribes will see this and want to use this because it redefines modular homes.”
Begay wanted to be an architect at a young age and followed that dream as she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in architecture from the University of New Mexico. She worked at non-indigenous and indigenous architecture firms before starting IDSA.
Begay’s grandmother was a medicine woman who emphasized respect for the planet.
“I started thinking about how about how culture, language and tradition could be brought into my work,” she said. “We think about the four-legged and the two-legged beings, so we want to minimize our impact. We don’t want to overgrow or overdevelop. If everyone had followed that, we would not be talking about climate change. But planning takes time, and I started working with the pueblos because they understood that respect.”
People have been impressed with her architectural work without knowing it was her. “They would say, ‘Who did that?’ and someone would point to me. They would say, ‘huh,’ because I was not their stereotype of an architect.”
Begay is proud that IDSA has indigenous designers. She was also the first licensed Navajo female architect and remains one of eight indigenous female architects in the world. She was recently appointed by New Mexico’s governor to the state’s Architectural Registration Board.
Begay, who grew up in Iyanbito, a small community outside of Gallup, is an adjunct professor at UNM. She teaches students about architectural design and takes pride in mentoring the students. “The best part of my job is solving problems in the community.” QCBN
By Stan Bindell, QCBN
Courtesy Photo: Tamarah Begay has owned Indigenous Design Studio and Architecture for 13 years.
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