Most architecture students
never touch a building site.
Here, you design a home, build it with your own hands, and hand a family the keys.
25+ Homes built
300+ Students
Navajo Nation Bluff, Utah
2000 Building since
University of Utah · School of Architecture
DesignBuild
UTAH@BLUFF
Build Real. Learn Deep.
The Journey
From first handshake to handing over the keys.
One family. One home. Every step in your hands.
Twelve weeks of the construction semester — in four minutes.
“When students hand over the keys, they understand what architecture truly means — it is not a drawing, it is someone’s home.”
Not for communities.
With them.
Every culture. Every generation. One table. Navajo families, students, elders, children, instructors — building side by side. What none of us could create alone, we create together.
Otagai-sama “We’re all in this together.” A Japanese word for the way this camp works: everyone helps everyone, and the bonds outlast the semester.
“Earthen material presents the beauty of the Navajo land and represents their culture.”
Selected Projects
Real homes for real families. Not models, not renderings — homes where families wake up, share meals, and build their lives.
People
Atsushi Yamamoto
Leads the journey — design through construction
Hiroko Yamamoto
Leads the community — families, volunteers, culture
Hank Louis
Founder, Mentor
Arnab Chakraborty
Dean, College of Architecture + Planning
Timothy Adekunle
Chair, School of Architecture
Join us.
Student, volunteer, community partner, or supporter — there’s a place for you. Come build something real with us.
Community members, partners, and material donors — see all the ways →