Navajo Nation President Joseph Shirley and Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton (center) tour the World War II Quonset building that was the library at Baca/Dlo’ay azhi Consolidated School in Prewitt, N.M.

With the design and construction of the 79,000-square-foot Baca/Dlo’ay azhi Consolidated School in Prewitt, N.M., on the Navajo Reservation in 2004, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) moved into a new era of green building. In fact, the $12.2 million, K-6 school, now in its second school year, became the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified green building throughout the Department of the Interior and in the state of New Mexico. This was for the school’s measurable commitment to sustainability and for meeting the highest environmental performance standards.

In 2005, First Mesa Elementary School, which just opened on the Hopi Reservation in Arizona, was awarded LEED certification. The new Chinle Boarding School dormitory on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona has applied for LEED certification. And, the BIA’s school building organization, the Office of Facilities Management and Construction in Albuquerque, N.M., is requiring that all new construction projects utilize green building techniques when possible. This is no small matter since Congress has boosted Indian school construction funding over the past decade by almost $100 million a year.

Much attention has been paid to the BIA’s green building efforts. Baca/Dlo’ay azhi received both the 2004 Department of the Interior’s Environmental Achievement Award and the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2005 Environmental Achievement Award for Region 9. Interestingly, the school was the first BIA design-build project in which a building is designed and constructed during the same timeframe. The school construction project was managed for BIA by senior architect Barbara Borgeson, a member of the Comanche Tribe of Oklahoma, and was designed and constructed in 14 months with the assistance of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

“I am proud of the awards that Baca/Dlo’ay azhi has earned. I can see how the green building benefits the occupants and our world. Students are in a healthier environment, and the Indian Country gets a better, longer lasting product,” said Borgeson.

The BIA’s commitment to green building is incorporated in its construction requirements, with a special focus on high-efficiency heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems, pollutant-free interior space and material recycling programs. With dust a constant factor on reservations, school entrance ways are being built with recessed grills and grates to catch and hold dust particles that come in with students’ shoes. During construction, damaged block and bricks are being returned to the manufacturer for recycling, electricians and plumbers are maintaining a salvage copper and scrap metal bin, and reclaimed effluent water is being used. For the Baca/Dlo’ay azhi project, LEED certification considered that the school was rebuilding on an existing site, has a high-efficiency HVAC system, a pollutant-free workplace, and a recycling program as part of its sustainable design elements.

cultural considerations

Bicycle racks for Chinle Boarding School students help promote fuel conservation, while the roof reflects the desert sunlight at the Chinle Boarding School’s new LEED-registered dorm in Many Farms, Ariz.

However, the BIA also must consider cultural requirements. For instance, Baca/Dlo’ay azhi embodies cultural elements sacred to Navajo culture. The contemporary design honors Navajo culture by enabling the culture to flow into the building. The main entrance is oriented to the East to greet the morning sun, and symbolizes the beginning of life. The four wings surrounding a central core represent the four directions, and are color coded to coincide with the sacred colors attributed to each direction by the Navajo culture. While the BIA is considering moving to a more standard design for its new schools, there will likely be continued cultural design elements.

A new school like Baca/Dlo’ay azhi brings pride to all the nearby reservation residents, especially the students. Various studies have shown that the condition of a school has more influence on student progress than socioeconomic status or geographic location. A poor school can put a student 11 points behind their urban American peers in standardized testing.

Building schools throughout Indian Country, in conjunction with the Office of Indian Education Programs, involves more than construction. BIA must consult with Tribes prior to even beginning pre-planning. Tribes decide site location, determine school design, and decide whether or not to manage the construction themselves through a School Board Self-determination (compact, contract or grant), or to let the Bureau manage the construction. This planning and pre-planning typically takes 18 months. Design and construction take another 18 months to two years. The average timeframe for completing construction is three to four years. A third party recently conducted an objective evaluation of the Replacement School Construction costs and size of replacement schools, as well as their condition. This evaluation enabled BIA to obtain a favorable review from the Office of Management and Budget.