Assisting tribal community development
Creating culutural enviroments that welcome and inspire
Whether your next project involves healthcare, education, gaming, community service facility or housing, our First American Studio will answer your needs. Our experienced architects have effectively coordinated numerous tribal projects—to the high satisfaction of our clients.
Our key to success is listening to and incorporating the diverse ideas of others. We’re comfortable working with administrators, educators, students, and community members to raise funds, build consensus, estimate costs, and manage budgets.
We have the know-how to create an appropriate cultural environment that welcomes and inspires. Working together, we’ll create an affordable design your community will be proud of. Of course, with all new construction, sustainability is a key ingredient. At DSGW, we understand the cultural underpinnings of tribal construction and environmental sensitivity. We’ll help you make the best design choices. Whether it’s geothermal, solar, natural lighting or choosing green building materials to minimize environmental impact, we’ll answer your questions and meet your needs.
Our lead designers for tribal projects include Randy Wagner, AIA, LEED AP; Rebecca Lewis, AIA, ACHA, CID and Mike Laverdure, Associate AIA.
Randy Wagner, AIA is a LEED accredited professional, with over 20 years of design experience with Native American communities. Randy has planned and designed healthcare facilities to IHS standards, learning facilities, community buildings as well as housing and gaming/hospitality facilities for tribes across the states.
Mike Laverdure, Associate AIA is an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, Mike has unique and credible insight into cultural design. Under his guidance, our design and building process has been tailored to match the expectations of Native American customers.
Our healthcare leader, Rebecca Lewis, AIA, ACHA, CID, served as the 2008 president of the American College of Healthcare Architects (ACHA) and is co-chair of the American Institute of Architects Codes and Standards Forum (Academy of Architects for Health). She is also a member of the revision committee for the Facilities Guidelines Institute’s 2010 edition of Guidelines for Design and Construction of Health Facilities.
Our First American Design Studio architectural team and leaders have the experience and background to make your next project a success. View our portfolio and see what our expertise means for you and your community.
