Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde
Grand Ronde, Oregon
MCA worked with the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde to design a ceremonial plank house to be used by tribe members for Native American ceremonies and meetings. The heavy timber structure was designed to be as authentic as is possible, while still incorporating modern safety features in terms of emergency exits, structural safety, wheelchair accessibility, etc. MCA worked closely with tribe representatives, such as the Cultural Resources Manager, to make sure these elements of infrastructure and modern amenities were well camouflaged. A unique consideration of this project was its construction; it was to be built by tribal members who were not necessarily contractors by trade. MCA remained mindful of this while designing the building and developing construction documents. The design team continued to provide as-needed support to the tribe as they moved through their construction process.
After this project completed, MCA went on to complete additional projects with the Tribe, including a couple of affordable housing projects and a language education building.