How do we aesthetically match, serve, and benefit a unique culture?

Culture is an asset that cannot be copied. Design is an ideal tool to express what resonates within a community and celebrate what it stands for in a three-dimensional way.

A Poetic Journey to Culturally Responsive Architecture

In preparation for conceptual design of the new Norton Sound Regional Hospital in Nome Alaska, Mahlum’s design team conducted visits with elders, students, leaders, healthcare staff, and the villages at large. Our intention was to gain a deeper understanding of the values, traditions, and challenges facing the region’s people and to obtain a deep appreciation of the integration of this rich culture with the physical place. The book we created from the experience, Moon of the Bird Sling, is a collection of villagers’ stories and images with observations from the team.

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Beauty + Culture

“Not a having and a resting, but a growing and a becoming is the character of perfection as culture conceives it.”

― Matthew Arnold