At ESB Design+Build, we are driven not only by our pride in the structures we build, but also by the significant purpose of those buildings. When Tohono O’odham Community College sought to support the tribal effort to preserve O’odham native language for future generations, they turned to us to help expand its campus and bring that vision to life.
In 2018, the Tohono O’odham language was officially declared endangered, joining the 90% of Native American languages facing the same fate. No longer the primary language within the community, the risk of losing it entirely is real. With its well established educational and cultural expertise and resources, Tohono O’odham Community College quickly stepped in, and we were proud to be their partner in building a space that would house programs dedicated to keeping the language and culture of the Tohono O’odham people alive.
The result is a 6,106-square-foot Language Center designed to serve both function and legacy. The building houses administrative offices, classrooms, a learning lab, and a meeting and media room, a small commercial kitchen, and outdoor eating area complete with a custom block O’odham bread oven. At the heart of the facility sits a temperature-and-humidity-controlled Curation Room for artifact storage and a soundproofed recording studio, purpose-built to capture the Tohono O’odham language for new generations to carry forward. The building’s thoughtful design truly incorporates everything needed to support a thriving language and culture program.
Designed to complement the existing campus, the stucco exterior, grand metal awning, and natural stone wainscot blend seamlessly with surrounding buildings, while an exterior patio offers a shaded retreat from the Arizona heat.
