New Building

8 Main New Building NACA has been operating out of temporary portable buildings on a shared campus with Wilson Middle School over the last 4 years. Our student body of nearly 300 has been practicing one of NACA’s core values, perseverance, as they patiently look forward to the day they can move into their new school.

We have done the best that we can with the limited resources available, but our capacity and growth have been limited by our current temporary campus.

We are planning to build a new 75,000 square foot middle and high school that represents an optimal learning environment for our students. Our new school will be a stepping multi-story building echoing the site topography to promote solar exposure, and access to views while utilizing outdoor spaces and terraces to encourage human/nature interaction. Better yet, the new campus will use alternative energy, safe construction materials, and water and energy conservation strategies wherever possible!

In order to complete the construction of the new building, NACA needs to raise $4 million by fall 2012.

Please help us meet our goal! You can help by making an online donation, purchasing from our online store, or exploring our naming opportunities for donors and sponsors.

Thank you, on behalf of NACA students and Native American communities throughout the Southwest, for your generous support!

More about Our New Building

The future home of NACA will be located off Cesar Chavez by the University of New Mexico and Central New Mexico Community College. The school will consist of: classrooms (indoor and outdoor), gymnasium, cafeteria, library, black-box theater, school-based health care center, and administration areas as well as outdoor gathering areas and gardens.

NACA will pursue a LEED for Schools certification by using innovative day-lighting techniques, storm water collection, thermal storage, operable windows, proper solar orientation, and an extremely efficient HVAC system. This project will be highly efficient while also serving as a pedagogical, nurturing, and protected environment in which students can thrive.

Going for Green!

Award-winning architecture firm, Jon Anderson Architecture is currently designing NACA’s new school. Jon Anderson along with James Lucero and their team are pursuing a LEED for Schools Gold certification. Some of the sustainable strategies they are shooting for include:

Site layout for optimum solar orientation and views
Daylighting strategies including light monitors and clerestory windows
Alternative energy sources – ie. Photovoltaic/Solar systems
Low-flow and ultra low-flow plumbing fixtures
Water harvesting for gardens and playfield
Lighting controls including occupant sensors, dual-level switching and daylight sensors
Energy-efficient building envelope
Operable windows and natural ventilation
High-efficiency Variable Air Volume mechanical system with maximum individual thermal comfort
Indoor environment with low volatile organic compounds (VOC) and no added urea-formaldehyde
Innovative use of common building materials
Use of regional and recyclable building materials