In 2023, KDI began collaborating with the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians and Friends of the Desert Mountains to design an outdoor educational space on a site with great historic, cultural, and ecological significance.
context
There is an existing palm oasis on this site, evidence of years of human care.
Long before the Coachella Valley was divided between East and West, before golf courses and date farms, resorts and trailer parks, Native tribes thrived on the shore of Ancient Lake Cahuilla. The Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians still call the Valley home, but over the years, their history has been overlooked, they’ve had critical needs ignored, and their lands have been checkerboarded in an attempt to divide their power. Their foundational and evolving story is largely invisible to the Valley's half million residents and the 14 million annual visitors who know the area for tennis, music festivals, and modernism.
In 2023, the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians, Friends of the Desert Mountains (FODM), and KDI began a collaborative process to develop the Desert Lake Shore Open-Air Educational Space on a site of great historical, cultural, and ecological significance. The site’s landscape reflects centuries of human-environment interactions and stands as a testament to adaptation and survival in the desert environment. Located at the banks of ancient Lake Cahuilla, the site is home to archaeological findings that give us a glimpse into the Cahuilla people’s everyday lives. After the lake dried, people maintained an oasis with unique desert vegetation that still supports wildlife, like the western yellow bat.
process
A snapshot of priorities shared during our engagements with different tribal committees.
Our design was guided by three goals: 1) preserve and protect archaeological artifacts and culturally sensitive areas on the site; 2) provide spatial and programming opportunities for youth to learn and explore local cultural and natural history, including hands-on instruction, and 3) propose site amenities to support community gatherings, celebrations, and education.
We conducted a series of engagements with tribal youth and elders, the tribal cultural committee and general council, as well as conservation and preservation specialists, and local archaeologists and teachers. Through our engagements, we fostered open discussions and actively listened to the Tribe’s perspectives. We learned how important encouraging cultural exchange, sharing stories, and incorporating educational elements was for the Tribe and brainstormed ways for the space to directly support Tribal youth.
solution
A section of our final concept designs, including a shaded gathering area, ethnobotanical garden, and meandering paths.
The final concept design is a commemorative, interactive landscape that weaves through several forms of indigenous artifacts. The main path will serve as a physical, unfinished timeline sharing the Tribe’s living history. Interpretive signage will be installed along the main path encouraging visitors to engage with the history and ecology of the land. Inside the existing palm oasis will be an accessible gathering area with restrooms and an elevated viewing platform nearby.
impact
A rendering of the proposed ADA accessible shade structure with education elements.
This project will help to bring the Tribe’s history and the present story of their people and culture, into full view. The series of trails will be punctuated with pavilions and landscape elements that work together to: provide the tribal community new places to connect with and preserve their heritage; invite local students, families, and visitors to engage with Cahuilla history to gain a more complete understanding of the land they inhabit; and transfer traditional Cahuilla knowledge on how to sustainably work with the land.
