Native American Youth & Family Center (NAYA) Early Learning Center

Akana partnered with the Native American Youth & Family Center’s (NAYA) Chaku Kumtuks Illahee (“place of learning”) to design a new Early Learning Center within Home Forward’s affordable housing building, Chaku Kumtuks Haws (“learning house”). Part of the PCC Opportunity Center/Killingsworth Housing campus in Northeast Portland, the project transforms 4,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space in an 87,700-square-foot, four-story residential building into a vibrant educational environment serving Native American families in the Portland Metro Area.

Akana provided architectural and engineering consultation through a three-phase approach: programming, design, and build-out. The team conducted a project kick-off with stakeholders, reviewed initial permit plans, and developed site understanding drawings to identify opportunities and constraints. Design efforts focused on maximizing usable interior space by minimizing stairs and ramps and designing floor slabs to integrate with the existing structural systems. A single ramp was utilized to accommodate level differences and maintain an open, dynamic environment. The center includes three adaptable classrooms for different age groups, an in-house kitchen for healthy meal preparation, and administrative spaces to support operations.

Technical contributions included childcare-specific code reviews, conceptual “test-fit” diagrams for classrooms and support areas, and coordination of site work for two outdoor playgrounds. Akana collaborated closely with NAYA and its partners in early education, land use, and recreation, as well as design firms including Mahlum (Architecture), PLACE (Landscape Architecture), VEGA (Civil Engineering), and MFIA (MEP Design). This highly collaborative project resulted in a culturally grounded learning environment that strengthens community connections.