Native American Pit House Diorama

Project Overview

This project involved creating a detailed Native American pit house diorama for use in a museum exhibit at the Northwest Museum. The model was designed as an interpretive educational piece to help visitors understand the structure, layout, and daily life associated with winter pit house dwellings.

Both digital and physical versions of the model were produced to ensure accuracy, durability, and clarity for long-term public display.

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Process & Development

The pit house was modeled based on historical and archaeological reference materials provided by the museum. Care was taken to accurately represent the structure’s form, materials, and interior layout while maintaining clear visibility for viewers.

The model was designed with an intentional cutaway to allow interior features to be easily understood. Geometry was kept clean and readable to support both digital visualization and physical fabrication. The final physical diorama was produced to withstand repeated public viewing while preserving fine structural detail.