People’s Choice Awards 2024
mahalo for casting your vote!
Monday, June 24 –Sunday, July 3
Voting Information
- Everyone can vote (members and non-members) — pick your favorite entrant and vote for it below.
- You get one (1) vote per category — make it count!
- Click “Submit” and you are done!
Professional Built Entries
Photo credit: Hawkins Biggins & Olivier Koning
Project location: Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii
Project completion date: 02/01/2022
Submission type: Residential
Located on the 'Ewa mauka corner at the intersection of Iwilei Road and Summer Street, the existing property and structures were adaptively re-used and transformed into a new four-story, mixed-use property, housing a 27-unit affordable rental apartment complex, administrative offices, community outreach and resource center equipped with a commercial kitchen, dining hall, 10-person dormitory, hygiene facilities, and counseling and other support services.
The design approach began with considering the re-use of the existing structure where it was feasible for the new programmed spaces. The City's need for a cost-effective and durable building lent itself to the project adapting to the existing structure with concrete masonry, steel, and light-gage framing. To visually soften and articulation of the massing, while varying the facade material sections and colors.
Photo credits: Adam Taylor
Project location: Honolulu, Oahu, HI
Project completion date: 09/01/2023
Submission type: Commercial/Industrial
Civil Beat Plaza is a four-story building with about 70,000 square feet of floor area. It has different uses, such as retail, office, and restaurant spaces. It keeps the existing Goodwill store as the main retail element and the face of the project. The project also has three underground parking levels with 92 spaces, even though it was not required by the Kaimuki Parking District. The owners did this to avoid adding to the parking problem in the area. The parking lot has many electric charging stations for the present and future needs of electric vehicles. The project also improved the good will donation center, which used to block traffic and cause safety issues on the street. The new drop off and loading areas are designed to keep the streets clear and make it easier to donate and use the site. The new ground floor has a new Goodwill store with a lot of daylight and street exposure, as well as a new restaurant at the plaza corner. The upper floors have Civil Beat’s office and other tenant spaces.
Photo credits: Anton Kisselgoff
Project location: Kapolei, Oahu, HI
Project completion date: 04/01/2024
Submission type: Institutional
The Daniel Kahikina Akaka VA Clinic is designed to be a welcoming and healing environment that honors our local veterans. Traditional Hawaiian stories about Kalaeloa reflect a deep understanding and reverence for its natural features and history. Celebration of nature and place, grounds the building culturally as well as provides healing biophilic elements. The interior and exterior materials reference the colors, textures and tones of the area’s geography and significant plants. Landscaping with native plants is interwoven into the approach to the building as well as providing gardens to look out at from the waiting areas. Daylight is drawn into the building both through curtain walls as well as light monitors that draw diffuse light deep into patient corridors and staff work areas. The 92,000-sf clinic brings comprehensive and accessible healthcare and wellness including: Mental Health, Primary Care, Specialty Care, Audiology, Ophthalmology, Radiology, Dental, Prosthetics, Physical Therapy Programs. Additionally, Laboratory Medicine, Pharmacy Services and Veterans Benefits Offices and Services. Equally important the clinic is designed to be inviting, with many open areas to sit and gather both inside and outside that promotes socialization and connecting with others.
Photo credits: Matthew Millman
Project location: Kailua-Kona, Island of Hawaii
Project completion date: 03/01/2021
Submission type: Residential
This retreat serves as the new residence for a pair of empty nesters looking to put down roots in Hawaii after years of visiting the island. The design evokes a reverence for history, resulting in a soulful home that feels both unique and of a place.
When the site was selected, it was a barren tract of land, save for the underpinnings of a long-forgotten building and a scattering of kiawe trees where flourishing groves once stood. After discovering that lava had formerly flowed through the site on its natural path from mauka (mountain) to makai (ocean), it was critical that the architecture echoed this history. Thus, the home, in harmony with the terrain, hovers above a bed of grasses and molten rock—emblematic of an era when lava ran through the site.
An enclosed lanai serves as the entryway and heart of the home. The open-air pavilion transitions from the hectic outside world to the calm within. The structures draw inspiration from the agrarian buildings that once dotted the area, with clean lines contrasting the undulating landscape and coastline. The simple color palette inside reflects the muted tones outside, avoiding competition with the landscape’s beauty.
Photo credits: Andrea Brizzi
Project location: Honolulu, Oahu, HI
Project completion date: 10/01/2023
Submission type: Residential
Our design intent was to create a structure that would integrate natural light and ventilation seamlessly into a handsome architectural vocabulary that would present a sense of integrity and honesty and would fit nicely into its neighborhood. The main exterior expression of the structure is a simple form that goes up and over the home. The up (wall) provides protection and visual privacy from the neighbors and the over (roof) provides shelter from the elements. This up and over form repeats itself in different ways sometimes as solid mass (plaster, wood, drywall, counters) or transparent (glass) as well. Natural light and ventilation are mainly let in through clerestory windows in the great room as well as the main level hall. It was a big leap of faith from the client to agree to the hall clerestory especially. The hall clerestory added significant cost to an area that at first glance may not seem significant but would play a huge role in how the main level of the home could "breath" and feel bright and airy.
Photo credits: Olivier Koning
Project location: Honolulu, Oahu, HI
Project completion date: 04/01/2023
Submission type: Commercial/Industrial
The Hawaii State FCU (HSFCU) Headquarters represents a significant investment in its employees, members, and the community. For the first time in its 80+ year history, HSFCU has one place to call home, bringing together approximately 250 employees. The 10-story office building includes ground floor retail, a 5-story parking structure, and a new branch to service the Downtown community.
With a project kick-off at the start of 2020, much of the initial planning and design occurred at the peak of the pandemic. The team quickly adapted to the new reality of virtual meetings and continued to deliver positive results despite obstacles such as increased lead times for materials and occasional absences due to covid. Other challenges included lack of existing documentation for certain areas of the building including the entire 10th floor due to several modifications to the structure over the years. Despite these setbacks, the team successfully met structural requirements and design intentions to remodel the site into a gateway to the Downtown community.
Photo credits: Arnel Domingo
Project location: Honolulu, Oahu, HI
Project completion date: 03/01/2024
Submission type: Interior Architecture
A new support space for below-the-wing Air Operations staff was needed as Hawaiian Airlines adjusted to the changing airport environment and projected growth. The site selection was based on availability of vacant tenant space for a new interior build-out at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport Terminal 1.
The vision was to create a workplace environment that encourages employee excellence through thoughtful design; create an environment that helps recruit and retain the best people for the job; and create an environment that is environmentally, socially, and economically responsible to the people who use it, and ultimately, to the customers they serve.
Effective workplaces are inclusive environments that focus on the user experience and communicate the tone and culture of the company. Through multiple sessions of end-user engagement via early-stage design charrettes, this principle was manifested throughout design considerations of the Air Operations Support Space which included a new breakroom, locker and shower rooms, briefing room, workstation area, and management offices, leaving end users with an intuitive sense of Hawaiian Airlines and workplace pride. Key design drivers extracted from the charette process included: durability, cost effectiveness, user workflow, health & wellness, and experience & environment.
Photo credits: Derik Araki
Project location: Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii
Project completion date: 06/2024
Submission type: Residential
Kaulana Mahina, Wailuku's newest entry into the affordable rental housing market. The project consists of 324 brand new apartments featuring open floor plans, high-quality finishes, and modern appliances. 195 of the apartment homes are designated Work Force Housing reserved for qualified renters. The development offers a multitude of amenities such as a swimming pool, fitness center and beautifully landscaped courtyard.
Photo credits: Olivier Koning & Travis Rowan
Project location: Kihei, Maui, Hawaii
Project completion date: 06/2023
Submission type: Institutional
Kūlanihākoʻi High School is a new DOE high school in Kihei Maui. It will ultimately accommodate 1,600 students once all phases are complete. It was designed to be a highly sustainable school that will set an example for future schools in the State. The school serves a vital need in the community as there were previously no other high schools in the area, and students from the community were forced to bus to other campuses located on the other side of the island. The project's Big Idea was to use passive and low-cost sustainable strategies to create a learning environment that inspires while leaving a small carbon footprint. Everything within the project serves a specific purpose, from building scale sun-shading trellises down to the water features that utilize excess well water to irrigate only after passing through runnels and channels that the students can interact with. The project is slated to be net zero energy at the end of all phases. Historical research helped create a pattern language that celebrates the lowland dry forest that used to be in the area. The design team used elements and inspiration from the Mamani trees that once thrived there.
Photo credits: Darren Bradley
Project location: Pahoa, Big Island, Hawaii
Project completion date: 04/01/2024
Submission type: Residential
Lavaflow 8 inhabits a land of dramatic contrasts. Located on the eastern edge of the Big Island of Hawaii, it sits in the thin and constantly changing zone between the ocean and the jungle. This remote and highly sensitive site, located in a conservation district challenged us to re-imagine what living in such a place should look and feel like, as well as what the responsibility of living here should entail.
In the decision to live here lies a tacit agreement to become a steward of the land—to maintain and protect it. A local botanist was brought on in the early stages of design to catalog and annotate what was endemic and indigenous to the site and what was invasive. The location of the house was predicated on these findings as much as orientation to the sun, weather patterns and cross ventilation. We removed invasive species of Autograph and Ironwood trees and protected clusters of endangered Ischaemum. We built the house around an existing Hala grove, adding more native Hala trees, Naupaka and Ama’u fern to protect the house from the constant wind and sea spray.
Photo credits: Adam Taylor
Project location: Honolulu, Oahu, HI
Project completion date: 05/01/2022
Submission type: Residential
One of the world’s most popular beachfront destinations, Waikīkī is the centerpiece of Hawaii’s tourism industry and its main retail, lodging, dining, and commercial district. Līlia Waikīkī redevelops 2.5 acres of aliʻi trust land in the heart of Waikīkī into a commercial mixed-use rental project. The redevelopment plays an important role in the continued revitalization of the Kūhiō Avenue Corridor, preserving Queen Emma’s legacy lands and providing direct financing to The Queen’s Health Systems in support of its mission to provide quality health care in Hawai’i.
Līlia Waikīkī is a community-facing project both in spirit and by design: the podium houses the newly reinvigorated Waikīkī Market, which has acted as the only full-service grocer for Waikīkī in fifty years. Facing the bustling Kūhiō Avenue, Līlia Waikīkī’s triple-height covered court and oculus offers a unique arrival sequence and is inspired by traditional Hawaiian lanais. The 28-story tower, aligned with the mauka-makai axis, sports a punched window façade, connecting with the urban context. Glazed corners offer mountain and ocean vistas. The preservation of heritage trees and iwi kupuna demonstrates a deep respect for local culture and natural heritage.
Photo credits: PBS Hawai'i
Project location: Honolulu, Oahu, HI
Project completion date: 04/2017
Submission type: Institutional
PBS Hawaii is a nonprofit committed to advancing learning and discovery through educational programming for all ages. With its mission rooted in informing, inspiring and entertaining, it unifies local communities through the art of storytelling. After many years at its University of Hawaii Manoa campus location, it was time for the organization to realize its vision of a new home.
The client’s objectives centered on the building being a “gathering place” that embraces culture and is a trusted forum for differing perspectives. Storytelling is at the heart of PBS Hawaii – sharing information, news and entertainment relevant to the viewer. It was imperative that the design reflect and enhance this sense of community and interaction in a comfortable, fun and home-like environment.
PBS Hawaii is now able to continue telling stories for years to come, not only through its programming but also a new home designed to be both meaningful and timeless.
Photo credits: Olivier Koning
Project location: Honolulu, Oahu, HI
Project completion date: 10/01/2022
Submission type: Interior Architecture
After ten years in business, the award winning restaurant, Senia, has refreshed its interior to create a more modern ambience inspired by industrial opulence, address wear and tear, and improve operational efficiency. The project faced challenges of time, cost, and physical construction restraints. Senia is a play on the ancient Greek ideology of hospitality “xenia”, which embraces a reciprocal relationship between guest and host. The design concept reflects this mission statement by providing patrons with an elegant escape within the urban setting of downtown Honolulu. The stark contrasted space was converted to a deep and rich color palette with ambient lighting that welcomed the new guests with warmth and comfort. The use of black steel coupled with delicate rippling glass, curved details and plush leather seating embraced the juxtaposition of bold and feminine qualities to create a unique space.
Photo credits: Adam Taylor
Project location: Kahuku, Oahu, HI
Project completion date: 11/01/2021
Submission type: Residential
The client purchased their “dream property” on a narrow strip of land situated between the busy Kamehameha Highway and beautiful Mālaekana Bay on Oʻahu’s north shore. An existing small, dilapidated house was not worthy of saving (however was sustainably deconstructed by Re-Use Hawaii). The owner’s program included spaces for them and their two children, a guest suite, and a pool, on a modest budget, in a non-kitchy Hawaiian design vocabulary.
To minimize the house’s massing, the programmatic elements were divided into two structures – the guesthouse combined with the garage and pool lānai, and the main house. The result is the creation of three distinct outdoor spaces – an auto court, which provides a buffer from the adjacent highway, a central pool courtyard which is buffered from the on-shore trade winds, and the makai yard.
The living spaces of the main house were conceived as a covered lānai, with the private spaces incorporated into a narrow 2-story element organized along the property line. This allowed views through the “lānai” to the ocean from the guesthouse on the mauka side, thereby expanding ocean views from the property. Additionally, “borrowed views” were captured across adjacent properties, making the property feel larger than it is.
Photo credits: Anton Kisselgoff
Project location: Wailuku, Maui, HI
Project completion date: 09/01/2023
Submission type: Commercial/Industrial
Our vision for the parking garage extends beyond mere functionality. It aims to be a vibrant community asset, fostering energy and economic vitality in Downtown Wailuku. Key design objectives include harmonious integration with the urban context, cultural homage, prioritized wayfinding, and increased parking capacity.
The building's massing and scale effortlessly blend with surrounding structures and public areas, respecting the existing urban fabric. Architectural details pay tribute to Wailuku's cultural heritage, resonating with residents. Wayfinding is prioritized through clear signage and vibrant colors, ensuring easy access to parking.
Vehicle circulation routes are established along Church St. and Pili St., with Pili St. transformed into a shared pedestrian/vehicular road. Two pedestrian pathways connect Market St. to Church St., while the east edge offers a promenade for retail and dining opportunities.
Pedestrian access is carefully considered, with central and makai stairs connecting levels and providing views of the plaza and future cultural center. EV charging infrastructure future-proofs the garage amidst the transition to cleaner transportation.
The first level features a spacious 14-foot clear ceiling height, ideal for farmer's markets and public events. Imagine community gatherings, art exhibitions, or cultural performances in this light-filled, airy space, contributing to the vibrancy of Downtown Wailuku.
Photo credit: Olivier Koning & Hawkins Biggins
Project location: Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii
Project completion date: 02/01/2022
Submission type: Residential
Located on the 'Ewa mauka corner at the intersection of Iwilei Road and Summer Street, the existing property and structures were adaptively re-used and transformed into a new four-story, mixed-use property, housing a 27-unit affordable rental apartment complex, administrative offices, community outreach and resource center equipped with a commercial kitchen, dining hall, 10-person dormitory, hygiene facilities, and counseling and other support services.
The design approach began with considering the re-use of the existing structure where it was feasible for the new programmed spaces. The City's need for a cost-effective and durable building lent itself to the project adapting to the existing structure with concrete masonry, steel, and light-gage framing. To visually soften and articulation of the massing, while varying the facade material sections and colors.
Photo credits: Adam Taylor Photography
Project location: Honolulu, Oahu, HI
Project completion date: 09/01/2023
Submission type: Commercial/Industrial
Civil Beat Plaza is a four-story building with about 70,000 square feet of floor area. It has different uses, such as retail, office, and restaurant spaces. It keeps the existing Goodwill store as the main retail element and the face of the project. The project also has three underground parking levels with 92 spaces, even though it was not required by the Kaimuki Parking District. The owners did this to avoid adding to the parking problem in the area. The parking lot has many electric charging stations for the present and future needs of electric vehicles. The project also improved the good will donation center, which used to block traffic and cause safety issues on the street. The new drop off and loading areas are designed to keep the streets clear and make it easier to donate and use the site. The new ground floor has a new Goodwill store with a lot of daylight and street exposure, as well as a new restaurant at the plaza corner. The upper floors have Civil Beat’s office and other tenant spaces.
Photo credits: Anton Kisselgoff for HI MEDIA CREATIVE
Project location: Honolulu, Oahu, HI
Project completion date: 04/01/2024
Submission type: Institutional
The Daniel Kahikina Akaka VA Clinic is designed to be a welcoming and healing environment that honors our local veterans. Traditional Hawaiian stories about Kalaeloa reflect a deep understanding and reverence for its natural features and history. Celebration of nature and place, grounds the building culturally as well as provides healing biophilic elements. The interior and exterior materials reference the colors, textures and tones of the area’s geography and significant plants. Landscaping with native plants is interwoven into the approach to the building as well as providing gardens to look out at from the waiting areas. Daylight is drawn into the building both through curtain walls as well as light monitors that draw diffuse light deep into patient corridors and staff work areas. The 92,000-sf clinic brings comprehensive and accessible healthcare and wellness including: Mental Health, Primary Care, Specialty Care, Audiology, Ophthalmology, Radiology, Dental, Prosthetics, Physical Therapy Programs. Additionally, Laboratory Medicine, Pharmacy Services and Veterans Benefits Offices and Services. Equally important the clinic is designed to be inviting, with many open areas to sit and gather both inside and outside that promotes socialization and connecting with others.
Photo credits: Matthew Millman
Project location: Honolulu, Oahu, HI
Project completion date: 03/01/2021
Submission type: Residential
This retreat serves as the new residence for a pair of empty nesters looking to put down roots in Hawaii after years of visiting the island. The design evokes a reverence for history, resulting in a soulful home that feels both unique and of a place.
When the site was selected, it was a barren tract of land, save for the underpinnings of a long-forgotten building and a scattering of kiawe trees where flourishing groves once stood. After discovering that lava had formerly flowed through the site on its natural path from mauka (mountain) to makai (ocean), it was critical that the architecture echoed this history. Thus, the home, in harmony with the terrain, hovers above a bed of grasses and molten rock—emblematic of an era when lava ran through the site.
An enclosed lanai serves as the entryway and heart of the home. The open-air pavilion transitions from the hectic outside world to the calm within. The structures draw inspiration from the agrarian buildings that once dotted the area, with clean lines contrasting the undulating landscape and coastline. The simple color palette inside reflects the muted tones outside, avoiding competition with the landscape’s beauty.
Photo credits: Andrea Brizzi
Project location: Honolulu, Oahu, HI
Project completion date: 10/01/2023
Submission type: Residential
Our design intent was to create a structure that would integrate natural light and ventilation seamlessly into a handsome architectural vocabulary that would present a sense of integrity and honesty and would fit nicely into its neighborhood. The main exterior expression of the structure is a simple form that goes up and over the home. The up (wall) provides protection and visual privacy from the neighbors and the over (roof) provides shelter from the elements. This up and over form repeats itself in different ways sometimes as solid mass (plaster, wood, drywall, counters) or transparent (glass) as well. Natural light and ventilation are mainly let in through clerestory windows in the great room as well as the main level hall. It was a big leap of faith from the client to agree to the hall clerestory especially. The hall clerestory added significant cost to an area that at first glance may not seem significant but would play a huge role in how the main level of the home could "breath" and feel bright and airy.
Photo credits: Olivier Koning
Project location: Honolulu, Oahu, HI
Project completion date: 04/01/2023
Submission type: Commercial/Industrial
The Hawaii State FCU (HSFCU) Headquarters represents a significant investment in its employees, members, and the community. For the first time in its 80+ year history, HSFCU has one place to call home, bringing together approximately 250 employees. The 10-story office building includes ground floor retail, a 5-story parking structure, and a new branch to service the Downtown community.
With a project kick-off at the start of 2020, much of the initial planning and design occurred at the peak of the pandemic. The team quickly adapted to the new reality of virtual meetings and continued to deliver positive results despite obstacles such as increased lead times for materials and occasional absences due to covid. Other challenges included lack of existing documentation for certain areas of the building including the entire 10th floor due to several modifications to the structure over the years. Despite these setbacks, the team successfully met structural requirements and design intentions to remodel the site into a gateway to the Downtown community.
Photo credits: Arnel Domingo
Project location: Honolulu, Oahu, HI
Project completion date: 03/01/2024
Submission type: Interior Architecture
A new support space for below-the-wing Air Operations staff was needed as Hawaiian Airlines adjusted to the changing airport environment and projected growth. The site selection was based on availability of vacant tenant space for a new interior build-out at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport Terminal 1.
The vision was to create a workplace environment that encourages employee excellence through thoughtful design; create an environment that helps recruit and retain the best people for the job; and create an environment that is environmentally, socially, and economically responsible to the people who use it, and ultimately, to the customers they serve.
Effective workplaces are inclusive environments that focus on the user experience and communicate the tone and culture of the company. Through multiple sessions of end-user engagement via early-stage design charrettes, this principle was manifested throughout design considerations of the Air Operations Support Space which included a new breakroom, locker and shower rooms, briefing room, workstation area, and management offices, leaving end users with an intuitive sense of Hawaiian Airlines and workplace pride. Key design drivers extracted from the charette process included: durability, cost effectiveness, user workflow, health & wellness, and experience & environment.
Photo credits: Ray Yamada & Derik Araki
Project location: Honolulu, Oahu, HI
Project completion date: 06/01/2024
Submission type: Residential
Kaulana Mahina, Wailuku's newest entry into the affordable rental housing market. The project consists of 324 brand new apartments featuring open floor plans, high-quality finishes, and modern appliances. 195 of the apartment homes are designated Work Force Housing reserved for qualified renters. The development offers a multitude of amenities such as a swimming pool, fitness center and beautifully landscaped courtyard.
Photo credits: Olivier Koning & Travis Rowan
Project location: Kihei, Maui, HI
Project completion date: 06/01/2023
Submission type: Institutional
Kūlanihākoʻi High School is a new DOE high school in Kihei Maui. It will ultimately accommodate 1,600 students once all phases are complete. It was designed to be a highly sustainable school that will set an example for future schools in the State. The school serves a vital need in the community as there were previously no other high schools in the area, and students from the community were forced to bus to other campuses located on the other side of the island. The project's Big Idea was to use passive and low-cost sustainable strategies to create a learning environment that inspires while leaving a small carbon footprint. Everything within the project serves a specific purpose, from building scale sun-shading trellises down to the water features that utilize excess well water to irrigate only after passing through runnels and channels that the students can interact with. The project is slated to be net zero energy at the end of all phases. Historical research helped create a pattern language that celebrates the lowland dry forest that used to be in the area. The design team used elements and inspiration from the Mamani trees that once thrived there.
Photo credits: Darren Bradley
Project location: Hawaii, HI
Project completion date: 04/01/2024
Submission type: Residential
Lavaflow 8 inhabits a land of dramatic contrasts. Located on the eastern edge of the Big Island of Hawaii, it sits in the thin and constantly changing zone between the ocean and the jungle. This remote and highly sensitive site, located in a conservation district challenged us to re-imagine what living in such a place should look and feel like, as well as what the responsibility of living here should entail.
In the decision to live here lies a tacit agreement to become a steward of the land—to maintain and protect it. A local botanist was brought on in the early stages of design to catalog and annotate what was endemic and indigenous to the site and what was invasive. The location of the house was predicated on these findings as much as orientation to the sun, weather patterns and cross ventilation. We removed invasive species of Autograph and Ironwood trees and protected clusters of endangered Ischaemum. We built the house around an existing Hala grove, adding more native Hala trees, Naupaka and Ama’u fern to protect the house from the constant wind and sea spray.
Photo credits: Adam Taylor Photography
Project location: Honolulu, Oahu, HI
Project completion date: 05/01/2022
Submission type: Residential
One of the world’s most popular beachfront destinations, Waikīkī is the centerpiece of Hawaii’s tourism industry and its main retail, lodging, dining, and commercial district. Līlia Waikīkī redevelops 2.5 acres of aliʻi trust land in the heart of Waikīkī into a commercial mixed-use rental project. The redevelopment plays an important role in the continued revitalization of the Kūhiō Avenue Corridor, preserving Queen Emma’s legacy lands and providing direct financing to The Queen’s Health Systems in support of its mission to provide quality health care in Hawai’i.
Līlia Waikīkī is a community-facing project both in spirit and by design: the podium houses the newly reinvigorated Waikīkī Market, which has acted as the only full-service grocer for Waikīkī in fifty years. Facing the bustling Kūhiō Avenue, Līlia Waikīkī’s triple-height covered court and oculus offers a unique arrival sequence and is inspired by traditional Hawaiian lanais. The 28-story tower, aligned with the mauka-makai axis, sports a punched window façade, connecting with the urban context. Glazed corners offer mountain and ocean vistas. The preservation of heritage trees and iwi kupuna demonstrates a deep respect for local culture and natural heritage.
Photo credits: PBS Hawai‘i
Project location: Honolulu, Oahu, HI
Project completion date: 04/01/2017
Submission type: Institutional
PBS Hawaii is a nonprofit committed to advancing learning and discovery through educational programming for all ages. With its mission rooted in informing, inspiring and entertaining, it unifies local communities through the art of storytelling. After many years at its University of Hawaii Manoa campus location, it was time for the organization to realize its vision of a new home.
The client’s objectives centered on the building being a “gathering place” that embraces culture and is a trusted forum for differing perspectives. Storytelling is at the heart of PBS Hawaii – sharing information, news and entertainment relevant to the viewer. It was imperative that the design reflect and enhance this sense of community and interaction in a comfortable, fun and home-like environment.
PBS Hawaii is now able to continue telling stories for years to come, not only through its programming but also a new home designed to be both meaningful and timeless.
Photo credits: Olivier Koning
Project location: Honolulu, Oahu, HI
Project completion date: 10/01/2022
Submission type: Interior Architecture
After ten years in business, the award winning restaurant, Senia, has refreshed its interior to create a more modern ambience inspired by industrial opulence, address wear and tear, and improve operational efficiency. The project faced challenges of time, cost, and physical construction restraints. Senia is a play on the ancient Greek ideology of hospitality “xenia”, which embraces a reciprocal relationship between guest and host. The design concept reflects this mission statement by providing patrons with an elegant escape within the urban setting of downtown Honolulu. The stark contrasted space was converted to a deep and rich color palette with ambient lighting that welcomed the new guests with warmth and comfort. The use of black steel coupled with delicate rippling glass, curved details and plush leather seating embraced the juxtaposition of bold and feminine qualities to create a unique space.
Photo credits: Adam Taylor Photography
Project location: Honolulu, Oahu, HI
Project completion date: 11/01/2021
Submission type: Residential
The client purchased their “dream property” on a narrow strip of land situated between the busy Kamehameha Highway and beautiful Mālaekana Bay on Oʻahu’s north shore. An existing small, dilapidated house was not worthy of saving (however was sustainably deconstructed by Re-Use Hawaii). The owner’s program included spaces for them and their two children, a guest suite, and a pool, on a modest budget, in a non-kitchy Hawaiian design vocabulary.
To minimize the house’s massing, the programmatic elements were divided into two structures – the guesthouse combined with the garage and pool lānai, and the main house. The result is the creation of three distinct outdoor spaces – an auto court, which provides a buffer from the adjacent highway, a central pool courtyard which is buffered from the on-shore trade winds, and the makai yard.
The living spaces of the main house were conceived as a covered lānai, with the private spaces incorporated into a narrow 2-story element organized along the property line. This allowed views through the “lānai” to the ocean from the guesthouse on the mauka side, thereby expanding ocean views from the property. Additionally, “borrowed views” were captured across adjacent properties, making the property feel larger than it is.
Photo credits: Anton Kisselgoff for HI MEDIA CREATIVE
Project location: Honolulu, Oahu, HI
Project completion date: 09/01/2023
Submission type: Commercial/Industrial
Our vision for the parking garage extends beyond mere functionality. It aims to be a vibrant community asset, fostering energy and economic vitality in Downtown Wailuku. Key design objectives include harmonious integration with the urban context, cultural homage, prioritized wayfinding, and increased parking capacity.
The building's massing and scale effortlessly blend with surrounding structures and public areas, respecting the existing urban fabric. Architectural details pay tribute to Wailuku's cultural heritage, resonating with residents. Wayfinding is prioritized through clear signage and vibrant colors, ensuring easy access to parking.
Vehicle circulation routes are established along Church St. and Pili St., with Pili St. transformed into a shared pedestrian/vehicular road. Two pedestrian pathways connect Market St. to Church St., while the east edge offers a promenade for retail and dining opportunities.
Pedestrian access is carefully considered, with central and makai stairs connecting levels and providing views of the plaza and future cultural center. EV charging infrastructure future-proofs the garage amidst the transition to cleaner transportation.
The first level features a spacious 14-foot clear ceiling height, ideal for farmer's markets and public events. Imagine community gatherings, art exhibitions, or cultural performances in this light-filled, airy space, contributing to the vibrancy of Downtown Wailuku.
Student Entries
Project Location: Amarillo, TX
Category: Graduate
The community center is called CMU PARK situated in Memorial Park, Amarillo, Texas, and since Memorial Park is the only large green space in the community, we wanted to return the land occupied by the community center to the residents. Therefore, we wanted to create an ecological, active, and safe CMU PARK out of cold concrete masonry. The huge, curved roof gives the residents a unique roof garden and plenty of grey space for activities. The skylights in the roof also allow for convection of air between inside and outside, which, together with CMU's excellent insulation, gives CMU PARK in hot Texas a cool interior.
Tornadoes are frequent in the area. The sunken courtyard and multi-purpose rooms can be used as a shelter. The small rooms in the community center, like classrooms and offices, can also be used as dormitories for people made homeless by tornadoes. The curved roof makes the building seem to grow out of the ground. Roof gardens and roof paths also enrich the experience. The contoured roof form uses both plant and concrete materials to give CMU PARK a different appearance. On the ground CMU PARK is white, on the roof it is green. The curved roof is also more resistant to tornadoes than a flat roof, providing a safer shelter for people.
We want to present the adaptability and flexibility of CMU materials to the maximum extent possible. In the CMU system, different parts of the wall have different properties. load-bearing walls, partition wall, green wall, urban furniture, and paving. Based on the selected basic units of masonry, we have defined several of the most typical masonry methods. In our scheme, the walls are all curved walls, and in the other three core shelter spaces hyperbolic walls are used. We used the most basic block units, controlling the curves by controlling the width of the mortar joints. With the most basic units, interesting special forms are created.
Project Location: Kaimuki, Oahu, HI
Category: Undergraduate
With Hawaii's rapid development leading to increasing economic and housing demands, mixed-use buildings have become a highly valued model in modern society for meeting diverse resident needs and promoting economic growth. This project is located at the corner of 7th Avenue and Waialae Avenue in Kaimuki, directly across from Aliʻiolani Elementary School. The area is surrounded by various educational institutions and is in close proximity to Chaminade University and the University of Hawaii at Manoa. The design concept of this mixed-use building is to provide affordable housing for university students, educators, and families with children, serving as a social bridge to integrate the community.
Hawaii's education system sees many teachers retiring or leaving each year for various reasons, including unsuitable work locations or insufficient salaries. Providing affordable housing for local and out-of-state educators can help alleviate this issue to some extent.
A significant design consideration is the narrow sidewalks along Waialae Street. This prompted us to carefully design the layout of the ground floor to enhance pedestrian flow. This focus not only improves convenience but also encourages the use of bicycles and public transportation, taking the first step towards Kaimuki’s goal of adopting alternative green transportation options.
The ground floor commercial area includes a coffee shop, gym, and tutoring center. University students can work part-time at the tutoring center to provide teaching services for elementary school students. The coffee shop and gym also serve as recreational spaces for passersby and residents, bringing vitality and a joyful atmosphere to the community.
The residential building behind the commercial area features a central courtyard and primarily consists of one-bedroom studios and two-bedroom family units. The rooftop has a community room for gatherings, offering beautiful Mauka views and cool trade winds. The building employs passive design strategies to maximize natural lighting and ventilation. This project pushes the boundaries of sustainable design while embodying principles of regeneration, resilience, and health.
Photo credits: Myvatn, Iceland
Category: Undergraduate
Inspired by harmonious connectivity derived from a unique sense of interconnectedness with the natural world, this design manifests an experience crafted by the natural integration of the surrounding environment. The organic form mimics the landscape of Skútustaðagígar craters, creating an allure of authenticity. This experience is distinctive due to its foundation built upon the Icelandic cultural values of community, sustainability, and leisure.
Generated from passive design strategies and the comprehensive study of sun and wind path movements, this structure maximizes environmental efficiency through its conservation of warmth and utilization of a greywater recycling system throughout its facilities. The stairwell and aperture locations create a venturi effect allowing adequate air circulation while minimizing cold breezes, ensuring occupant comfort. By implementing local materials such as basalt lava rock, oak wood, larch wood, and granite, the building exemplifies vernacular architecture.
This design is grounded in an intimate understanding of island nations and meaningful oral traditions of the rhythmic tales of horse movements. These modular concepts are represented in furniture layouts to encourage exploration while providing a distinctive experience of tradition and innovation. Ultimately, this synthesis of nature, culture, and sustainable practices results in a design that is both practical and deeply connected to its environment.
Project Location: Waiale'e, Oahu, HI
Category: Undergraduate
The Hala Learning Center is an attempt to provide a new approach to agricultural education and community resilience for the community of Waiale`e. Inspired by the Hala tree – a Hawaiian symbol of rebirth as well as a crucial source of sustenance and wellbeing for Hawaiian communities – the Hala Learning Center provides interactive spaces for visitors to understand traditional agricultural practices, brings awareness about Hawaii’s endangered wetland ecosystems through sensory experiences, and creates opportunities for food cultivation that can help sustain our island community. By attracting visitors to the site through these activities, the intent is to preserve and nurture the rural landscape and culture that the Waiale`e and North Shore residents have cherished and protected for many generations while creating future opportunities for community members to share their products with the island and beyond.
As mentioned before, the Hala Learning Center draws reference from the Hala tree – a culturally significant plant that was once abundant in the area. The structures are made up of repeating geometrical frames that are threaded together by a set of beams and joists, which emanate the way Hala tree roots support its long trunk. Again, much like the tree, the frames on each of the structures on the site act as stilts to minimize building footprints and establish flood resilience. The facades are wooden louvers that vary in porosity in accordance with the observed wind and sun patterns. Therefore, the gradient in porosity allows for optimized passive ventilation, provides sufficient daylighting throughout the year, and also creates poetic moments when sunlight filters in through this lightweight facade. Its reduced energy use and efficiency also helps to mitigate the effects this design has on the environment, designing for energy, ecosystems, and integration.
The programmatic features on this site are purposed for productive agriculture, highly interactive educational experiences, and opportunities for community engagement and visitor attraction. The building has a 1300 sq ft. kitchen with a poi factory that can be used to process produce from the agricultural plots or host cooking lessons for curious students and visitors. In spaces like the amphitheater, plant nursery, or even the building’s open-air classrooms, community members and volunteer workers can hold events such as farmers markets and hands-on agricultural or cultural workshops. Finally, the floating gardens allow for visitors to walk onto the wetland pond to take in the panoramic views of the site and allows for a deeper, engaging experience that brings people closer to the flora and fauna of Hawaii’s wetlands. This amphibious network of platforms also creates an opportunity to cultivate the areas of the pond that are too far from the shore for the site’s workers to access. The optimization of land use and contribution to preservation efforts that work to restore the site’s wetland ecosystem address the need to design for equitable communities and economy. Through this design, I hope to introduce a new approach to economic, environmental, and cultural resilience for a more sustainable North Shore community.
Project Location: Honolulu, Oahu, HI
Category: Undergraduate
Located at the edge of Kaka’ako Waterfront Beach Park, this play space serves a community engagement opportunity. The design, inspired by the artistic murals found around the streets of Kaka’ako, and the active community within this neighborhood, is driven by artists, rock climbers, and curious children and young adults. Kaka’ako has become a hub for the growing art scene in Honolulu, being the center of Powwow, its main event being the Murals painting along the streets of this neighborhood. In addition to this, HI Climb has become one of the most popular rock-climbing gyms on the island and is a hub for young adults looking for an active lifestyle. Kaka’ako Cocoon, is a blend of bouldering walls, fish nets, and rubber mounds that all work symbiotically to recreate the essence of the community in Kaka’ako.
The design, situated within the mound, peeks out and stunts its colorful walls. The bouldering walls, made of mesh, hold a bold, green color, blending with the green mounds found throughout the park. These bouldering walls hold up the handles for climbers to use. They also consist of hooks that connect the fish net found shading the design. The recycled fish netting is a waste-free approach creating interactive connections throughout the design. The nets, hooking from one bouldering wall to another, work as shading for occupants to hide under. They serve the purpose to be climbed on. From net to net, the occupant can climb and swing appropriately.
The mounds, situated at the ground level, use formed concrete to accumulate varying heights. This concrete form is layered with recycled rubber, like traction mats, goal posts, and tires, and is placed in varying thicknesses. This strategy continues the opportunity for occupants to bounce and run on the mounds and creates a heightened environment encouraging playful interactions among the occupants. The concrete forms hold metal posts varying between 1’-6” to 2’. These posts, structurally, work to create flexible and adaptable rubber mounds that encourage bounce and collision between the occupants.
This interactive play space takes in waste material and turns it into an active, positive, and living space. Kaka’ako Cocoon encourages occupants to be inventive and free with their play. This design is meant to be open-ended, free, and creative. Rubber mounds taken from the topography of the existing mounds on the site. Fish netting works as both a climbing system and a shading system that follows the path of the sun. Bouldering walls ranging from 3’-6” to 15’ work to encourage an active lifestyle. These forms, all taken from the site, simply, invite people to explore and move about the space. Eventually, finding comfortable perches to sit on, and secluded depressions to hide out in, to finally, watch the sunset at Kaka’ako Waterfront Beach Park.
Project Location: Honolulu, Oahu, HI
Category: Graduate
Our project, ‘Lēʻahi Home & Lapa’au Park,’ is located within and in partnership with, Lēʻahi Hospital, a private non-profit hospital in Honolulu, Hawai’i. The 6.6-acre Lēʻahi Hospital site, our client, desperately needed a new economic development strategy. We proposed a design based on two major principles from the AIA Framework for Design Excellence: ‘Design for Economy’ and ‘Design for Well-being.' Our aim was to activate underutilized spaces for healing while creating new resilient health and wellness revenue streams, all to strengthen and uphold Lēʻahi Hospital's values and history.
Our parti concept incorporates three key design strategies. First, we removed the hazardous and dilapidated underutilized existing buildings, while keeping and consolidating the buildings integral to Lēʻahi hospital. Second, we introduce Lapa’au Park, a ‘healing park’ centered in the property, honoring the preservation site that once existed and focusing on design for well-being. Third, we framed Lapa’au Park with the new proposed architecture of Lēʻahi Home, the original name of Lēʻahi Hospital back in 1906, to generate vital revenue streams for the site, aligning with the principle of design for economy.
In designing for well-being, we greatly considered Lēʻahi Hospital's main demographic, geriatric care and housing. Our proposed 2.3-acre Lapa’au Park consists of seven main features aimed for the kūpuna and community: a pumped hydro water loop utilizing the steep topographic site for sustainable energy storage and stormwater drainage, circulation and walking trails to promote exercise and natural way-finding, a children’s playground to increase generational connections, resting nodes to embrace connections with nature, a community pavilion to promote social interactions and learning, water features to create an atmosphere of relaxation and meditation, and an arboretum of native species essential for living fauna and flora ecosystems and air quality. All of these features are designed to naturally and architecturally heal the mental and physical health of all stakeholders of the Lēʻahi community through connections with nature and people. Hence the name Lapa’au Park.
In designing for economy, we first approached the existing Lēʻahi Hospital architecture as an adaptive reuse and sustainable retrofit. We consolidated hospital programs, maximizing the potential of available existing square footage. We also opened up underutilized areas to create major atrium spaces, allowing a monumental amount of natural sunlight to reduce total energy needs by 8%. Furthermore, we managed to cover roughly 34% of the hospital’s energy needs through the addition of PV systems. The new 145,000 sq. ft. proposed Lēʻahi Home offers 126 units of ‘aging in place’ living and health-conscious commercial programs such as a fitness center, a health court and classrooms for KCC. This mitigates the dire need for affordable living units while also promoting small businesses, that are health in nature, within the greater Lēʻahi community. Architecturally, this new development also frames Diamond Head through the iconic ‘Diamond Deck’, ensuring that one is always oriented with a sense of place and identity.
Project Location: Waikoloa, Hawaii, HI
Category: Undergraduate
In the ancient art of Japanese carpentry, there is a reverence for wood that transcends mere construction. Each beam, each column, is a testament to nature's grace and endurance. It’s within this spirit that this house is conceived, a harmonious blend of tradition and modernity, crafted with love and deep respect for the natural world.
The timber frame structure stands proudly on a hillside, embracing the land's natural downward slope. A post and pier foundation was chosen, not out of convenience, but out of reverence for the earth. This method gently cradles the home, preserving the landscape's integrity and echoing the principle of Design for Ecology. It's a silent promise to tread lightly, to honor the land we build upon.
The great diagonal timbers, acting as cross braces for the elevated lanai and living room, are more than structural supports. They are reminiscent of the sprawling branches of an ancient tree, deeply rooted and steadfast. These timbers enhance the home's resistance to wind and earthquakes, ensuring its strength and resilience. The house does not impose itself upon the landscape; rather, it melds with it, becoming a natural extension of the environment.
The broad roof, with its generous overhangs, offers sanctuary from the fierce Hawaiian sun, while the ample jalousie and louvered windows invite the gentle trade winds to dance through the home. This interplay of light and air is a tribute to nature's rhythms, providing a simple yet effective method of passive cooling and ventilation.
Inside, the warmth of exposed wood creates an inviting sanctuary, where each grain tells a story of time and patience. The central kitchen, the heart of the home, overlooks the living and dining areas, offering sight lines to the encompassing landscape and ocean. With the gentle push of folding wall doors, the boundaries between inside and out dissolve, allowing the home to breathe with the seasons. This seamless transition fosters a profound sense of peace and connection to nature, promoting well-being and serenity.
The choice of wood as the primary building material is deliberate and passionate. It’s a living, breathing testament to sustainability, capturing carbon and standing as a renewable resource far more practical than concrete or steel. This respect for nature is further exemplified by the roof-mounted photovoltaic panels, which harness the sun's energy to completely power the home, embracing the principle of Design for Energy.
This house is more than a structure; it’s a labor of love, a harmonious blend of traditional craftsmanship and modern sustainability. It stands as a beacon of aesthetic and functional excellence, a commitment to energy efficiency, well-being, and ecological harmony. In its design and construction, one finds a profound expression of the designer's passion, a celebration of the art of living in balance with nature.
Project Location: Honolulu, Oahu, HI
Category: Undergraduate
"Stacked" is a visionary housing project designed to foster community interaction and create a vibrant social hub for the Kaimuki neighborhood. This innovative building offers a variety of amenities and facilities aimed at enhancing the quality of life for residents and visitors alike. Conceived as a space where the Kaimuki community can congregate, relax, and connect, "Stacked" serves as a modern-day gathering place, promoting social interaction and a sense of belonging among residents. The ground floor is a bustling area featuring a gym, bakery, and coffee shop. These facilities provide essential services and leisure activities, making it convenient for residents to maintain a healthy lifestyle, enjoy fresh baked goods, and socialize over a cup of coffee.
The building design displays a unique Jenga-style construction and stacking design. This not only gives it a striking visual appeal but also creates numerous outdoor gathering spaces on different levels, encouraging outdoor activities and social gatherings. The orientation of the building ensures that the courtyard receives maximum natural light from the corner of the lot. This design element enhances the ambiance of the courtyard, making it a pleasant and inviting space for residents to enjoy. To mitigate the noise from the bustling Waialae Street, outside corridors and a screening system are incorporated into the design. This feature ensures a quieter and more serene living environment, improving the overall comfort for residents.
The interior design prioritizes comfort, offering studio and one-bedroom apartments with expansive views of lush greenery. This not only provides a beautiful living space but also fosters a connection with nature. Incorporating trees and plants throughout the building contributes to a healthier atmosphere. This biophilic design approach enhances the well-being of residents, making the building a more desirable place to live, work, and learn. Recognizing that young adults make up the majority of the audience, the design emphasizes creating a welcoming and community-focused living environment. This demographic focus drives the building’s vibrant and dynamic atmosphere.
"Stacked" exemplifies a move towards a more modern design and sustainability through the use of repurposed shipping containers. This innovative construction method not only reduces waste but also highlights the building’s dedication to eco-friendly practices. Old shipping containers can be recycled to drastically cut down on construction time and costs, which improves the efficiency of the entire building process. Building shipping containers is also environmentally beneficial since it recycles materials that would otherwise be thrown away. These containers provide a sturdy and long-lasting structure because they are incredibly durable and made to withstand harsh conditions. In addition, because they are modular, there are more creative and adaptable design options available, which facilitates faster assembly and simpler modifications than with conventional building techniques.
Project location: Amarillo, Texas
Submission type: Graduate
The community center is called CMU PARK situated in Memorial Park, Amarillo, Texas, and since Memorial Park is the only large green space in the community, we wanted to return the land occupied by the community center to the residents. Therefore, we wanted to create an ecological, active, and safe CMU PARK out of cold concrete masonry. The huge, curved roof gives the residents a unique roof garden and plenty of grey space for activities. The skylights in the roof also allow for convection of air between inside and outside, which, together with CMU's excellent insulation, gives CMU PARK in hot Texas a cool interior.
Tornadoes are frequent in the area. The sunken courtyard and multi-purpose rooms can be used as a shelter. The small rooms in the community center, like classrooms and offices, can also be used as dormitories for people made homeless by tornadoes. The curved roof makes the building seem to grow out of the ground. Roof gardens and roof paths also enrich the experience. The contoured roof form uses both plant and concrete materials to give CMU PARK a different appearance. On the ground CMU PARK is white, on the roof it is green. The curved roof is also more resistant to tornadoes than a flat roof, providing a safer shelter for people.
We want to present the adaptability and flexibility of CMU materials to the maximum extent possible. In the CMU system, different parts of the wall have different properties. load-bearing walls, partition wall, green wall, urban furniture, and paving. Based on the selected basic units of masonry, we have defined several of the most typical masonry methods. In our scheme, the walls are all curved walls, and in the other three core shelter spaces hyperbolic walls are used. We used the most basic block units, controlling the curves by controlling the width of the mortar joints. With the most basic units, interesting special forms are created.
Project location: Kaimuki, Oahu, HI
Submission type: Undergraduate
With Hawaii's rapid development leading to increasing economic and housing demands, mixed-use buildings have become a highly valued model in modern society for meeting diverse resident needs and promoting economic growth. This project is located at the corner of 7th Avenue and Waialae Avenue in Kaimuki, directly across from Aliʻiolani Elementary School. The area is surrounded by various educational institutions and is in close proximity to Chaminade University and the University of Hawaii at Manoa. The design concept of this mixed-use building is to provide affordable housing for university students, educators, and families with children, serving as a social bridge to integrate the community.
Hawaii's education system sees many teachers retiring or leaving each year for various reasons, including unsuitable work locations or insufficient salaries. Providing affordable housing for local and out-of-state educators can help alleviate this issue to some extent.
A significant design consideration is the narrow sidewalks along Waialae Street. This prompted us to carefully design the layout of the ground floor to enhance pedestrian flow. This focus not only improves convenience but also encourages the use of bicycles and public transportation, taking the first step towards Kaimuki’s goal of adopting alternative green transportation options.
The ground floor commercial area includes a coffee shop, gym, and tutoring center. University students can work part-time at the tutoring center to provide teaching services for elementary school students. The coffee shop and gym also serve as recreational spaces for passersby and residents, bringing vitality and a joyful atmosphere to the community.
The residential building behind the commercial area features a central courtyard and primarily consists of one-bedroom studios and two-bedroom family units. The rooftop has a community room for gatherings, offering beautiful Mauka views and cool trade winds. The building employs passive design strategies to maximize natural lighting and ventilation. This project pushes the boundaries of sustainable design while embodying principles of regeneration, resilience, and health.
Project location: Myvatn, Iceland
Submission type: Undergraduate
Inspired by harmonious connectivity derived from a unique sense of interconnectedness with the natural world, this design manifests an experience crafted by the natural integration of the surrounding environment. The organic form mimics the landscape of Skútustaðagígar craters, creating an allure of authenticity. This experience is distinctive due to its foundation built upon the Icelandic cultural values of community, sustainability, and leisure.
Generated from passive design strategies and the comprehensive study of sun and wind path movements, this structure maximizes environmental efficiency through its conservation of warmth and utilization of a greywater recycling system throughout its facilities. The stairwell and aperture locations create a venturi effect allowing adequate air circulation while minimizing cold breezes, ensuring occupant comfort. By implementing local materials such as basalt lava rock, oak wood, larch wood, and granite, the building exemplifies vernacular architecture.
This design is grounded in an intimate understanding of island nations and meaningful oral traditions of the rhythmic tales of horse movements. These modular concepts are represented in furniture layouts to encourage exploration while providing a distinctive experience of tradition and innovation. Ultimately, this synthesis of nature, culture, and sustainable practices results in a design that is both practical and deeply connected to its environment.
Project location: Waiale`e, Oahu, HI
Submission type: Undergraduate
The Hala Learning Center is an attempt to provide a new approach to agricultural education and community resilience for the community of Waiale`e. Inspired by the Hala tree – a Hawaiian symbol of rebirth as well as a crucial source of sustenance and wellbeing for Hawaiian communities – the Hala Learning Center provides interactive spaces for visitors to understand traditional agricultural practices, brings awareness about Hawaii’s endangered wetland ecosystems through sensory experiences, and creates opportunities for food cultivation that can help sustain our island community. By attracting visitors to the site through these activities, the intent is to preserve and nurture the rural landscape and culture that the Waiale`e and North Shore residents have cherished and protected for many generations while creating future opportunities for community members to share their products with the island and beyond.
As mentioned before, the Hala Learning Center draws reference from the Hala tree – a culturally significant plant that was once abundant in the area. The structures are made up of repeating geometrical frames that are threaded together by a set of beams and joists, which emanate the way Hala tree roots support its long trunk. Again, much like the tree, the frames on each of the structures on the site act as stilts to minimize building footprints and establish flood resilience. The facades are wooden louvers that vary in porosity in accordance with the observed wind and sun patterns. Therefore, the gradient in porosity allows for optimized passive ventilation, provides sufficient daylighting throughout the year, and also creates poetic moments when sunlight filters in through this lightweight facade. Its reduced energy use and efficiency also helps to mitigate the effects this design has on the environment, designing for energy, ecosystems, and integration.
The programmatic features on this site are purposed for productive agriculture, highly interactive educational experiences, and opportunities for community engagement and visitor attraction. The building has a 1300 sq ft. kitchen with a poi factory that can be used to process produce from the agricultural plots or host cooking lessons for curious students and visitors. In spaces like the amphitheater, plant nursery, or even the building’s open-air classrooms, community members and volunteer workers can hold events such as farmers markets and hands-on agricultural or cultural workshops. Finally, the floating gardens allow for visitors to walk onto the wetland pond to take in the panoramic views of the site and allows for a deeper, engaging experience that brings people closer to the flora and fauna of Hawaii’s wetlands. This amphibious network of platforms also creates an opportunity to cultivate the areas of the pond that are too far from the shore for the site’s workers to access. The optimization of land use and contribution to preservation efforts that work to restore the site’s wetland ecosystem address the need to design for equitable communities and economy. Through this design, I hope to introduce a new approach to economic, environmental, and cultural resilience for a more sustainable North Shore community.
Project location: Honolulu, Oahu, HI
Submission type: Undergraduate
Located at the edge of Kaka’ako Waterfront Beach Park, this play space serves a community engagement opportunity. The design, inspired by the artistic murals found around the streets of Kaka’ako, and the active community within this neighborhood, is driven by artists, rock climbers, and curious children and young adults. Kaka’ako has become a hub for the growing art scene in Honolulu, being the center of Powwow, its main event being the Murals painting along the streets of this neighborhood. In addition to this, HI Climb has become one of the most popular rock-climbing gyms on the island and is a hub for young adults looking for an active lifestyle. Kaka’ako Cocoon, is a blend of bouldering walls, fish nets, and rubber mounds that all work symbiotically to recreate the essence of the community in Kaka’ako.
The design, situated within the mound, peeks out and stunts its colorful walls. The bouldering walls, made of mesh, hold a bold, green color, blending with the green mounds found throughout the park. These bouldering walls hold up the handles for climbers to use. They also consist of hooks that connect the fish net found shading the design. The recycled fish netting is a waste-free approach creating interactive connections throughout the design. The nets, hooking from one bouldering wall to another, work as shading for occupants to hide under. They serve the purpose to be climbed on. From net to net, the occupant can climb and swing appropriately.
The mounds, situated at the ground level, use formed concrete to accumulate varying heights. This concrete form is layered with recycled rubber, like traction mats, goal posts, and tires, and is placed in varying thicknesses. This strategy continues the opportunity for occupants to bounce and run on the mounds and creates a heightened environment encouraging playful interactions among the occupants. The concrete forms hold metal posts varying between 1’-6” to 2’. These posts, structurally, work to create flexible and adaptable rubber mounds that encourage bounce and collision between the occupants.
This interactive play space takes in waste material and turns it into an active, positive, and living space. Kaka’ako Cocoon encourages occupants to be inventive and free with their play. This design is meant to be open-ended, free, and creative. Rubber mounds taken from the topography of the existing mounds on the site. Fish netting works as both a climbing system and a shading system that follows the path of the sun. Bouldering walls ranging from 3’-6” to 15’ work to encourage an active lifestyle. These forms, all taken from the site, simply, invite people to explore and move about the space. Eventually, finding comfortable perches to sit on, and secluded depressions to hide out in, to finally, watch the sunset at Kaka’ako Waterfront Beach Park.
Project location: Honolulu, Oahu, HI
Submission type: Graduate
Our project, ‘Lēʻahi Home & Lapa’au Park,’ is located within and in partnership with, Lēʻahi Hospital, a private non-profit hospital in Honolulu, Hawai’i. The 6.6-acre Lēʻahi Hospital site, our client, desperately needed a new economic development strategy. We proposed a design based on two major principles from the AIA Framework for Design Excellence: ‘Design for Economy’ and ‘Design for Well-being.' Our aim was to activate underutilized spaces for healing while creating new resilient health and wellness revenue streams, all to strengthen and uphold Lēʻahi Hospital's values and history.
Our parti concept incorporates three key design strategies. First, we removed the hazardous and dilapidated underutilized existing buildings, while keeping and consolidating the buildings integral to Lēʻahi hospital. Second, we introduce Lapa’au Park, a ‘healing park’ centered in the property, honoring the preservation site that once existed and focusing on design for well-being. Third, we framed Lapa’au Park with the new proposed architecture of Lēʻahi Home, the original name of Lēʻahi Hospital back in 1906, to generate vital revenue streams for the site, aligning with the principle of design for economy.
In designing for well-being, we greatly considered Lēʻahi Hospital's main demographic, geriatric care and housing. Our proposed 2.3-acre Lapa’au Park consists of seven main features aimed for the kūpuna and community: a pumped hydro water loop utilizing the steep topographic site for sustainable energy storage and stormwater drainage, circulation and walking trails to promote exercise and natural way-finding, a children’s playground to increase generational connections, resting nodes to embrace connections with nature, a community pavilion to promote social interactions and learning, water features to create an atmosphere of relaxation and meditation, and an arboretum of native species essential for living fauna and flora ecosystems and air quality. All of these features are designed to naturally and architecturally heal the mental and physical health of all stakeholders of the Lēʻahi community through connections with nature and people. Hence the name Lapa’au Park.
In designing for economy, we first approached the existing Lēʻahi Hospital architecture as an adaptive reuse and sustainable retrofit. We consolidated hospital programs, maximizing the potential of available existing square footage. We also opened up underutilized areas to create major atrium spaces, allowing a monumental amount of natural sunlight to reduce total energy needs by 8%. Furthermore, we managed to cover roughly 34% of the hospital’s energy needs through the addition of PV systems. The new 145,000 sq. ft. proposed Lēʻahi Home offers 126 units of ‘aging in place’ living and health-conscious commercial programs such as a fitness center, a health court and classrooms for KCC. This mitigates the dire need for affordable living units while also promoting small businesses, that are health in nature, within the greater Lēʻahi community. Architecturally, this new development also frames Diamond Head through the iconic ‘Diamond Deck’, ensuring that one is always oriented with a sense of place and identity.
Project location: Waikoloa, Hawaii, HI
Submission type: Undergraduate
In the ancient art of Japanese carpentry, there is a reverence for wood that transcends mere construction. Each beam, each column, is a testament to nature's grace and endurance. It’s within this spirit that this house is conceived, a harmonious blend of tradition and modernity, crafted with love and deep respect for the natural world.
The timber frame structure stands proudly on a hillside, embracing the land's natural downward slope. A post and pier foundation was chosen, not out of convenience, but out of reverence for the earth. This method gently cradles the home, preserving the landscape's integrity and echoing the principle of Design for Ecology. It's a silent promise to tread lightly, to honor the land we build upon.
The great diagonal timbers, acting as cross braces for the elevated lanai and living room, are more than structural supports. They are reminiscent of the sprawling branches of an ancient tree, deeply rooted and steadfast. These timbers enhance the home's resistance to wind and earthquakes, ensuring its strength and resilience. The house does not impose itself upon the landscape; rather, it melds with it, becoming a natural extension of the environment.
The broad roof, with its generous overhangs, offers sanctuary from the fierce Hawaiian sun, while the ample jalousie and louvered windows invite the gentle trade winds to dance through the home. This interplay of light and air is a tribute to nature's rhythms, providing a simple yet effective method of passive cooling and ventilation.
Inside, the warmth of exposed wood creates an inviting sanctuary, where each grain tells a story of time and patience. The central kitchen, the heart of the home, overlooks the living and dining areas, offering sight lines to the encompassing landscape and ocean. With the gentle push of folding wall doors, the boundaries between inside and out dissolve, allowing the home to breathe with the seasons. This seamless transition fosters a profound sense of peace and connection to nature, promoting well-being and serenity.
The choice of wood as the primary building material is deliberate and passionate. It’s a living, breathing testament to sustainability, capturing carbon and standing as a renewable resource far more practical than concrete or steel. This respect for nature is further exemplified by the roof-mounted photovoltaic panels, which harness the sun's energy to completely power the home, embracing the principle of Design for Energy.
This house is more than a structure; it’s a labor of love, a harmonious blend of traditional craftsmanship and modern sustainability. It stands as a beacon of aesthetic and functional excellence, a commitment to energy efficiency, well-being, and ecological harmony. In its design and construction, one finds a profound expression of the designer's passion, a celebration of the art of living in balance with nature.
Project location: Honolulu, Oahu, HI
Submission type: Undergraduate
"Stacked" is a visionary housing project designed to foster community interaction and create a vibrant social hub for the Kaimuki neighborhood. This innovative building offers a variety of amenities and facilities aimed at enhancing the quality of life for residents and visitors alike. Conceived as a space where the Kaimuki community can congregate, relax, and connect, "Stacked" serves as a modern-day gathering place, promoting social interaction and a sense of belonging among residents. The ground floor is a bustling area featuring a gym, bakery, and coffee shop. These facilities provide essential services and leisure activities, making it convenient for residents to maintain a healthy lifestyle, enjoy fresh baked goods, and socialize over a cup of coffee.
The building design displays a unique Jenga-style construction and stacking design. This not only gives it a striking visual appeal but also creates numerous outdoor gathering spaces on different levels, encouraging outdoor activities and social gatherings. The orientation of the building ensures that the courtyard receives maximum natural light from the corner of the lot. This design element enhances the ambiance of the courtyard, making it a pleasant and inviting space for residents to enjoy. To mitigate the noise from the bustling Waialae Street, outside corridors and a screening system are incorporated into the design. This feature ensures a quieter and more serene living environment, improving the overall comfort for residents.
The interior design prioritizes comfort, offering studio and one-bedroom apartments with expansive views of lush greenery. This not only provides a beautiful living space but also fosters a connection with nature. Incorporating trees and plants throughout the building contributes to a healthier atmosphere. This biophilic design approach enhances the well-being of residents, making the building a more desirable place to live, work, and learn. Recognizing that young adults make up the majority of the audience, the design emphasizes creating a welcoming and community-focused living environment. This demographic focus drives the building’s vibrant and dynamic atmosphere.
"Stacked" exemplifies a move towards a more modern design and sustainability through the use of repurposed shipping containers. This innovative construction method not only reduces waste but also highlights the building’s dedication to eco-friendly practices. Old shipping containers can be recycled to drastically cut down on construction time and costs, which improves the efficiency of the entire building process. Building shipping containers is also environmentally beneficial since it recycles materials that would otherwise be thrown away. These containers provide a sturdy and long-lasting structure because they are incredibly durable and made to withstand harsh conditions. In addition, because they are modular, there are more creative and adaptable design options available, which facilitates faster assembly and simpler modifications than with conventional building techniques.
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