The University of Hawaii West Oahu campus is nearing the completion of its newest building, the 43,000-sf Administration and Allied Health Building.
The new $36 million facility consolidates office space for campus leadership into a single location and also provides general purpose classrooms and wet/dry teaching laboratories for microbiology, cellular/molecular, anatomy/physiology, and organic chemistry.
Designed by Perkins+Will’s LA Studio in collaboration with KYA Design Group, the building design was inspired by the gable roof form of historic sugar mills common to the area. The building enclosure utilizes CMU (concrete masonry unit) as a monolithic skin with its texture and pattern inspired by traditional Hawaiian kapa (cloth).
Courtesy of Perkins+Will's LA Studio.
On the southern facade, deep, open-air lanais (balconies) connect the interior and outdoor circulation. The lanais act as a natural gathering space, an extension of the classroom, and are connected visually and physically to the Great Lawn.
“The challenge was how to best consolidate the distinct functions of teaching labs and classrooms within the same building as office space for the campus administration,” says Mark Tagawa, Associate Principal at Perkins+Will’s LA Studio, in a release. “We wanted to create a facility that interacted with the landscape in a sympathetic way, through water management, landscaping, and materiality. Cultural and ecological appropriateness was our filter for all design decisions.”
Courtesy of Perkins+Will's LA Studio.
The campus is located on former sugar cane land with a legacy of over 100 years of agriculture. Sustained tilling has left the topsoil depleted of organic matter, which decreases the ability to retain water and support new plant life. The project seeks to rectify this issue by restoring, healing, and rebuilding the topsoil via nitrogen fixing planting, implementing onsite ecological water and nutrient management, and regenerating and reviving native landscaping.
The Administration & Allied Health Building will open to students in spring 2019.
Courtesy of Perkins+Will's LA Studio.
Related Stories
University Buildings | Feb 26, 2021
Dartmouth College’s new faculty and graduate student center completes
Leers Weinzapfel Associates designed the project.
Market Data | Feb 24, 2021
2021 won’t be a growth year for construction spending, says latest JLL forecast
Predicts second-half improvement toward normalization next year.
University Buildings | Feb 16, 2021
Former coal-burning power plant becomes Beloit College’s new student union
Studio Gang designed the project.
University Buildings | Feb 9, 2021
Purpose-built facility for University of South Florida’s Judy Genshaft Honors College breaks ground
Morphosis designed the project.
Multifamily Housing | Jan 8, 2021
Student housing development in the time of COVID-19
Despite the coronavirus pandemic, many college and university residences were completed in time for classes, live or virtual. Here are 14 of the best.
Giants 400 | Dec 16, 2020
Download a PDF of all 2020 Giants 400 Rankings
This 70-page PDF features AEC firm rankings across 51 building sectors, disciplines, and specialty services.
University Buildings | Dec 13, 2020
U. of Oregon’s new Knight Campus is set up to turn ideas into reality
Its design encourages occupant productivity and well-being.
Giants 400 | Dec 3, 2020
2020 Science & Technology Facilities Giants: Top architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the S+T sector
HDR, Jacobs, and Turner head BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest science and technology (S+T) facilities sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2020 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Dec 2, 2020
2020 University Giants: Top architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the higher education sector
Gensler, AECOM, and Turner Construction top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest university sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2020 Giants 400 Report.
University Buildings | Nov 25, 2020
Stanford bioresearch quad's new public art piece, “Morphogenesis”
Stanford University's Morphogenesis installation connects user interaction with a large-scale media mesh platform.