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 | Mar 9, 2020
Designing campus buildings through an equity lens
As colleges become more diverse, campus conversation is focusing on how to create equitable environments that welcome all voices.
University Buildings | Mar 9, 2020
Auburn University, Robins & Morton open Construction Field Laboratory
Robins & Morton and Auburn University’s College of Architecture, Design and Construction (CADC) recently celebrated the dedication of the Robins & Morton Construction Field Laboratory.
University Buildings | Feb 20, 2020
Kettering University’s new Learning Commons includes a student entrepreneur lab
Stantec designed the project.
University Buildings | Feb 18, 2020
UC Berkeley’s Enclave Apartments features a unique Moorish Castle design
Kirk E Peterson & Associates designed the project.
University Buildings | Feb 10, 2020
Sino-French Aviation University breaks ground in Hangzhou
HENN designed the project.
University Buildings | Jan 27, 2020
St. Edward’s University reveals new Recreation and Athletic Center
Specht Architects designed the building.
University Buildings | Jan 6, 2020
Making it: Gen Z learns by doing
This fundamental shift in learning style will have an impact on higher-education space planning.
University Buildings | Dec 17, 2019
Two LMN Architects-designed academic science buildings move forward for completion next year
These facilities will bring several disciplines under one roof.
University Buildings | Dec 12, 2019
HOK will design the Florida Gators new football facility
The facility will be named after longtime donor to the University of Florida and the University Athletic Association James W. “Bill” Heavener.
Wood | Dec 6, 2019
The University of Arkansas is now home to America’s largest mass timber building
A design collaborative led by Leers Weinzapfel Associates, Modus Studio, Mackey Mitchell Architects, and OLIN designed the project.