This speculative project aspires to create exemplary urban, landscape, and architectural designs that both mitigate the effects of climate change and enable Hawaii’s people to become stewards of our local environment. It emphasizes creating a conceptual-level ecologically-sensitive landscape and resource-efficient, comfortable architecture appropriate for Hawaii’s 21st century coastline.
In this final project, students design a landscape and building at Kewalo Basin, a harbor in Honolulu, situated between the most rapidly developing area in Honolulu, Kakaʻako, and Ala Moana Beach Park. The midterm and final critiques include professionals from the non-profit organization, Kupu, and architects, Group 70, who are currently rehabilitating an existing industrial building and surrounding landscape on the site.
Through precedent studies, site inventories, and site analysis, students assess the urban context, site composition, climate, historical and cultural significance, community and client needs, program, and sustainability goals. Second, students define a vision and program for the site that includes both landscape design and built interventions. Next, students develop a sequence of design propositions through various modes of representation, including narratives, models, and drawings.
