Lance Walters is an architect, educator, and maker whose work bridges teaching, research, and practice. He approaches architecture as a conversation between material craft, environmental context, and cultural narrative, positioning architecture not only as a design discipline but as a civic and cultural exercise.

Walters is a licensed architect in Hawai‘i and Alaska, a certified Rhino3D instructor, and a long-time member of Docomomo Hawai‘i. He recently co-authored Screen Blocks of Hawai‘i: Letting the Trade Winds Flow with Don Hibbard and gives public talks on the subject that reflect his commitment to making architectural knowledge accessible beyond the academy.

A proud Iñupiat and native of Alaska, Walters draws on northern traditions, landscapes, and ways of making as formative influences in his approach to design. Rooted in both heritage and exploration, Walters balances his academic work with wide-ranging creative pursuits: sketching and watercolor, building (from ukulele and canoes to airplanes), occasionally sailing, and flying his 1949 Aeronca Sedan.

In the classroom, Walters has been nationally and internationally recognized for his clarity, generosity, and experimentation. Awarded the 2019 UH Mānoa Regent’s Medal for Excellence in Teaching and the 2017 ACSA New Faculty Teaching Award, he champions beginning design education while also leading global experiences for students. He served as Director-in-Residence and later Interim Director of the Global Track program in Shanghai– further cultivating an ethos of international, cross-cultural design practice.

Walters’ research ranges widely, from the role of drawing and watercolor sketching in field-based design education, to the enduring legacy of breezeblocks in Hawai‘i and beyond, to experimental work with pneumatic structures and the technological challenges of building in extreme climates. Supported by over $250,000 in competitive funding, his collaborative projects include public design research with the UH Community Design Center, such as comfort stations for Hawai‘i’s state parks and the Wahiawā Performing Arts Center, as well as the Nomadic Pneumatic installation with Jason Selley, AIA (AIA Honolulu design award 2017).

Research & Creative Work

License(s)

Registered Architect: Alaska and Hawaii