Consistent with the course description, students will gain skills and knowledge of “building and site design with emphasis on site development, analysis, and climatic response.”

In this final project, students will create a conceptual design for a building and landscape in at Waiale‘e, a rural, coastal site on the North Shore of O‘ahu also known as the University of Hawaii Waiale‘e research station. The North Shore Community Land Trust (NSCLT) non-profit organization currently manages the site and its mission “is to protect, steward, and enhance the natural landscapes, cultural heritage, and rural character of ahupuaʻa from Kahuku to Kaʻena.” The existing site includes freshwater wetlands, vegetation, dilapidated buildings from the UH research station and an abandoned former correctional school building with informal skateboard ramps. The adjacent and nearby sandy beaches are world-renowned for surfing.  

Through precedent studies, GIS tutorials, and site analysis students assess the surrounding context, site composition, climate, historical and cultural significance, community and client needs, and sustainability goals. Next, students learn to develop a vision and program (functional requirements) for the building and landscape design. Next, students will iteratively develop design propositions through various modes of representation, including narratives, models, drawings, and renderings. 

This studio addresses site design integral to tectonic, volumetric/spatial, place-making, and sustainable strategies. It emphasizes creating a conceptual-level ecologically-sensitive landscape and resource-efficient, comfortable architecture appropriate for Hawaii’s 21st century coastline.