Architects from across the state will gather on Kaua’i and O’ahu later this month to put Lihu’e under the planning microscope. As part of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Honolulu chapter observance of Architecture Week, Lihu’e will be the
Architects from across the state will gather on Kaua’i and O’ahu later this month to put Lihu’e under the planning microscope.
As part of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Honolulu chapter observance of Architecture Week, Lihu’e will be the subject of an urban design charette, or inter-active, online design brainstorming session, on two consecutive Saturdays, June 22 and 29.
Architects and others interested will gather on O’ahu at the University of Hawaii Manoa School of Architecture, Room 215, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days, while interested folks on Kaua’i will gather at Kauai Community College computer interactive facilities and classrooms on the first Saturday, then move to the West Kauai Technology & Visitors Center for the second Saturday.
The sessions are free and open to the public.
Participants will discuss and formulate ideas of how sustainability, renewal, and adaptive reuse can benefit the community, in particular the revitalization of the Lihu’e commercial district.
Mid-morning on the first Saturday, general issues of sustainability and renewal will be discussed and recorded for sharing between the two islands’ participants. In the afternoon, discussion begins to focus on issues and general guidelines, desires and planning roles for Kaua’i.
Later that first afternoon, the group reviews downtown Lihu’e, and general sustainability and renewal practices in place.
In the week between the two meetings, information will be processed, collated into a useable format, and transmitted to participants for the following week’s gatherings.
Saturday, June 29 is the actual case study of Lihu’e, by groups on both islands.
Discussion begins in the afternoon to focus on specific elements, properties, and locations of concern in Lihu’e. Information will be downloaded and accessed from the morning’s work on O’ahu.
The final results will be modeled, produced and recorded.
A general community meeting for all participants and the community may be convened on Kaua’i to discuss the findings of the collaboration, or the results may first be presented to a meeting of the Lihue Business Association (LBA), then made public later.
In advance of the Saturday gatherings, the LBA has asked members to provide input about what they like and don’t like about Lihu’e, what goals they’d like to see achieved by the charette, what their favorite Lihu’e buildings are, and similar planning, architecture and style concerns.
In other communities, AIA design charettes have helped communities with their development plans, said Curtis Tom of Bank of Hawaii’s Lihu’e branch, the LBA moderator.
Palmer Hafdahl is the local AIA contact.
“Sustainability and Renewal” is the theme of Architecture Week, with activities planned from Thursday, June 20 through Sunday, June 30
