MERITORIOUS
AWARD
MALAMA LEARNING CENTER COMPETITION
O'ahu, Hawaii, USA
The purpose of the Malama Learning Center was to create a joint venture between Kapolei High School and the Nature Conservancy and to educate students and the surrounding community about cultural and environmental issues. The site is a highly visible three-acre parcel at the entry to a new high school in the City of Kapolei, an entry way to the stunning Leeward Coast of O'ahu.
Given the history of Hawaii as the extinction capital of the world, the design of the new Malama Learning Center proposes to organize the site as a series of succession fields. The fields are laid out along the Ahupua’a bands.
Reaching into the existing campus, the succession fields provide a project-based learning facility and transform the entire campus biologically and visually.
The Hawaiian climate conditions and temperature permit outdoor activities during the entire year. The design for the new learning center transforms the traditional concept of the Lanai into a high-tech shading device.
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The new Malama Learning Center design merges landscape and architecture into a unique field. Within the field, the categories of architecture and landscape become indistinguishable. The field unites the two concepts and blends them into one historic, geographic, cultural and environmental entity.
AHUPUA’A
The organization of the Learning Center symbolizes the ancient Hawaiian land division, the Ahupua’a. A surrounding earth-feature, the berm, stands for the volcanic mountain ridge, the pool for the coastline. Between these two limits, a series of linear geometric bands structure the learning center site and reach out into the existing high-school campus.
Each band contains one or more of the primary elements of the new learning center:
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Performing Arts
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Teaching
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The Nature Conservancy
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The bands are interrelated and connected by covered walkways. Support functions such as service access and storage rooms are merged into the surrounding berm.
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ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION FIELDS
“Succession” is the chronological distribution of organisms within an area; it results from the differential abilities of organisms to colonize disturbed areas and from environmental changes following the introduction of alien species. “Ecological Succession” is the observed change over time in what is living in a particular ecosystem.​
Given the history of Hawaii as the extinction capital of the world and the fact that life in Hawaii historically arrived through the three Ws: wind, waves, and the wings of migrating birds, the design of the new Malama Learning Center proposes to organize the site as a series of succession fields. The fields are laid out along the Ahupua’a bands. Reaching into the existing campus, the succession fields will provide a project base learning facility and enrich the entire campus biologically and visually.
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OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES AND CONNECTION TO THE SURROUNDINGS
Closely linked to the covered circulation system, a network of pathways integrates the new learning center design into the overall campus. In addition to the ecological succession fields, the design proposes a series of landscape features that are grouped around the surrounding berm:
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An elevated walkway follows the ridge of the berm and connects the native Hawaiian gardens, the top viewing area, and the amphitheater.
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The native Hawaiian ethno-botanical gardens are grouped in terraces on the western ridge of the surrounding berm.
The viewing area at the top of the berm lies about 17 feet above the center’s elevation. From there, the users and visitors can view the historically important hill of Pu’uokapolei as well as the natural preserve.
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The northeastern side of the berm blends into the amphitheater, providing it with a natural backdrop and improving its acoustic qualities.
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A HIGH-TECH LANA’I
The Hawaiian climate conditions and temperatures permit outdoor activities during the entire year.
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The design for the new learning center transforms the traditional concept of the Hawaiian “Lana’i” into a high-tech building element. Protected from rain, sunlight and heat gain, a comfortable open circulation system connects all indoor and outdoor elements. This generously sized, covered circulation area forms a system of shaded “lana’is” that enhance the integration of the center’s different programmatic elements and fosters an interactive group-learning environment.
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LAND USE, CONTEXT
The design organizes the new Learning Center in a manner that minimizes the vehicle traffic within the entire campus. The inevitable connection between the two perimeter parking lots is kept to the minimum necessary to accommodate the required parking spaces. The surrounding berm protects the site of the new learning center from noise and pollution of the surrounding roads while providing a most welcome change in the topography on the site.
SITE PLANNING
By minimizing the impervious surfaces on the site and by carefully managing and conserving the run-off water from the center’s roof, the new center will be a model for advanced water treatment and storage. The gardens will be irrigated from a combination of:
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Roof system water stores
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Torrent water stores
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Urban run-off stores
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Gray water treatment stores
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Rainwater will be collected and distributed for irrigation, toilets etc. In addition to this innovative approach to water conservation and protection, the design for the new center maximizes the amount of topsoil on the site. The placement of the storage rooms and service areas within the surrounding berm means that large new areas of topsoil and vegetation will be available to absorb water on the site.
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Gray waste-water will be collected, mechanically and biologically treated in the gray water treatment pond and re-distributed for irrigation and other appropriate use.
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Drought resistant, xeriscape landscaping and planting strategies will further facilitate the conservation and use of water for the new learning center.
ENERGY USE
The center’s roof will act as a “Zero-Fossil Fuel Energy Power plant”.
The roof of the new learning center consists of two layers:
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The lower layer is perforated and provides sun and heat protection. This roof is tilted up in strategic locations to allow the cooling trade wind breeze to enter the new center.
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The upper layer of the roof provides rainwater protection and carries Photovoltaic and Thermal solar panels. These panels will gather solar power to provide energy for:
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Hydrogen production
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Lighting, computers
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Chilled water cooling
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Desiccant cooling
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Domestic hot water.
In addition, the combination of two roof layers maximizes natural ventilation and non-glare daylighting of the new center. Building openings are designed to facilitate natural ventilation while the temperature difference between shaded areas and the rooftop will create local air movement and pleasant micro-climatic conditions within the center.
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Finally, the planting within the center’s courtyards is designed to cool the center’s rooms through the evaporation of irrigation water during the day.
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NATURAL VENTILATION AND DAYLIGHTING
Beneath the two roof layers that shield the center from sun, heat-gain and rainwater, the building elements are organized in a pavilion system. Most of the pavilions contain only one program element each, thus maximizing the buildings’ wall surface areas. This strategy organizes the buildings to allow maximum air- flow around all structures. All circulation areas are located in open air corridors that are connected to the various courtyards, and are sheltered by the roof layers from sun and rain. Due to the overall reduction of heat-gain and glare by the roof layers, the exterior walls of the buildings can be kept extremely open and light. ​
