Hawaiian architecture

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Starwood Sheraton Moana Surfrider Hotel, with a front side made of white stone decorated with arches and round pillars, with palm trees in front of the building.
Opened in 1901, the Moana Hotel is a model for contemporary Hawaiian architectural design

Hawaiian architecture is a distinctive

kingdom era, from its territorial years to statehood
and beyond.

The various styles through the history of Hawaiʻi are telling of the attitudes and the spirit of its people. Hawaiian architecture is said to tell the story of how indigenous native Hawaiians and their complex society in ancient times slowly evolved with the infusion of new styles from beyond its borders, from the early European traders, the visiting whalers and fur trappers from Canada, the missions of the New Englanders and French Catholics, the communes of the Latter-day Saints from Utah, the plantation labourer cultures from Asia to the modern international metropolis that Honolulu is today.

History

Hale O Keawe

Within the body of Hawaiian architecture are various subsets of styles; each are considered typical of particular historical periods. The earliest form of Hawaiian architecture originates from what is called

aliʻi. The way a simple grass shack was constructed in ancient Hawaiʻi was telling of who lived in a particular home. The patterns in which dried plants and lumber were fashioned together could identify caste, skill and trade, profession and wealth. Hawaiian architecture previous to the arrival of British explorer Captain James Cook used symbolism to identify religious value of the inhabitants of certain structures. Feather standards called kahili and koa adorned with kapa cloth and crossed at the entrance of certain homes called puloʻuloʻu indicated places of aliʻi (nobility caste). Kiʻi
enclosed within basalt walls indicated the homes of kahuna (priestly caste).

Hale

More recent larger hale in Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park, the Big Island of Hawaii

A hale (pronounced HAH-lay)[1] is a structure built using natural Hawaiian materials and designs that were prevalent during the 19th century in Hawaii.[2] Hales are constructed using rock or wood for the lower frame and grass/leaves for roof thatching.[2] Building codes prohibit plumbing and electrical wiring. Fire sprinklers are required if the hale is near another structure.[2]

There are 4 classic hale styles:[2]

  • Hale Halawai - open walls
  • Hale Ku`ai - lean-to
  • Hale Noa - fully enclosed
  • Hale Wa`a - A frame

Mission

Traditional Hawaiian architecture experienced its first revolution with the arrival of

Congregational meeting-houses and farmhouse vernacular buildings of New England.

One of the houses in the mission houses museum, Honolulu.

They were simple homes with high-pitched roofs and overlapping

puritan ideals—that plainness was a virtue of true Christians
. As the years passed, the New England style morphed into a distinctive style called Hawaiian mission architecture. New England methods and materials were replaced by methods and materials readily available to Hawaiians.

Kawaiahaʻo Church
is one of the longest-lasting relics of Hawaiian mission architecture using coral blocks. Today, Kawaiahaʻo Church stands adjacent to the Mission Houses Museum, surviving examples of Hawaiian mission architecture using wood.

Protestants. The Picpus Fathers opened the doors to European architectural styles—classical, baroque, renaissance, rococo and neoclassical
— that would become uniquely Hawaiian in the hands of local builders.

Gothic

The first experiment of

Gothic architecture in Hawaiʻi was undertaken by the Hawaiʻi Catholic Church. Discontent with the earliest designs of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace in 1910, Bishop Libert H. Boeynaems began an ambitious project to transform the Hawaiian mission cathedral into a unique cathedral in what was to be called Hawaiian Gothic architecture. The first phase of Boeynaemes' project was the construction of an elaborate porch over the cathedral entrance. By the time it was completed, he had exhausted his financing. Such an elaborate architectural style proved too costly. His successor, Bishop Stephen Alencastre
, stripped the cathedral facade of its Gothic style and financed his own renovation project. The addition of Doric columns transformed the cathedral into a simple but elegant classical building.

Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew. Unfortunately, the king died and his brother Kamehameha V was left to lay the cornerstone. Completed in 1867, the Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew was the first instance of the use of vaulting in Hawaiʻi. Also, while the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace was the first to employ stained glass
, the royal cathedral installed larger panes as allowed by vaulting.

Other notable buildings constructed in the Hawaiian Gothic style are the

Royal Mausoleum and the Aloha Tower
. Hawaiian Gothic architecture was not as widespread for the reasons Bishop Boeynaems and Bishop Alencastre found in their experiments with the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace. The elaborate treatments were too expensive and were deemed unsuitable against the backdrop of the Hawaiian environment. People believed that any Gothic building in Hawaiʻi would look out of place.

Renaissance

ʻIolani Palace.

While Kamehameha IV succeeded in developing the Hawaiian Gothic style, Kamehameha V fathered Hawaiian Renaissance architecture. Commissioned in 1850, the last king of the

Roman architectural principles of aesthetics but also included concepts derived from Hawaiiana
. Elegant facades had petite columns and wide verandas and walls that seemed to crinkle. Curves and ornamentation were important.

When Kalākaua became king, he shared in his predecessor's delight with Hawaiian renaissance architecture. He also shared in Kamehameha V's dream of building a world-class royal palace befitting of a modern monarchy such as that of Hawaiʻi to rival the famed palaces of Europe. ʻIolani Palace was finished in 1882 and did fulfill Kalākaua's expectations. Considered the finest example of Hawaiian renaissance architecture, ʻIolani Palace became a world-famous royal landmark. This building has been categorized as the only example of American Florentine architecture anywhere in the world.[citation needed][note 1]

In addition to his contributions to the development of Hawaiian renaissance architecture, Kalākaua experimented with various other styles. One of his other famous building projects is the completion of

crenelated parapets
and towers.

Romanesque

Bernice P. Bishop Museum
are in the Hawaiian Romanesque style.

Beaux-Arts and Art Deco

In the 1920s and 1930s,

Schofield Barracks Historic District
.

International

The Hawaiʻi State Capitol. Photo taken from Punchbowl.

The

international style
was accepted in Hawaiʻi and became a trend especially for downtown Honolulu office buildings. Bauhaus employed classical principles in their most simplified forms without the use of heavy ornamentation. Characteristic of Bauhaus were dull colors like white, gray, beige and black and embraced open floor plans.

Bauhaus became an inspiration for Hawaiʻi Governor John A. Burns in his plans to construct a new capitol building for his state. The Hawaiʻi State Capitol was true to the traditions of Bauhaus in its use of clean lines, simple geometric shapes, pervasive use of black and the gray of concrete and the openness of the entire structure. But like all other architectural imports to Hawaiʻi, Bauhaus was transformed into a uniquely Hawaiian style with the addition of several treatments.

Hawaiian international architecture used precious indigenous koa wood for doors and furnishings and designs employed symbolism of natural Hawaiian phenomena. The capitol dome, for example, is designed to reflect the volcanic origins of the Hawaiian Islands. Beneath the dome is a mosaic by Tadashi Sato representing the frequently changing colors of the Hawaiian coastal waters. Tied into the ocean theme, the capitol is surrounded by water just as the Hawaiian Islands are surrounded. The main space of the capitol building is open to the environment with entrances facing the sea and the mountain, respectively. Architects: Belt, Lemmon & Low (Architects Hawaii Ltd.) and John Carl Warnecke

Plantation

At the same time that the monarchy and various corporations developed Downtown Honolulu with their renditions of Hawaiian Renaissance styles, residential homes were being built in the outskirts of the city and elsewhere in the state. The style became known as Hawaiian plantation architecture featuring low profile wood frames, vertical plank siding and large porticos. Roofs were the most distinguishable parts of Hawaiian plantation structures as they were wide-hipped or bellcast and had eaves that were deep bracketed. When viewed against the natural Hawaiian environment, Hawaiian plantation structures look as though they blend easily with their surroundings. The style gets its name from the sugarcane and pineapple plantations, which employed the design for labourer homesteads.

By the 1970s and 1980s, the Hawaiian plantation style was headed toward extinction with the importation of popular trends from California and other western states. But a movement began in the late 1990s that revived the Hawaiian plantation style in a contemporary manner. The wide-hipped or bell-cast roofs were adapted for use in large-scale construction projects like the renovation of

Victoria Ward Centers and the building of new towers at the Hawaiian Village Hotel. The style gained new popularity and were employed in new commercial and residential developments in West Oahu especially in the new city of Kapolei
. Hawaiian plantation architecture became a signature style for Hawaiʻi and is the most recognizable Hawaiian style being exported to other parts of the globe.

Skyscrapers

First Hawaiian Center

Only recently did Hawaiʻi develop a skyscraper skyline with such projects as the First Hawaiian Tower at 1132 Bishop Street and the First Hawaiian Center at 999 Bishop Street, both in downtown Honolulu. Even skyscrapers in Hawaiʻi could not be constructed without the addition of metaphors and symbolism tied to Hawaiʻi's natural phenomena. For example, the First Hawaiian Center completed in 1996 employed horizontally louvered windows that framed views of the sea while vertically proportioned windows faced the mountains. A great deal of effort was made to incorporate as much natural light into the building interiors.

Perhaps Norman Lacayo was the most influential architect of the late-20th century in downtown Honolulu. He was the architect for the iconic building, Harbor Court, the anchor of the redevelopment of the downtown waterfront. Harbor Court is a multi-use building with restaurants in the lower floors and a split residential/office tower. No other building in Honolulu captures the romantic spirit of Hawaiʻi. The stepping of the residential tower and the articulation of the office wing create a dynamic similar to the steep volcanic mountain range that borders the city. Although many of his residential towers are distributed throughout Honolulu, most are located along the Nuʻuanu corridor.

Evolving residential architecture

California Mission
" style of architecture "is certainly most appropriate for Hawaiʻi."

Continuing in the evolution of modern Hawaiian Architecture, a great number of contemporary architects have interpreted a "modern" version of Hawaiian Architecture Styles and Sensibilities.

See also

Notes

  1. Denver, Colorado, was described at the time of its construction "as Florentine in style", per a 1986 National Register of Historic Places study of the Denver parks and parkways system
    .

References

  1. ^ Broder, John M. (October 22, 2002). "A Dream House, in Pure Hawaiian Style". The New York Times. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d "Chapter 16 BUILDING CODE, Article 12. Indigenous Hawaiian Architecture" (PDF). honolulu.gov. City and County of Honolulu. Retrieved April 2, 2021.


Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hawaiian_architecture&oldid=1225661921"