Campus Compass –

Campus Compass reimagines Varney Circle—the 1930s historic roundabout and fountain at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa—as an activated campus destination for outdoor learning, orientation, and community gathering. Rooted in the university’s four pillars—as a land-, sea-, space-, and sun-grant institution; the nation’s most diverse campus; a global connector; and the leading Indigenous-serving university—the project transforms a passive space into a vibrant hub.

Eight design strategies guide the proposal, including an outdoor learning forum with charging stations, a lei garden honoring cultural practices, and a “dry” water feature linked to live ocean data. The Polynesian Star Compass inspires wayfinding, while permeable patterned paving integrates with the campus signage system. Flexible planters, benches, and shading devices form a “spatial ohana” adaptable across campus, and lunar-responsive lighting deepens connections to place.

Campus Compass celebrates Mānoa’s uniqueness, creating a welcoming crossroads for knowledge exchange and cultural expression.

HIGHLIGHT

Campus Compass was generated during a five-day “Design Tank” to explore the potential of Varney Circle on the UH Mānoa campus for the UH Office of Project Delivery. It was one of four invited proposals.