0041

Vertical School –

Design Guidelines and Conceptual Frameworks for Going Vertical 2017

This project investigated the challenges and opportunities of developing Hawai‘i’s first vertical school, planned for what is projected to become Honolulu’s densest neighborhood by 2030. The study produced a set of design guidelines informed by lessons from vertical school typologies, analysis of contemporary educational spaces, and the physical, social, and cultural conditions of the site. Building on this framework, a series of conceptual schemes envisioned possibilities at both the neighborhood and site-specific scales.

These studies centered on two main components: a Plinth, responding to the public and urban realms, and a Tower, housing the major programmatic elements required by the school. Plinth iterations tested variations of scale, connection to the ground plane, relationship to the adjacent park, access to the train station, and public/private thresholds. Tower iterations explored relationships between indoors and outdoors, potential for circulation, play-scapes, and opportunities for future growth. Project deliverables included a detailed physical model, a presentation deck, and a short report summarizing key findings and recommendations.

HIGHLIGHTS This project explored the development of Hawai‘i’s first vertical school in Honolulu’s rapidly densifying urban core for the Hawai‘i State Department of Education. The “Guidelines for Going Vertical” were presented to the AIA Baltimore Committee on Architecture for Education and featured in Hawai‘i Business Magazine (September 2017) in an article by Brittany Lyte.