Reimagining HPHA Series: Future of Hawai'i's Housing

HAWAI‘I PUBLIC HOUSING AUTHORITY

The HPHA is the state of Hawai‘i’s primary housing agency. The Hawai‘i Public Housing Authority is committed to promoting adequate and affordable housing, economic opportunity, and a suitable living environment free from discrimination. HPHA focuses its efforts in developing affordable rental and supportive housing, public housing and the efficient and fair delivery of housing services to the people of Hawai’i.

hpha.hawaii.gov

UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI‘I COMMUNITY DESIGN CENTER

The UHCDC is a teaching practice and outreach initiative led by the School of Architecture at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa that operates as a platform for students, staff, faculty, and partnered professionals to collaborate on interdisciplinary applied research, planning, and design projects that serve the public interest. These projects offer service-learning opportunities for students through academic instruction, internship, and post-graduate employment.

uhcdc.manoa.hawaii.edu

Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing Exploring Housing for All

PROJECT REPORT

University of Hawai‘i Community Design Center for the Hawai‘i Public Housing Authority

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS:

Karla Sierralta, AIA

University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, School of Architecture

Brian Strawn, AIA

University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, UH Community Design Center

The Re-Imagining HPHA Series is an inter-departmental and multidisciplinary initiative conducted by a group of Principal Investigators at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa through the University of Hawai'i Community Design Center aimed at re-thinking public housing programs and facilities in an effort to support HPHA’s mission and long term goals.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Karla Sierralta, AIA, UHM SoA

Brian Strawn, AIA, UHCDC 2410 Campus Road

Honolulu, HI 96822

Email: karlais@hawaii.edu

Email: bstrawn@hawaii.edu

CITATION

Sierralta, K, Strawn, B. 2023. Future of Hawaii’s Housing: Exploring Housing for All. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawai‘i

This publication is available free of charge as a downloadable PDF at hawaiihousinglab.org

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This effort was only made possible thanks to the kindness and generosity of the 30 families we interviewed across the archipelago. Team acknowledgments are listed at the end of this report.

IMAGE CREDITS:

All illustrations and diagrams by UHCDC project team. All photography by Sierralta and Strawn unless otherwise noted. The authors have attempted to acknowledge all sources of other images in this report and apologize for any errors or omissions.

GRAPHIC DESIGN CONSULTANT:

Jill Misawa

Distribution of this work is licensed to the UHCDC under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives

4.0 International License (CC BY-ND 4.0) unless otherwise noted. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/.

© 2023 University of Hawai‘i Community Design Center

Part V: Prototyping & Piloting

Tools for Engagement 120

Conceptual Underpinnings 122

Sorting Cards 124

Digital Application: Adapting Scout 126

Custom Environment: Lawn Loungers 130

Engagement Pilot: Parking Day 140

Research Feedback: EPIC Conference 150

Delivery Format: Toolkit as Box Set 154

Key Findings 156

Part VI: Supporting Efforts 158

Sakamaki Extraordinary Lecture 160

Building Voices 2019 162

Interview with David Baker 168

Interview with Marsha Maytum 170

Course Integration: Spring 2019 172

Course Integration: Spring 2021 176

Course Integration: Spring 2022 180

Next Steps 184

References 188

Acknowledgments 192

Executive Summary

This report documents the findings of three closely related projects conducted by the University of Hawai‘i Community Design Center for the Hawai‘i Public Housing Authority, including: “Future of Hawai‘i’s Public Housing,” “Understanding Density and Local Typologies,” and “Covid-19 Pandemic Analysis”. Together, these projects, referred to as “Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing: Exploring Housing for All,” aim to inform the design of future development and redevelopment projects by HPHA.

These efforts are part of the “Re-Imagining HPHA Series,” a multi-departmental and interdisciplinary approach to re-thinking public housing programs and facilities to support HPHA’s mission and long-term goals.

The research took place in two parallel tracks:

In the first track, our team interviewed 30 families in their homes across the Hawaiian Archipelago, met with topic experts, and analyzed local & global case studies to develop guiding principles and design guidelines that would serve as foundational knowledge for subsequent studies.

The second track centered on density studies and visualizations, including local multifamily housing typologies and a survey of half-mile neighborhood samples spanning rural to urban contexts. These studies inform the development of strategies for comfortable density across the state.

Our team piloted and tested prototypes with a community engagement approach to refine key concepts and strategies during the process. Our academic setting provided additional opportunities to inform the research, including course integrations, interviews, conferences, and symposiums.

In 2020, amidst the COVID-19 global pandemic, the team re-examined research findings through the lens of the ongoing crisis.

These efforts culminated in the development of the Holistic Housing Design Framework, intended to inspire future designs, inform redevelopment processes, and support community engagement activities in the planning of housing for all in Hawai‘i.

The groundwork generated from this research is intended to inform future work by government agencies, business community leaders, students, design experts, builders, developers, and non-profits alike.

Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing | by Karla Sierralta, AIA and Brian Strawn, AIA

CommunityBusiness

Government Agencies

Community Residents

Students

NonProfits

Developers

Builders

Design Experts

Holistic Housing Agents Diagram: Active participants in designing, building, supporting, and creating Walkable, Sustainable, and Equitable communities in Hawai‘i.

Hawai‘i has the fourth-highest average cost-of-construction in the world.1 It now takes the average person 40 years to save for a down payment on a median-priced home.2 The state has the highest per-capita homelessness rate in the country, tied with New York City.3 Housing is one of our most pressing issues, and the need for affordable housing, in particular, continues to grow exponentially.

The Hawai‘i Public Housing Authority (HPHA) is the state’s primary housing agency, managing 85 properties spread across five islands. With properties nearing an average age of 48 years, the HPHA is in dire need of renovating or replacing a large percentage of its portfolio.

To address this challenge, the HPHA has begun a major initiative to enter into a series of public-private partnerships to redevelop its low-income public housing portfolio into vibrant, mixed-income / mixed-finance communities.

HPHA’s Executive Director Hakim Ouansafi is spearheading a series of efforts to increase the quality and availability of housing for all in Hawai‘i.

The University of Hawai‘i Community Design Center’s partnership with the Hawai‘i Public Housing Authority aims to conduct research in support of these goals.

1. Rider Levett Bucknall, International Report. Construction Market Intelligence, Second Quarter 2019, accessed October 14, 2019.

2. Unison, 2019 Home Affordability Report, accessed October 14, 2019.

3. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, The 2018 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress, Part 1: Point-in-time Estimates Of Homelessness, December 2018.

Reimagining HPHA Series

RE-IMAGINING HPHA SERIES

The Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing is a component of the “Hawai‘i Public Housing Authority: Re-envisioning Public Housing - Phase 1 Project”, a collaboration between the UHCDC, housed within the School of Architecture (SoA), along with partners from the Department of Sociology (DOS) and the Department of Urban and Regional Planning (DURP) at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.

This collaborative research effort represents a multi-departmental and interdisciplinary approach to re-thinking public housing programs and facilities in an effort to support HPHA’s mission and long-term goals.

A series of studies encompassed qualitative and quantitative assessments through various research, workshop, interview, and other engagement exercises aimed at informing future operations, renovation and capital improvement projects.

The resulting reports are compiled under the title Re-Imagining HPHA Series, including:

• Public Housing in Hawai‘i, focused on the social realm of public housing by Nathalie Rita, Jennifer Darrah-Okike, and Philip Garboden.

• PHA’s & the Affordable Housing Crisis, an analysis of the role of public housing authorities (PHA’s) in the development of cities by Philip Garboden.

• Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing, exploring the design aspects of Housing for All across Hawai‘i by Karla Sierralta and Brian Strawn.

Re-Imagining HPHA Series - Report Covers

The Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing project sought to examine existing conditions, challenges, and opportunities related to the design of housing for all in Hawai‘i.

The project was charged with:

• Understanding the broad context of housing in Hawai‘i from a design perspective.

• Considering residents currently housed in properties managed by HPHA across the state.

• Developing guiding principles and design guidelines for future developments and redevelopment.

Five key questions guided this project:

1. How might we design housing for all in Hawai‘i?

2. How do we provide more housing without compromising mountain vistas, parks, or farmlands?

3. What attributes should be considered that are unique to our context in Hawai‘i?

4. How do we create walkable density without locals feeling overcrowded?

5. How can current and future residents become more involved in the design process of their communities?

The main outcome of this effort is the Holistic Housing Design Framework, an illustrated handbook intended to inspire future designs, inform redevelopment processes, and support community engagement activities in the future planning of mixed-income / mixed-finance housing in Hawai‘i.

METHODOLOGY & APPROACH

The Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing project was centered on an exploratory, bottom-up, design research approach, rooted in the experience of Hawai’i’s residents.

Exploratory Research4 is a type of inquiry intended to unpack a particular topic broadly. In contrast to providing a final solution to a specific problem, it centers on establishing a better understanding of the problem itself by revealing a variety of factors that may be linearly related or divergent in nature.

Based on this methodology, a series of non-linear activities were conducted over three years (2019-2022). Learnings from each activity informed subsequent phases of the research, generating a complex loop of production, analysis, and synthesis.

Through an iterative process, insights were revealed and refined. Contextual oneon-one interviews, secondary research, affinity mapping, drawing, prototyping at multiple scales, and piloting tools and processes were critical components of this effort.

4. Saunders, M., Lewis, P. & Thornhill, A. (2012) “Research Methods for Business Students” 6th edition, Pearson Education Limited. Singh, K. (2007) “Quantitative Social Research Methods” SAGE Publications, p.64

This report attempts to organize information in chronological order, however, it is important to reemphasize this project was not conducted in a linear fashion and some activities went through multiple rounds of user testing and design refinements.

Research activities conducted by the team included the following:

Foundational Research

• Ethnographic Interviews: Thirty in-home family interviews were conducted at seventeen HPHA properties on five islands (O‘ahu, Hawai‘i, Kaua‘i, Maui, and Moloka‘i) during the Spring of 2019. Qualitative data was analyzed and translated into design opportunities.

Background Research

• Documents related to the housing crisis in Hawai‘i and conversations with HPHA officials provided background information for this effort.

Secondary Research

• Case Studies: Forty-five case studies and analogous exemplars were compiled and analyzed. Twenty of these caste studies were focused on multi-family housing.

• Density Survey #1: Analysis of density and housing in 20 half-mile core samples of urban fabric across the Hawaiian Archipelago, zooming in on typical blocks.

• Density Survey #2: Mapping of lots and blocks along the future rail in Honolulu.

• Density Survey #3: Analysis of seven local multi-family housing typologies, from low to mid to high rise located on Oahu’s urban core.

• Pandemic Studies: A media review of recent resources and publications relevant to the research in the context of the COVID-19 crisis, was conducted during the Spring and Summer of 2020.

Design & Visualization Efforts

• Testing Density #1: Twenty-six low-to-high building volumes on an average 2-acre urban block were generated and studied.

• Testing Density #2: Ten potential unit layouts for dense housing projects were produced.

• Design & Prototyping #1: Thirty-six drawings were created to communicate design opportunities.

• Design & Prototyping#2: A set of sorting cards were designed to test the communication of values and preferences.

• Design & Prototyping#3: KPF UI Digital App was adapted to the Hawaiian context.

• Design & Prototyping#4: A custom spatial environment for engagement was designed, modeled, and fabricated at full-scale.

• Design & Prototyping#5: A concept for a “toolkit” was developed and mocked-up during the summer of 2021.

Pilots and Mock-ups

• Pilot#1: The spatial environment, sorting cards, and the app were tested with the general public in Kaka’ako (Parking Day Honolulu 2019).

• Pilot#2: Sorting cards and the digital app were tested with professionals at the EPIC conference ‘Agency’ in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 2019.

• Pilot#3: Configurations of the full-scale spatial environment were tested at the UH campus in 2020.

Other Supporting Activities

• Public Lecture: Density Done Right by Allison Arieff on May 2, 2019.

• Symposium: The 2019 Building Voices Symposium centered on Housing for All on October 1, 2019, included local and national experts and professionals.

• Expert interviews: Two experts were interviewed during the Fall of 2019.

• Course integrations: Three UHM SoA third-year undergraduate studios were aligned with this research project during the Spring semesters of 2019, 2021, and 2022 taught by Associate Professor Karla Sierralta, AIA.

A series of meetings with HPHA representatives to discuss ongoing/planned initiatives, preliminary findings, and draft deliverables also informed the work.

PUBLIC DISSEMINATION & FEEDBACK

In an attempt to disseminate and broaden the conversation surrounding the research topic and develop the concepts presented in this report, the team participated in public presentations, publications, and award submittals centered on design concepts, prototypes, visualizations, and other proof-of-concept elements of this project.

As a result, critical feedback from experts, academic peers, and community members contributed to the evolution of the work, and components of this project have been honored with various awards.

Public Presentations

• “The Future of Housing in Hawai‘i” was presented at the Building Voices: Housing for All in October 2019, together with key partners and collaborators. The event was held at the Hawai‘i Convention Center as one of the seminar tracks in the CSI Pacific Building Trade Expo in partnership with the American Institute of Architects.

• “Hawai‘i Housing Lab” was presented at the ACSA 108th Annual Meeting OPEN in June 2020 and published in the peer-reviewed conference proceedings.

• “Mobile Platform for Community Engagement” was displayed during the UIA 2021 Rio 27th World Congress of Architects and published in the peer-reviewed conference proceedings.

Awards

• 2020 AIA Honolulu Honorable Mention Award in the Institutional category for the design of “Lawn Loungers: Portable Spaces for Community Engagement.” American Institute of Architects Honolulu Design Excellence Awards.

• 2021 ACSA Course Development Prize for “Just Play” with Professors Priyam Das, Cathi Ho Schar and Phoebe White. Just Play included a teaching module based on the Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing project.

• 2022 ACSA Collaborative Practice Award for “The Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing, a bottom-up exploratory research collaboration”. This research project was recognized by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture in thier Annual Architectural Education Awards in 2022.

The Hawai‘i Housing Lab wesbite was launched to document, collect, share and communicate the knowledge derived from this project and future efforts rooted in the research and collaboration between UH and HPHA. This ongoing researchbased design platform is intended to continue to explore Holistic Housing for the Hawaiian Archipelago.

ORGANIZATION OF THE REPORT

This report is organized into six sections:

• Part I introduces key background knowledge, including an overview of the housing problem in Hawai‘i and HPHA’s current challenges and opportunities with a short essay by topic expert Philip Garboden.

• Part II focuses on foundational user research and key findings resulting from 30 in-home interviews at properties managed by HPHA across Hawai‘i.

• Part III provides a summary of key efforts conducted to develop the design framework including case studies, the analysis of the COVID-19 global pandemic, and resulting guiding principles.

• Part IV describes a series of analytical and design exercises focused on understanding density.

• Part V illustrates key pilots and mock-ups conducted during the design process.

• Part VI summarizes supporting efforts and learnings.

Hawai‘i Housing Lab Diagram illustrating the Future of Hawaii’s Housing project as foundational research for future work.

Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing | by Karla Sierralta, AIA and Brian Strawn, AIA

Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing Stakeholders & Deliverables Diagram: illustrates the FOHH project’s deeply collaborative process and the parallel work flows that form its overall approach.

Hawai‘i Public Housing Authority

PHA’s and the Affordable Housing Crisis Urban & Regional Planning Faculty + Graduate Student Assistant

Public Housing in Hawai‘i Urban & Regional Planning Faculty + Sociology Faculty + PhD Student

Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing (FOHH) SoA Faculty + Community Design Center Researcher + 5 Project Staff +11 Student Employees)

Card Sets

Citizens feel left out of the design processes that build their communities.

Residents have a nested understanding of domesticity and desire more walkable, sustainable, and equitable neighborhoods.

Locals hold a general skepticism toward density.

Ethnographer / Design Strategist

Integrated Studio Arch 342 Spring 2019 (11 students)

MOU was signed between the University and the Hawai‘i Public Housing Authority aiming to conduct research in support of increasing the quality and availability of affordable housing in Hawai‘i (2018).

Work by three teams began in the Spring of 2019.

Director Urban Data Analytics Urban Innovation Architect, Urban Data Analyst / Web Developer

PUBLIC LECTURE & EXHIBIT

Topic expert lectures about Density Done Right for the Extraordinary Lecture Series open to students from the entire campus.

May 2019

SUMMER SHARE OUT

Teams share in-progress research findings with each other and HPHA leadership to crosspollinate ideas.

June 2019

PARKING DAY HONOLULUPrototypes for community engagement are tested in the field at a public event in Kaka‘ako (estimated to be Honolulu’s densest neighborhood by 2030).

September 2019

EPIC CONFERENCEPrototypes tested at international conference on ethnography in business at RISD.

November 2019

HOUSING FOR ALL SYMPOSIUMFOHH PI’s Co-chair event where local and national experts discuss strategies to achieve Housing for All in Hawai‘i.

October 2019

PANDEMIC PORTALCovid-19 Pandemic triggers urgent need for an HPHA online portal. Team works on pop-up website, informing decision to revise developed design framework to incorporate learnings from the pandemic.

April 2020

COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Development Perspective

Social Perspective

Toolkit as box-set Concept

Proposal of Ideas for Community Engagement

Design Perspective

Re-Imagining HPHA Report Series

Revisions with learnings from the pandemic

Holistic Housing Design Framework

Development of a Design Framework Density Visualizations from Rural to Urban

Design & Architecture Writer

Integrated Studio Arch 342 Spring 2021 (19 students)

Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing

Online platform created to document, collect, share, and communicate knowledge derived from the FOHH project.

Integrated Studio Arch 342 Spring 2022 (9 students)

Spring Spring Summer Summer Fall Fall

PILOTLawn Loungers is piloted to test deployment process and potential configurations.

June 2020

2021

GRADUATE THESIS PROJECTS

Student thesis projects chaired by participating faculty have also contributed to these conversations.

• AY 19-20 “Exploring Low Rise Density Housing in Hawai‘i”

• AY 20-21 “Urban Agriculture and Housing as Agents for Social Change”

• AY 21-22 “Improving Quality of Life for Kupuna in Urban Honolulu”

Fall 2019+

AIA AWARDLawn Loungers honored with an AIA Honolulu Design Award as a mobile platform for community engagement.

November 2020

SUMMER BRAINSTORM

SoA and DURP Principal Investigators generate concepts for visualizing and communicating complex development financing process for inclusion in report series.

July 2021

STUDIES & EFFORTS

-

2022

Generated by the FOHH

• HPHA Digital Transformation

• Density Study for an existing 15-acre site

2021+

CONTINUED STUDIO INTEGRATION

Future housing studios to build on the work of previous studios and focus on designs that will help expand visualizations for denser, walkable, sustainable and equitable communities in Hawai‘i.

Spring 22+

ACSA COURSE DEVELOPMENT PRIZE

Equity-focused game centered on teaching high school students about housing in Hawai‘i based on the FOHH project awarded by Columbia University’s Temple Hoyne Buell Center for the Study of American Architecture and the ACSA.

January 2021

ACSA COLLABORATIVE PRACTICE AWARD

FOHH project recognized by the ACSA for “community partnerships in which faculty, students and neighborhood citizens are valued equally and that aim to address issues of social injustice through design.”

January 2022

Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing | by Karla Sierralta, AIA and Brian Strawn, AIA

Core Projects

Prototyping multiple iterations & Selecting final ideas for testing

Piloting with users & Packaging the final products

Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing Design Process Diagram based upon the Triple Diamond Diagram by Zen Desk, which is modeled after the Double Diamond Model developed by the British Design Council in 2005, which itself builds upon the work of the renown linguist Béla H. Bánáthy from 1996.

Part I: Background

Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing | by Karla Sierralta, AIA and Brian Strawn, AIA

Hawai‘i’s Housing Crisis

Hawai‘i is known around the world as a tourist destination and is beloved for its spectacular beaches, volcanic landscapes, and unique culture of aloha. This global adoration has resulted in a series of astounding realities.

Honolulu, the state capital, has the fourth-highest average construction rate in the world at $196 sq/ft, only Oslo ($251 sq/ft), San Francisco ($212 sq/ft), and New York ($207 sq/ft) are more expensive to build in.5 Today, $93,300 or less is considered “low income” for a family of four on Oahu6 and it now takes 40 years to save for a down payment on a median-priced home on a median income in Honolulu, matching San Francisco as one of the most expensive markets in the country based on income.7 Not coincidentally, Hawai‘i has the highest per capita homelessness rate in the country, tied with New York City.8 Honolulu is also the fourth densest city in the US, with 11,548 people per square mile, and its 953,207 residents live in just 600.7 square miles.9

Geographic location, scarcity of land, astronomic construction costs, and speculative investment have led to an unattainable market. The need for affordable housing continues to grow exponentially. By 2025, Hawai‘i needs approximately 65,000 affordable housing units.10

Housing is Hawai‘i’s most pressing issue.

CONSTRUCTION

4th densest city in the US

Honolulu is also the fourth densest city in the US with 11,548 people per square mile, and its 953,207 residents live in just 600.7 square miles.11

4th highest construction cost in the world

Honolulu, the state capital, has the fourth highest average construction rate in the world at $196 sq/ft, only Oslo ($251 sq/ft), San Francisco ($212 sq/ft), and New York ($207 sq/ft) are more expensive to build in.12

HIGHEST HOMELESSNESS RATE IN THE US

Not coincidentally, Hawai’i has the highest per capita homelessness rate in the country, tied with New York City.13

AFFORDABILITY

40 years to save for a down payment

$93,300 is now low-income for a family of 4

Today, $93,300 or less is considered “low income” for a family of four on O’ahu14 and it now takes 40 years to save for a down payment on a median-priced home on a median income in Honolulu, matching San Francisco as one of the most expensive markets in the country based on income.15

5. Rider Levett Bucknall, International Report. Construction Market Intelligence, Second Quarter 2019, accessed October 14, 2019.

6. Anita Hofschneider, “$93K Is Now Considered Low-Income For Honolulu Family Of 4,” Honolulu Civil Beat, April 23, 2018.

7. Unison, 2019 Home Affordability Report, accessed October 14, 2019.

8. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, The 2018 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress, Part 1: Point-in-time Estimates Of Homelessness, December 2018.

23.8% elderly population in Hawai’i by 2045

By 2045, the share of elderly population in Hawai’i is projected to increase to 23.8 percent, up from 7.9 percent in 1980.16

AGING POPULATION SHRINKING HOUSEHOLD

77%

83% of US household growth will be over the age of 65, more than half of this growth will be 75 and older.17

9. Wilson, S. et al “Patterns of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Population Change: 2000 to 2010, 2010 Census Special Reports,” United States Census Bureau, Issued September 2012.

10. Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism, Measuring Housing Demand in Hawaii, 2015-2025 Report, March 2015.

11. See note 9

12. See note 5

13. See note 8

14. See note 7

15. See note 6

16. Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism, “Population and Economic Projections for the State of Hawaii to 2045”.

17. Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, “ Updated Household Projections, 20152035: Methodology and Results” (https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/ sites/default/files/household_ growth_projec- tions2016_jchs. pdf)

18. Ibid

83% of US household growth will be 65+ years old

US household growth will be single-person and married couples without children

77% of US household growth will be made up of single-person households and married couples without children.18

HPHA by the Numbers

As the state’s primary housing agency, HPHA manages 85 properties spread across five islands with a total of 6,270 housing units. In addition to managing Hawai‘i State and Federal Public Housing units, HPHA houses residents through subsidy and rental assistance programs including the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program and State-Aided Elderly Public Housing.

These properties serve over 35,000 residents, many of which are vulnerable seniors and children. The agency works to ensure accessibility for all residents, including communicating information in 20 languages and developing digital offerings that streamline processes for residents.

With properties at a 98% occupancy rate, and a priority to help in preventing homelessness, increasing the housing inventory is a critical need. In addition, many of HPHA’s properties are nearing the average age of 48 years old and are in need of renovating or replacement.

HPHA has begun a major initiative to enter into a series of public-private partnerships to redevelop its lowincome public housing portfolio into vibrant, mixedincome/mixed-finance communities.

The agency is seeking to redevelop its aging property inventory through dense, mixed use projects that piggyback on the Honolulu Rail Transit project (HART) and the City’s TOD incentives. This strategy will enable HPHA to expand the inventory of affordable housing units on Oahu, leveraging financing through public private partnerships, and create more livable, vibrant, and integrated communities for public housing residents and the community at large.

The following section presents an overview of current facts, challenges, and future potential with a short essay by topic expert Philip Garboden.

HOUSING HAWAI’I

35,000 people served

In 2019, HPHA was able to serve over 35,000 people with safe, decent and affordable housing through the efficient and fair delivery of housing services.

20% with disabilities

HPHA is dedicated in providing housing for all. Better assisting persons with disabilities by providing decent and safe rental housing is one of HPHA’s goals.

28% children

HPHA strives to provide housing for families. Today, the HPHA Federal and State Low Income Public Housing programs combine to serve over 5,100 families.

12% adults older than 71

Since the mid 1960’s, the HPHA (then the Hawaii Housing Authority) had been providing housing specifically designed for the special economic, social and physical needs of Hawaii’s senior citizens.

10% homeless at admission

HPHA works to reduce homelessness. Across the State of Hawai‘i, housing for our residents in the low-income to workforce income spectrum is on the top priority list at all government levels. HPHA works closely with Federal State and County partners to find solutions to increase our housing inventory and prevent homelessness.

HOMELESSNESS UNITS

6,270 housing units

HPHA manages 6,270 units spread across 85 properties. The mix of these units consist of 933 studios, 1,583 one bedrooms, 1,656 two bedrooms, 1,551 three bedrooms, 487 four bedrooms, and 60 five bedrooms.

EXPANDING IMPACT

13,598 people housed with rental assistance

There is increased federal support. Subsidy programs at HPHA have increased. Eight years ago the number of individuals housed through subsidy programs was only 8,296.

98% occupancy rate

HPHA achieved a record high occupancy of 98% in its public housing programs. The Section 8 Program is rated a high performer under the Federal Assessment System.

2100/20

translations in 20 languages

HPHA ensures the programs and activities operate according to Federal and State requirements, agency policies, fair housing laws and regulations. In the past years HPHA has improved language accessibility for limited English proficient program participants and worked to provide written translations of vital documents in different languages.

19. The facts and figures presented on this page were provided by HPHA at the initiation of this project in 2019.

HPHA’s Role in Solving Hawai‘i’s Housing Crisis

by Philip M.E. Garboden

When people think of Public Housing Authorities, indeed if people think of Public Housing Authorities, the image in their head is rarely inspiring. PHAs are viewed as the caretakers of a dying era, tasked for decades with maintaining a nation’s aging public housing stock with grossly insufficient resources. The stock itself isn’t viewed particularly favorably either, with many critics suggesting that not only is it ugly, but that its poor design is at least partially responsible for its well-publicized and somewhat catastrophic failures.

And yet, while the above narrative has calcified in the minds of the general public, it falls far short of reality. First and foremost, the vast majority of public housing in the United States did not fail and continues to provide safe and secure housing for millions of poor families.

Right now in Hawai‘i, dozens of public housing sites sit inconspicuously in communities across the islands, offering deeply subsidized housing that neither the market, tax credits, nor any of the myriad “workforce” housing plans can even hope to approach. These units, along with housing vouchers, exist as the only permanent housing available to the State’s most vulnerable residents.

But more to the point of this document is that PHAs have not spent the last forty years simply administering housing vouchers and winding down the clock on public housing. Instead, many have responded by taking an active role in expanding the stock of affordable housing. They’ve done this either directly as developers or by serving catalytic roles within larger public-private partnerships.

Indeed, in a recent study of a random sample of Public Housing Authorities, we found that at least 58 percent of PHAs (and 80 percent of large PHAs) have partnered in some form mixed-finance redevelopment, generating thousands of new units of subsidized housing.

Based on our interviews, it seems that the idea of “Public Housing Authority as developer” dates back to the 1990s and HUD’s HOPE VI program, which was designed to reduce the amount of

“A recent study found that... 58 % of PHAs (and 80% of large PHAs) have partnered in some form with mixedfinance redevelopment, generating thousands of new units of subsidized housing.”

severely distressed public housing through demolition and conversion to mixed-income communities. While the program is largely viewed as a failure due to its inability to replace the demolished affordable housing stock (instead using vouchers, which many families failed to use), it nonetheless generated a set of best practices for mixed-finance development that would become a durable part of the PHA toolbox.

In the decades that followed, many PHAs continued to push into mixed-finance development, often leveraging their land assets in combination with Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) units, Project Based Section 8 units, and market rate housing. In recent years, this process has accelerated due to the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD).

In a nutshell, RAD converts public housing to Project Based Section 8, guaranteeing a one-for-one replacement of hard-unit deeply-affordable housing. While some RAD conversions simply transition the existing stock, many PHAs have taken the opportunity to leverage RAD authority in combination with other subsidy programs to increase density and create mixed-income communities that, unlike HOPE VI, do not push poor families out of the area.

Put together, all this suggests that Public Housing Authorities in general, and HPHA in particular are in a uniquely powerful position when it comes to the affordable housing crisis. By proactively fighting to increase the subsidized housing stock, particularly those units that serve our most vulnerable residents, PHAs can, have, and will continue to be partners in the fight for a housing system that leaves no one out.

The pages that follow present a vision for how HPHA can not only preserve and expand Hawai‘i’s affordable housing stock, laudable goal on their own, but do so in such a way that embraces human-centered design endogenous to Hawai‘i’s unique cultural and ecological context.

Philip M.E. Garboden

Professor

“Public Housing Authorities in general, and HPHA in particular are in a uniquely powerful position when it comes to the affordable housing crisis”.

HCRC

in Affordable Housing Economics, Policy, and Planning. Department of Urban and Regional Planning. University of Hawai’i Economic Research Organization.

(Right) Properties

Managed by HPHA

Along the Future Rail diagram: illustrating existing and proposed dwelling units per acre.

Future HART Stations:

1. East Kapolei

2. UH West Oahu

3. Hoopili

4. West Loch (Farrington / Leoku)

5. Waipahu Transit Center (Farrington / Mokuola),

6. Leeward Community College

7. Pearl Highlands

8. Pearlridge

9. HālawaAloha Stadium

10. Makalapa - Pearl Harbor Naval Base

11. Lelepaua - Honolulu Airport

12. Āhua - Lagoon Drive

13. KahauikiMiddle Street

14. Mokauea - Kalihi

15. Niuhelewai - Kapālama - HCC

16. Kūwili - Iwilei

17. Holau - Chinatown,

18. Kuloloia - Downtown

19. Ka’ākaukukuiCivic Center

20. Kūkuluāe’o - Kaka’ako

21. KāliaAla Moana Center

Key development projects are marked with an asterix.

Mapping Opportunities

Providing safe, decent, affordable housing plays a key role in improving lives and communities and is the primary mission of the HPHA.

The majority of HPHA’s annual budget is federally funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). To protect this federal interest, HUD attaches restrictive covenants, through a declaration of trust, on HPHA properties requiring their continued use as public housing, but also limiting the debt that can be placed on them, thereby limiting HPHA’s ability to finance capital improvement or redevelopment.

Additionally, as Federal resources for public housing continue to come under pressure due to declining appropriations and insufficient subsidies, the operating resources required to effectively manage and maintain existing Federally subsidized housing have come under increasing pressure, resulting in an urgent need to preserve existing low-income housing stock and to ensure that it is managed efficiently for the long term.

These challenges, combined with the acute shortage of affordable housing in Hawaii generally, compel HPHA to embrace innovative approaches to redevelop, preserve and manage affordable housing that is sustainable and cost-effective, while also guaranteeing the best possible living situation for residents.

To achieve this, the formation of public and private partnerships that can maximize the leverage of both public and private capital resources is desperately required. HUD encourages this approach through programs such as Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) and Mixed-Finance strategies, that remove HUD’s declaration of trust, replacing it with a use agreement that is much more user-friendly in the private sector, better positioning HPHA properties to access the private capital and financing necessary to revitalize and maintain these communities.

Pursuing such strategies with HPHA-managed and/or state owned properties located along the light rail corridor, creates an exceptional opportunity for the state to maximize the value of existing, obsolete public housing communities by transforming them into higher-density, mixed-use projects by leveraging both TOD incentives and efficient financing through public/private partnerships.

HPHA has identified nine properties that could immediately benefit from this approach whose redevelopment could also expand the inventory of critically needed affordable housing units on O‘ahu.

Three key projects are currently being planned for redevelopment in proximity to the Kalihi-Kapālama-Iwilei stations.

KPT PHASE 2 (D)

An existing site that currently houses 174 public housing units. The project will add 251 new units; resulting in a rehabilitated community totaling approximately 425 new, mixedincome residential homes. The project will revitalize, modernize and increase the existing housing stock available at the site while improving the quality of life and encouraging a sense of community within the Kuhio Park neighborhood and among its families, residents and stakeholders.

SCHOOL STREET (F)

A six-acre site that currently houses HPHA’s existing, inefficient and outdated administrative office and maintenance facilities. The project will consolidate HPHA’s existing 13-building administrative campus into a single, efficiently designed, 30,000 square foot office building, occupying a significantly smaller footprint on the existing site. The balance of the remaining land will be more effectively utilized to develop a new, mixed-use project containing 800, age-restricted, affordable housing units.

MAYOR WRIGHT HOMES (G)

An existing mixed-income and mixed-use housing development. The proposed project will total approximately 2,448 residential rental units; including the replacement of the existing 364 public housing units on site, on a one-for-one basis with similarly deeply subsidized units. The majority of the remaining units shall be affordable units. In addition, up to 80,000 square feet of commercial space is also proposed for the project, which may include a mix of retail, office space, and community services to support the new residential units and complement the surrounding neighborhood.

Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing | by Karla Sierralta, AIA and Brian Strawn, AIA

BACKGROUND

Takeaways

1. Programs such as the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) allow PHA’s to leverage existing assets to redefine their role beyond administration and management of public housing. Opportunities exist to improve and reinvest in housing through mixed-finance, mixed-income developments.

2. With access to existing housing properties and other state-owned lands, which represent a large percentage of sites near the new HART light rail stations in Honolulu, the HPHA is in the unique position to make a significant contribution towards helping solve Hawai‘i’s housing problem through redevelopment of existing properties.

3. The development or redevelopment of housing properties offers an opportunity to re-examine existing urban fabric and density. Determining the right amount of dwelling units per site to help meet the demand of units needed while maintaining good quality of life will be critical in this process.

4. A comparison of the existing and proposed Dwelling Units per Acre on the identified sites suggest the planned redevelopments would provide more than double the number of dwelling units by increasing an average of four times the density. Existing density ranging from 0 to 80 Dwelling Units per Acre would increase to approximately 67 to 265 Dwelling Units per Acre.

Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing | by Karla Sierralta, AIA and Brian Strawn, AIA

Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing | by Karla Sierralta, AIA and Brian Strawn, AIA

Ni‘ihau

Kaua‘i

Eleele Homes

Kawailehua

Kalihi Valley Homes

Hookipa Kahaluu

Kauhale O’hana

Palolo Valley Homes

Maili I

Kaahumanu Homes

Makamae

Puuwai Momi

Kalakaua Homes

Kahale Mua

Lāna‘i

Piilani Homes

Kahekili Terrace

Kaho‘olawe

Lanakila Homes

Thirty In-home Family Interviews

This study began by assessing the spatial needs of the most vulnerable population currently living in public housing in Hawai‘i.

Our team conducted thirty in-home interviews at seventeen properties owned/ managed by HPHA in partnership with ethnography and digital strategy expert Rebecca Buck. Housing structures were located in a variety of sites ranging from rural to urban on five islands, including Kaua‘i, O‘ahu, Moloka‘i, Maui, and Hawai‘i.

Families were recruited through invitations and introductions made by individual Property Managers via email, phone calls, and hand-delivered letters. The opt-in process, coordinated directly by the UHCDC team after initial introductions, resulted in a varied cross-section of residents that included single parents, senior citizens living alone, heads of households that faced a spectrum of mobility and healthcare issues, grandparents raising their grandchildren, lifelong residents, and new residents alike. No translators were required by final interviewees, but there were family members present for interviews that did translate portions of the conversations for their family. While the majority of interviews took place on O‘ahu, 35% of the properties visited were on the outer islands.

A discussion guide organized by scales of engagement and revolving around residents’ use of space and preferences, in general, guided the conversations. Residents spoke candidly about their life in public housing, describing both tangible and intangible characteristics of place. They voiced challenges and desires, and offered memories and hopes for their future.

Conversations with residents also explored current realities and future aspirations for family life, career trajectory, education, community engagement, environmental stewardship, and long-term housing plans. A final walk-through aided in documenting spatial settings and preferences. Interviews ended with the open question: “What does home means to you?”

Inquiries were focused on spatial attributes, programmatic or operational aspects and other non-human subjects. It must be noted this part of the research did not request identifiable private information or information regarding individuals and their thoughts about themselves.

(Left) Diagram of selected properties owned/managed by HPHA in Hawai‘i.

Discussion Guide

The discussion guide shown on this page was not intended to be read verbatim but was instead to serve as a framework for our conversations.

Note-Taking

A series of prompts for taking notes with sample tags (#) for data input.

Community notes

Notetakers listen for:

What local amenities do they use most frequently? (eg. grocery store, pharmacy, school, university, church, employer).

How do they define the boundary of where community?

What transportation methods do you use to get around?

(Bus, car, Zipcar, informal car share, bike, walk?)

#Subject tags in Validately:

#community

#transportation

Prompts

Organized by scale, with possible follow-up questions.

Community 10 min

Website redesign 10 min

Tell us about living in this community.

20. As of June 19, 2019, Validately was acquired by UserZoom (https://www. userzoom.com/).

How long have you lived in this community?

How would you compare it to other communities you’ve live in?

What places do you go most often?

In addition to designing future apartment buildings, we also have an opportunity to redesign the HPHA website. That could include everything from learning about and applying for programs, to paying rent, or even other digital services. We have a few questions that could help us understand what to improve. But, we don’t need to know anything about your finances, and if anything feels too personal, or your not sure how to answer, it’s okay to not to any any questions.

- Where do you get groceries?

How did you find out about HPHA programs?

Where do you go for fun?

If you work, is that near by?

Do you remember going to the website?

First impressions?

How do you get places you need to go?

Did you find the information you needed?

Dive? Walk? Bus?

How did you know if or what you’d qualify for?

- Did you apply there on line?

Do you have friends or family in this community?

- Do you know any neighbors by name?

How much time passed between you applying and then getting an apartment?

Are there any amenities do you need nearby that are not currently here?

How did you know what to expect?

What is your favorite thing about your neighborhood?

What would you change about the neighborhood?

Process would be? - How long to expect to wait? - What building or apartment you’d be in? - How the move in process would go?

What the are the building policies? (Paint? Hang things on the walls?)

How to pay rent?

How does this system for paying you rent work today?

Pay by check?

- On line?

Ideally, how should that system of work?

Conversations were recorded and documented while maintaining privacy and anonymity. Qualitative data was collected using Validately20, an online digital ethnography tool that allowed both on-site and remote team participation.

Each 90-minute conversation was structured as follows:

- Introduction (10 min)

- Community (10 min)

- Buildings (10 min)

- Unit (40 min)

- Other (10 min)

- Wrap-up (10 min)

Summary notes

Community

Listen for:

Building 10 min

Summary 10 min

Listen for: A quote about what home means to them.

What makes a building desirable?

What amenities are most important to them?

What design elements or affordances make each type of building space useful?

#TAGS in Validately: #HomeQuote #FutureGoals

#TAGS in Validately: #building #amenitites

Tell us about living in this in this building.

How would you describe what “home” means to you?

How did you come to live here?

We’re almost done…

What spaces around the building do you use most often?

Tell us about some of your hopes for the future?

- Laundry?

- Are there any personal goals that you're working towards?

- Shared community spaces?

- Listen for: physical health, financial health, social goals, skills or hobbies.

- Outside space?

- Parking?

What are some hopes that you have for your family in the next 2-5 years?

- Storage?

For each space:

How about hopes for your career?

- How would you describe success in your job or career?

- What makes that space helpful?

- Are you planning on skills training to get the job you really went?

- What could be better about that space?

- For your education?

- Anything preventing you from using it?

- For your home?

- For Hawaii? (if no answer, make it smaller and ask about their community).

What do you like best about living in this building?

Is there anything about the building you wish you could change?

Thank them and pack up.

What would you look for in an ideal building?

ACTIVITY: #AmenitiesCardSort

Apartment / Unit Notes Apartment / Unit

Listen for: What makes a unit desirable?

What amenities are most important to them?

What changes do people want to make when the move in?

#TAGS in Validately: #unit

40 min

Tell us about living in this in this apartment.

What is you favorite thing about your home?

When you first moved in, was there anything you changed or added to make it feel like home?

When you first moved in, was there anything you wished you could change?

How would you compare this apartment to other places you’ve lived before?

ACTIVITY: #HomeTimeline

ACTIVITY: #HomeTour

Research Analysis

Over thirty hours of recordings were tagged and analyzed, generating thousands of data points. Hashtags were utilized to sort information.

The following words/phrases offer a glimpse of the topics that were discussed:

Community #community

#transportation

#futuregrowth

#playground

#walkability

#programs

#healthycitizens

Building #building

#amenities

#management

#lighting

#safety

#proximity

#trash

#activities

#garden

#lighting

#maintenance

#sitelayout

#repairs

Unit #unit

#disability #storage

#flooring

#bathroom

#ventilation

#laundry

#unittypes

Other #whatahomemeans

#kids

#journeymap

#technology

#rentpayment

#hometour

#persona

#offboarding

#safetynet

Observations varied from hyper specific to broad aspects of inhabitation. For example:

- Residents long for flexibility in their home so they are able to adapt to changing needs and reduce hassle when moving.

- Residents enjoy talking with and spending time with neighbors, and feel the more they know each other the more respect they have for one another.

- Residents are willing to work in a community garden and share what they produce with others in need.

- Residents are vulnerable because they are living paycheck to paycheck. Any emergency situation could deplete savings and result in eviction.

These observations lead to insights, which were ultimately translated into design opportunities.

(Left) Observations to Design Opportunities Research Analysis diagram

Representative Statements and Shared Resident Needs

The scales of community, building, and unit were used as an initial filter for organizing quotes and observations, revealing a rough outline of emerging themes. The representative statements on this page were paraphrased because their sentiment was heard, in one form

or another, across multiple interviews. The “why” of each example is supported by summary resident profiles and their individual reasoning, revealing how a single need can be shared across a multiplicity of household types.

Community Building

What we really need is a place for kids to play. The park they play in is not on our property so we have no control over it.

• Single parent - Living at a property where the on site playground is closed, forcing the kids to go to another park where they can't be seen.

• Senior citizens - Had raised their children on a property with access to a playground and they felt bad for families raising kids without access to an on site play area.

It was perfect, everything was in walking distance.

• Senior citizen, living alone - Raised their family at Mayor Wright and now lives in studio apartment in a senior building with no walkable amenities, like a pharmacy or grocery store, nearby.

• Senior citizen, living alone - Entered public housing after raising a family. The first property they were at had nothing nearby and they don't drive, isolating them. The property they now live at has multiple community amenities within a close walking distance.

I wouldn’t want to live in a high rise.

• Senior citizen - Previously lived at a property where the elevator was broken for long periods of time and had difficulty with taking the stairs.

• Family with children - Wanted their kids to be able to access the outdoors at the unit. They have never lived in a building that has access to a secure amenity deck with play areas.

We could use another laundry room.

• Senior citizen with mobility issuesRegarding the difficulty they have carrying laundry to the far side of the property.

• Single parent - Not wanting to leave the child alone or take child with them on the elevator multiple times.

• Handicapped head of household - Spouse has to leave them and their child unattended while doing laundry.

Cross ventilation is important. Need to move the breeze through the house and keep it cooler.

• Senior citizen, living alone -Previously lived at Mayor Wright with great cross ventilation and now lives in a studio in a senior building with little cross ventilation and no air conditioner.

• Family with children - The cross ventilation in their living room is blocked by a partial height wall, making it uncomfortable in the summer. This results in the family sitting in the parking lot area right in front of their unit.

Built in storage is great. It makes moving easier when you need to change units.

• Senior citizens, living with adult childRetired couple's son and his child are about to move out and they are being shifted into a smaller unit. They are glad they have less big pieces of furniture to move because both spaces have built-ins.

• Single Parent - Has moved between properties and built-ins have allowed them to do this alone, making the process a bit less painful.

Taking time to go to the bank to pay the rent is a burden while raising children and working.

• Single parent/part-time college studentFinding time to drop the paper-based rent slip is an inconvenient and they would prefer to pay it through their phone.

• Single Parent - Working full-time and living in a rural area makes going to the bank difficult during the week and eats up time on the weekend when time could be spent with kids.

It can take a long time to get something repaired.

• Single parent - Likes the jalousie windows in their unit because of the air control, but when the louvers or the cranks break the process of getting them fixed can take a lot of time to coordinate.

• Family with children - Kitchen cabinet hinge got broken and they have been waiting several months for a repair. Waiting for this repair and their upcoming unit inspection was a source of stress for the family.

Selected photographs during the interview process.

In-Process: Research Analysis Example

The interviews and home tours resulted in thousands of data points. These include resident statements and visual observations made by the research team, both those inperson and those at UH remotely monitoring the interviews online. Several rounds of affinity

clustering, organizing data points into meaningful categories, took place by manually sorting handwritten Post-It notes and with digital spreadsheets. Below is a representative example of how data was processed from a set of discrete observations into more universally

Insights Observations

A resident wished that the lānai space was bigger so she could spend time there with her daughter.

The outdoor space is big, benches and tables should be available to enjoy the sun.

Residents believed that if they had lived in a regular house, they wouldn’t know their neighbors.

Anybody can just walk past their windows. They felt it would be better if each unit had their own yard to increase privacy.

A resident feels that home is a place that is safe, a place they love, a place with nice neighbors.

Once a year the community would have a ho’olaulea, where different nationalities would participate, and all of the people in the housing would get to know each other.

It would be helpful for residents if there was a space the for the neighborhood board to meet.

Monthly meetings are very important, so people know what is going on in the project and why.

Individual lānais provide residents with the opportunity to connect with friends and family, as well as connect to the surrounding public space (at a comfortable distance).

Large and open communal spaces can be made more inviting by adding benches, tables, and a grill area, creating a flexible and structured environment for neighbors to interact.

A meeting and celebration space for large family gatherings, community celebrations, and neighborhood board meetings will promote social interaction between family, friends and neighbors.

applicable Insights, to generative “How might we” statements, and into Design Opportunities that are precursors to the design framework that future agents could utilize to design environments for residents.

How Might We's... Design Opportunities (Draft)

How might we provide residents with outdoor space that is private, yet connects to the surrounding public space?

Provide units with lānais that have visual access to surrounding communal spaces.

How might we enhance social connections in large communal spaces?

Offer programed furniture in community spaces that support multiple functions/activities such as picnics.

How might we promote social interaction between family, friends and neighbors?

Provide each building with a range of multi-functional communal spaces.

Selected photographs during research analysis.

Thirty-Six Design Actions & Opportunities

Affinity clustering exercises were used to process and clarify the emerging framework.

This section presents the thirty-six design opportunities that were generated from the research.

TABLE 1: List Summary of Design Actions and Opportunities

Generous shared spaces and common amenities support comfortable co-living and multi-generational households. Plan for multiple entryways, cooking zones, bedrooms, and bathrooms to allow for privacy and independence or to accommodate isolation needs.

Open floor plans and movable elements allow residents to organize their spaces to accommodate changing needs. Spaces should be designed to host multiple functions, allow alternative sleeping arrangements, or acoustical separations.

Adjustable, built-in elements make moving easy and provide a more flexible living space within compact footprints. Consider a variety of storage and built-in options such as closets, nooks, hanging shelves, and Murphy beds, as well as expanded entryways that can accommodate slippers, packages, and decontamination routines.

A variety of spaces can enrich neighborly relations and allow for improvised and dynamic conversations. Include shared spaces at both the scales of building and block. Consider outdoor scenarios, such as common lanais, porches, and other sitting or playing areas.

Social platforms keep neighbors updated on current issues, community events, and resource availability. Provide digital opportunities for sharing real-time information about daily activities within buildings and neighborhoods.

While maintaining privacy, direct sightlines onto common spaces, and access points improve the sense of security. Configure buildings and units to allow for uninterrupted views to the street and other public or semi-public areas.

The possibility of living, working, and playing within the same community increases productivity and reduces long commute times. Avoid isolating residential uses from other functions of the city. Plan a blend of small businesses, live-work opportunities, and other resources within walking distance.

Access to outdoor public spaces connects residents to nature, provides opportunities for social interaction, and improves physical and mental health. Reclaim under utilized spaces within every neighborhood for public parks, plazas, and gardens of all types.

Civic spaces serve the community and provide a forum for celebrations, traditions, culture, freedom of speech, and other public events. Plan indoor and outdoor civic spaces that are approachable to all and can accommodate multiple uses, including emergency pop-ups.

Neighborhoods scaled to human dimensions create comfortable and inviting spaces. Carefully plan building proportions, street-width to building-height ratios, shading, vegetation, and ground floor functions, including small businesses, to contribute to a pleasant urban experience.

Streets designed with pedestrians and cyclists in mind provide safe, active spaces for moving and socializing. Prioritize pedestrians and cyclists. Increase safe opportunities for moving on foot that encourage mobility and promote healthy lifestyles.

A network of transportation options such as bus, rail, bike, and rideshare increases connectivity. Plan for safe, multimodal transportation services and spaces, where hubs serve as catalysts for public life.

Designs that integrate natural cycles for water regeneration throughout buildings and sites minimize environmental impacts and increase resiliency. Consider sustainable water inputs and outputs, as well as climate-related vulnerabilities while planning new developments or redesigning existing communities.

Site, building, and unit layouts that take advantage of cross breezes naturally cool interior spaces. Avoid climate-controlled inner hallways and provide cross ventilation for all spaces.

The building’s position and its materials or components contribute to the design of comfortable spaces and energy consumption/generation. Orient buildings to minimize heat gain, provide shade, and maximize solar power generation or other sun benefits.

Gardens allow residents to grow and share the food they produce and foster community interaction. Provide spaces for growing at all scales, including homes and neighborhoods, such as planting beds, greenhouses, community gardens, and orchards.

Reducing, reusing, and recycling minimize waste and extend the life of existing products and buildings. Design for known material flows, provide adequate space for waste collection, separation, and management, including opportunities for composting, and support adaptable reuse projects.

Learning opportunities allow residents to remain active and connected to their communities as life circumstances change. Consider spaces that can facilitate these activities such as classrooms or maker spaces and support lessons or training programs that allow residents to teach or learn from each other.

Easy and accessible opportunities to exercise outdoors promote health and wellbeing. Design spaces that allow residents to play, walk, run, and bike within walking distance of their homes.

Outdoor living is an integral part of Hawai‘i’s culture. Units with lānais provide residents with indoor/ outdoor experiences, views, and fresh air. Consider outdoor spaces as essential for all residents.

Balconies are spaces in between private and public realms, offering views of the sky or surroundings, but where residents still feel a need for privacy. Consider physical and acoustical boundaries between spaces and units such as privacy walls, sunshades, planters, or trellises that allow privacy while maintaining views.

Materials sourced regionally and locally decrease construction costs and carbon emissions. Specify local, regional, and sustainably harvested materials. Re-imagine material logistics to reduce supply chains.

Carefully planned construction processes and locally appropriate building techniques provide easy, cost-effective construction and long term maintenance solutions. Rethink construction processes to reduce material costs and timelines.

Design with local trades and labor in mind. Consider the prefabrication of building components off-site to save time and reduce waste.

Buildings designed with flexibility in mind facilitate adaptive reuse and serve communities longer. Plan for spaces, circulation and structural systems that are able to respond to future needs and uses.

Alternative systems such as rent-based investment, enable ownership opportunities for more citizens. Provide alternative paths towards owning.

Residents might need help keeping a roof over their head in moments of crisis. To prevent homelessness, create programs that offer just-in-time financial assistance programs in critical moments of need.

Live/work units and affordable multi-use spaces provide opportunities for generating income in the neighborhood. Provide spaces for both living and working conditions with options for public and private access. Offer flexible spaces that can serve small businesses and start-ups.

Mobile apps provide future residents with live updates on housing availability and cost. Integrate property management software to share occupancy rates, collect and track rental payments, and make new rental applications and renewals easy.

Digital dashboards improve communication with property managers and maintenance. Offer residents digital methods to request detailed maintenance repairs, track inspections, energy use or other living needs.

Action plans with a step-by-step process to owning a home help residents set and achieve goals. Develop digital applications that demystify the complex process of owning a home in Hawai‘i.

Compact residences may not provide spaces for activities such as socializing, or other communal gatherings. Offer shared, multi-use spaces that accommodate these sort of activities and programs throughout the day for resident use without additional costs.

Every household is different, and residents’ needs change over time. Plan a mix of unit types of different sizes and spatial organizations that can support a plurality of family types and evolving needs.

Multilingual signs communicate information to all. Design signage to be inclusive of all local cultures.

Recreation spaces tailored to the needs of all ages promote physical and cognitive strength. Re-think public space and provide the community with different kinds of spaces for all ages and activities.

Spaces and environments designed for all people, regardless of age, size, ability, or disability, improve quality of life. Design housing developments that are accessible, flexible, and in close proximity to amenities.

Pathways and circulation designed for people of all abilities provide equal access to facilities and functions. Circulation spaces in both buildings and public spaces should accommodate all.

FOUNDATIONAL USER RESEARCH

Twelve Design Strategies

Design actions and opportunities were organized by attributes into categories that were translated into twelve design strategies. Attributes include flexibility, socialization, program & use, pedestrian experience, local climate & nature, models of production & consumption, health & wellbeing, construction processes, economic-social-digital equity, and diversity.

List Summary of Design Strategies

Families move frequently, and household sizes change. Flexible living spaces support these and many other life transitions.

Tight-knit communities create a sense of belonging and networks of support that provide a long-time benefit to residents.

Housing in close proximity of amenities is highly valued for access, convenience, and time-savings.

Design for people not cars by providing humanscaled streets, access to public transportation, shaded sidewalks and safe bike networks.

Integrated natural cycles and passive strategies minimize environmental impact and maximize resources.

Communities are empowered by opportunities to grow their own food, manage their consumption patterns, and gain new knowledge.

The design of buildings and spaces influences the mental and physical wellbeing of its inhabitants.

Materials and construction methods impact the cost and long term resiliency of buildings.

Alternative rent systems, financial assistance, and income opportunities aid residents in their financial journey

Data helps residents make informed decisions, simplifies household chores, and offers equal access to services.

In housing, one solution does not fit all.

Plan spaces and pathways for residents of all ages.

Key Findings

1. Residents described a “nested understanding of domesticity” where the concept of home extends beyond the unit, building, or lot into the community and expressed a desire for more walkable, sustainable and equitable places to live. The meaning of home expands beyond the housing unit or building structure to broader realms that directly affect the quality of life of residents, both at the urban scale and related to programs and processes.

2. Overall, there is a broad skepticism for density. Density is confused with overcrowding and associated with foreign high-rise structures and limited connection to the natural environment.

3. Citizens felt left-out of the design process that resulted in their existing communities and described a variety of ideas for improvement of the built environments that would increase their quality of life. Although residents are seldom included in the design of multi-family housing, they still desire to take part in the process that results in the environments they inhabit.

These insights guided the next phases of the work focused on three targeted efforts:

A. Further developing the Design Framework that emerged from this foundational research.

B. Conducting studies that would help expand the understanding of density in Hawai‘i.

C. Prototyping engagement tools for increasing the participation of local communities in the spaces and places they inhabit.

Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing | by Karla Sierralta, AIA and Brian Strawn, AIA

Case Studies

Forty four case studies that support the design opportunities identified in the foundational research were analyzed.

Direct and analogous examples include a range of urban plans, buildings, interiors, furniture, and digital programs in varying sizes and formats located in Hawai‘i, the continental US and abroad. A subsample of case studies focused on multi-family residential buildings was further analyzed.

Although a number of case studies supported more than one design opportunity, case studies and opportunities were paired using the most distinct attributes.

When comparing case studies, specifically multi-family residential developments, there are four main characteristics that should be carefully considered in addition to density metrics. Unit attributes, other programs in the building, surrounding neighborhood amenities, and community infrastructure provide a better understanding of how people live beyond their immediate building or lot and could determine the needs of a particular development.

A direct relation exists between unit size, unit mix, building amenities, mixed-uses and density. Dwelling units per acre refer to the number of residential units on a particular site. This is not necessarily related to the massing of buildings. For example, a mixeduse development may occupy a large area and house a lower number of occupants, or a high rise might be considered low density because it is composed of larger but fewer units. These relationships must be considered when discussing the design of housing.

A direct relation also exists between buildings and their surroundings. A structure located within close proximity to services and urban infrastructure might be able to leverage those services and dedicate all areas to housing. Structures that are located remotely or within long driving distances might need to offer certain amenities to residents. Siting and context are critical in achieving more inclusive housing.

- Richardson Apartments

- Williams Terrace

- Carbon 12

- Sweetwater Foundation

- Cloverdale 749

- Blackbirds

- Kampung Admiralty

- Carmel Place

- Mountain Dwellings

- Parking House

- 16th Street Mall

-Regen Villages

- Phoenix Commons

- The 606

- Park n’ Play

(Left) Case Study Exemplars. Clockwise L to R:

For image credits see the Holistic Housing Design Framework booklet.

Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing | by Karla Sierralta, AIA and Brian Strawn, AIA

List Summary of Case Studies

1 Phoenix Commons, Zimmerman + Associates

2 ORI, MIT Media Lab

3 Carmel Place, nArchitects

4 Williams Terrace, David Baker Architects

5 Blackbirds, Bestor Architecture

6 Westgate 1515, Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects (LOHA)

7 Independence Library and Apartments, John Ronan Architects

8 Cloverdale 749, Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects (LOHA)

9 ReGen Village, Effekt

10 Richardson Apartments, David Baker Architects

11 8 House, Bjarke Ingles Group

12 Vertical Forest, Stefano Boeri

15

16

17

18 Ola Ka ‘Ilima Artspace Lofts, Urban Works

21

22

CATEGORIES LOCATION DESIGN ACTIONS

Oakland, CA

New York, NY

Charleston, SC

Los Angeles, CA

Los Angeles, CA

Chicago, IL

Los Angeles, CA

Almere, Netherlands

San Francisco, CA

Copenhagen, Denmark

Milan, Italy

Copenhagen, Denmark

Portland, OR

Vienna, Austria

San Francisco, CA

Saclay, France

Kaka’ako, Honolulu, HI

Los Angeles, CA

North Hollywood, CA

Singapore

Sonoma, CA

Copenhagen, Denmark

Copenhagen, Denmark -

Chicago, IL

Vancouver, Canada

Denver, CO

Paris, France

New York, NY

Denmark

Region Skåne, Sweden

Copenhagen, Denmark

California

New York, NY

California

Hawai‘i

Chicago, IL

New York, NY

Multi-Family Residential

Enable co- and multi-generational living

Propose adaptable spaces

Offer smart storage

Facilitate friendly interactions

Open sight lines

Promote hybrid neighborhoods

Blend civic spaces into daily life

Leverage cross breezes

Multiply productive lands

Spark skill-sharing

Power active lifestyles

Provide lānais for all

Protect views and privacy

Source regional materials

Aim for efficiency

Anticipate future change

Aim for efficiency

Activate micro-businesses

Set aside flex space

Prioritize flexibility and variety

Support aging in place

Welcome people of all abilities

Other Buildings

Respect human scale

Activate micro-businesses

Take play seriously

Community/Neighborhood Infrastructures

Weave in parks and plazas

Respect human scale

Democratize the street

Democratize the street

Foster water consciousness

Digital, Programs, Others

Sync-up the community

Amplify community mobility

Mind the sun

Mind the sun

Redefine waste

Aim for efficiency

Ensure accessible equity

Bridge the gap

Track housing availability

Streamline household management

Map alternative paths to long term housing

Streamline household management

Brisbane, Australia

Communicate in multiple languages

Support aging in place

Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing | by Karla Sierralta, AIA and Brian Strawn, AIA

Depicting Design Opportunities

A series of drawing exercises helped process, clarify and visualize each design opportunity identified in the foundational research. Multiple iterations of sketches, diagrams and illustrations paired with evolving statements and descriptions informed each design action.

Scale, angle of images, drawing type (i.e. plans, sections, isometrics, details) and components were tested. A contextual color palette and tone were set to depict the local idiosyncrasies of place, representing a diversity of ethnicities, tropical flora, and fauna.

Custom Entourage and Color Palette drawings celebrating diversity of skin tones.

Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing | by Karla Sierralta, AIA and Brian Strawn, AIA

Drawings created to represent each design action from the emerging design framework are presented on these pages. Drawings are presented at different scales and from different angles.

Custom illustrations, inspired by local contexts created during the global pandemic in 2020.

Pandemic Analysis

The Covid-19 global pandemic redefined the role of the home and highlighted inequities within the domestic sphere. The physical, mental, social, educational and economic wellbeing of residents needs to be supported in moments of crisis and is directly related to the multiple scales of engagement emanating for the home.

A media literature review was conducted during the spring-summer of 2020, at the beginning of the Covid-19 global pandemic.

Our team examined a number of timely resources by global and national organizations in conjunction with news and opinion articles published in the media, including print, electronic and broadcast to survey and document the ongoing crisis.

Sixty five articles were selected for analysis and comparison to our original findings. Each design opportunity identified earlier in the investigation was re-examined and adapted based on the new insights.

We learned about informal solutions to emerging needs, trends and priorities, including a number of spatial adaptations and experiences inside the home, where most of the world was suddenly and abruptly confined for months, putting housing at the center of the pandemic.

As part of this study, our team collaborated with Architecture and Design author Alison Arieff, who wrote a short essay to introduce the design framework and contextualize issues spanning between density, design and COVID-19.

Key sources of information included: The New York Times, USA Today, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Civil Beat, Curbed, Forbes, Bloomberg, Time magazine, The Washington Post, CNBC, KHON2, USA Today and other trusted resources.

During the first phase of the pandemic, our team sourced content to design and develop an emergency Pandemic Portal for the Hawai‘i Public Housing Authority, which collected resources, support, and recommendations for residents in properties managed by HPHA. This experience also informed the development of the framework and design toolkit components.

List Summary of Pandemic Insights

Thirty-six pandemic insights co-relate with the 36 design actions and opportunities.

21. Rodriguez, Max. KHON2, April 1, 2020; Associated Press. USA Today, April 27, 2020.

22. Jolly, Jennifer. USA Today, April 1, 2020; Bowen, Russ. CBS17, March 19, 2020.

23. Godoy, Maria. NPR, April 12, 2020.

24. Correal, Annie. The New York Times, March 24, 2020; Mason, Dick. The Observer, April 9, 2020.

25. Fujimori, Leila. Star Advertiser, May 19, 2020; Hughes, Trevor. USA Today, April 25, 2020.

26. Cohen, Arianne. Fast Company, March 17, 2020.

27. Washington State Department of Health. June 15, 2020. www.medium.com

28. Wang, Jack. University of Chicago News, April 6, 2020; Levenson, Michael. The New York Times, May 15, 2020; Lezak, Stephen. Eco Watch, May 14, 2020; Brinson, Kendrick. The New York Times, May 6, 2020.

Families and roommates seeking to share costs are looking for safe ways to social distance from one another. Due to lack of flexibility in some homes, hotels have been made available for medical workers in need of quarantine spaces to protect their households.21

Spending extended periods of time at home has prompted the reorganization of space. There is an increased need to transform bedrooms into offices, kitchens into classrooms, and living rooms into bedrooms.22

In the home, incoming items require additional scrutiny, stockpiling supplies necessitates more space, cleanliness demands less clutter, and furniture is serving more than one purpose.23

With confinement, quarantines, and limited travel, neighbors have become the closest members of our social circles. Outdoor spaces offer safer places for exchanging conversations, meals, or helping with errands.24

As resources, recommendations, and mandates are updated daily, there is a need for continual communication and awareness. Information should be shared in a way that is clear, timely and easy to understand.25

The ability to see who is coming or going without leaving the house has become essential for receiving home deliveries, assessing street activity, or availability of shared spaces.26

Populations have limited most activities to local boundaries. Being able to walk or bike to obtain essential goods, services and healthcare, or to enjoy the outdoors has become a privilege, especially for those who do not own a personal vehicle.27

Outdoor spaces have become a respite from isolation and have been critical for mental health and physical wellbeing. Parks, sidewalks and slow/ safe streets have served residents for walking and exercising beyond their homes. Ample public spaces have offered the first opportunities for people to gather safely in small groups while social distancing from each other.28

29. Cornfield, Jill. CNBC, April 3, 2020; Flanagan, Brenda. NJTV News, April 2, 2020; Santos, Yiselle; Campbell, Sarah. HKS, March 23, 2020

30. Thomas, Lauren. CNBC, April 27, 2020; Guynn, Jessica. USA Today, May 21, 2020.

31. Diaz, Johnny. The New York Times, April 11, 2020.

32. Lynott, Jana; Heller, Mouchka. World Economic Forum, April 23, 2020; The Guardian, April 21, 2020.

33. American Lung Association, accessed July 23, 2020. Lacy Hirsch, Ben. Houston Chronicle, April 1, 2020.

34. World Health Organization, accessed July 23, 2020.

35. Asyary, Al; Veruswati Meita. Science Direct, April 27, 2020.

36. Hirschfeld, Andy. The Observer, May 8, 2020; Chandran, Rina. World Economic Forum, April 09, 2020.

37. Bradshaw, Kaitlin. Waste 360, April 30, 2020.

INSIGHTS DESCRIPTIONS

Civic spaces have been utilized for food distribution, testing stations, pop-up clinics, and other emerging community needs.29

Ground floor businesses at the street level have benefited from access to curbside pick up and outdoor dining opportunities.30

Cities have closed-off streets to increase space for pedestrians, bikes, and other activities on foot so citizens can enjoy the outdoors while safely social distancing.31

Walking is preferred to ride-sharing, and although many systems are operating at minimum capacity, public transportation remains essential, allowing people who do not live near food or services or cannot drive, to stay connected.32

Standing water and floodwaters in urban environments are known to breed mold, bacteria, and carry toxins, which aggravate lung disease and put affected communities into high-risk groups.33

The World Health Organization has recognized adequate natural ventilation reduces the transmission of infection, becoming an important measure in reducing the spread of the disease.34

Even though there is no evidence that the sun kills the virus, limited sunbathing has many positive effects in times of quarantine. A study also shows that sunlight exposure can be beneficial for recovering from COVID-19.35

Food scarcity has highlighted the vulnerabilities of the global food supply. Concerns about food accessibility during lockdowns have encouraged people to grow fruits and vegetables at home.36

We are redefining what is essential. We have become more aware of supply chains and waste cycles. Shortages of certain goods have highlighted weaknesses in our supply chains, and recycling has been more widely adopted as a means to achieve cost savings.37

38. Klisanin, Dana. Psychology Today, April 11, 2020; Heath, Elizabeth. The Washington Post, May 26, 2020.

39. RUSH, accessed July 23, 2020. www.rush.edu

40. Poon, Linda. CityLab, April 20, 2020; Fidler, Matt. The Guardian, March 19, 2020; Zacka, Bernardo. The New York Times, May 9, 2020

41. Forster, Victoria. Forbes, April 20, 2020.

42. Taylor, Rives. Gensler, April 20, 2020.

43. Bonner, Lynn. The News & Observer, June 15, 2020; Taylor, Rives. Gensler, April 20, 2020; Bipat, Chelsey. Nearby Engineers, April 10, 2020; Koones, Sheri. Forbes, April 9, 2020.

44. Conger, Kate. The New York Times, May 21, 2020.

45. Mastroeni, Tara. Forbes, May 18, 2020.

INSIGHTS DESCRIPTIONS

Sharing knowledge of cooking, exercising, speaking a language, etc., has become popular. The “maker” community has focused on fabricating masks and face shields, learning new skills, and contributing to emerging needs that have emerged during the pandemic.38

The world pandemic has highlighted exercise as an essential activity, offering benefits to maintain and improve both physical and mental health.39

During stay at home orders, balconies, patios, decks, and porches have provided a respite from confined quarters while allowing people to maintain social distancing requirements.40

Social distancing with requirements of at least six feet between residents from different households has fueled the need for physical separation of spaces.41

The pandemic has caused shortages on overseas supplies, shifting the world’s focus towards locally sourced materials.42

Although some essential projects have continued regardless of the pandemic, construction sites are high-risk settings for spreading the disease as many trade workers operate in close proximity to one another. Prefabrication, given its ability to specify workplace practices, has proven critical in keeping workers safe and in the rapid construction of healthcare facilities and emergency shelters.43

Many companies and businesses have required and allowed their employees to work from home. This shift has been so successful in some cases that companies are planning for permanent remote work. Soon, these new underutilized spaces will need to be re-imagined for alternative uses.44

As the pandemic shut down most of the US economy, purchasing patterns shifted. A recent study shows 80% of would-be buyers have delayed or canceled their plans to buy a new home.45

46. Brey, Jared. Next City, April 21, 2020.

47. Semuels, Alana. TIME, March 4, 2020; McKinsey & Company, May 5, 2020

48. Ricciulli, Valeria. Curbed New York, July 1, 2020

49. Kharif, Olga. Bloomberg, April 16, 2020; Walden, Stephanie. Forbes, June 12, 2020.

50. Lane, Ben. Housingwire, April 13, 2020; Menton, Jessica. USA Today, July 1, 2020.

51. Greene, Solomon, McCargo Alanna. Urban Institute, May 29, 2020; Morphy Erika. Globe St, May 29, 2020.

52. Brower, Tracy. Forbes, May 19, 2020; Mohtashami, Logan Housing Wire, May 19, 2020.

INSIGHTS DESCRIPTIONS

Millions of US citizens have received a one time economic impact payment to help stimulate the economy. Even though this has helped a segment of the population, the long term housing security is unknown. Though short term rental relief and emergency assistance programs are being offered and evictions have been temporarily suspended, the duration of this assistance is unclear.46

Small business jobs have been the most vulnerable during the pandemic. Many people have had to find alternative work, while others have shifted to working from their residences, often an obstacle for those with less flexibility or square footage.47

With confinement requirements, fear of in-person interactions, and financial uncertainty, signing or renewing a lease has become complicated during the pandemic.48

Contactless payments have surged for all transactions, including making rent payments after banknotes were deemed carriers of the disease, and confinement requirements limited access to cash and in-person bank errands.49

Even though mortgage rates have dropped, getting a mortgage approved has become more complicated, with some banks requiring a 20% down payment and a 700 FICO score.50

With more people expected to stay at home, the demand for residential amenities has increased. Having more time and nowhere to go, residents have sought new and old forms of entertainment and alternative ways to continue traditions and cultural practices. The lack of amenities has highlighted disparities and inequities.51

Financial stressors will drive some households to downsize and choose smaller homes. This pandemic has also triggered the opposite, as families have decided to move to larger homes with more space as so many people are either working or attending school from home. Recognize that different families have different spatial needs.52

INSIGHTS DESCRIPTIONS

Communication, clarity, and transparency has become critical to saving lives. In Hawaii, COVID-19 data and developments have been translated into a multitude of languages.53

Citizens have turned to play to relieve anxiety and cope with stress. Indoor and outdoor games have been both ways to exercise, maintain children entertained, and preserve some sense of normalcy. As many places were closed, people flocked to playgrounds, parks, and sidewalks to walk, run and play, emphasizing the importance of open space in the city.54

The older adult population has been especially vulnerable during this crisis. Some essential businesses have offered special hours for seniors, but they have mostly been urged to stay indoors.55

The movement of citizens through the city has changed. Congestion has shifted from streets to sidewalks. Stripes, arrows and other visual markers encourage social distancing. As people jogging, biking, and walking have taken over the spaces to exercise without masks, vulnerable populations remain at risk. 36 The desire for people to get outside does call into question the way we have designed our cities for cars not people.56

53. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, May 16, 2020.

54. Goodman, Ken. Anxiety and Depression Association of America. Accessed July 23, 2020. ; O’Neill, Meaghan. Architectural Digest, April 24, 2020.

55. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Accessed July 23, 2020.

56. National League of the Cities, April 27, 2020; Markovich, Tony. Auto Blog, April 24, 2020; Keeling, Brock. Curbed San Francisco, May 12, 2020; Honore, Marcel. Civil Beat, July 1, 2020.

Image captures of HPHA’s Pandemic Portal (www.hphaishereforyou. org), launched in April 2020.

Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing | by Karla Sierralta, AIA and Brian Strawn, AIA

Five Guiding Principles

Based on the analysis of design actions, strategies, pandemic insights, and case studies, five design principles emerged. These principles define “Holistic Housing”, which intends to establish good design as a right and not a privilege.

A series of diagrams were created to illustrate these principles. The two main diagrams are shown in detail on the following pages. Each principle is further defined in the illustrated handbook.

5: List Summary of Design Principles

Holistic housing is pedestrian-centered, environmentally friendly, and considers socioeconomic equity. Holistic Housing is supported by incentives, programs and platforms that provide long term stability for residents.

Holistic housing is defined as a central component of a system rather than an isolated entity. Holistic Housing relies on a nested understanding of dwelling, including multiple scales of engagement, and the tangible and intangible elements of design.

Holistic housing is an integral part of both the natural and built environments. It carefully considers inputs and outputs, acknowledging the spatial limitations and finite resources defining island communities.

Holistic housing is generated through an inclusive design process. It invites the community to actively participate across the entire planning and design process, from early phase strategy sessions to ideation workshops to final decision making.

Holistic housing supports the physical, mental, social, educational, and economic well being of its residents through moments of crisis.

1 Walkable, Sustainable, and Equitable

2 Home is Everything

3 Closed Loops

4 All Hands on Deck

5 Extreme Events

Walkable Sustainable

Equitable

Holistic Housing

Walkable, Sustainable, Equitable diagram: illustrates the equal importance of walkable, sustainable and equitable values in the design of housing.

Equitable

Community

Digital / Programs Neighborhood Lot / Block

Holistic Housing Realms of Inhabitation diagram: presents layered scales of engagement and acknowledges a nested understanding of domesticity.

DEVELOPING A DESIGN FRAMEWORK

An Illustrated Handbook

The design framework is synthesized as an illustrated handbook that includes the five guiding principles, twelve design strategies and thirty-six design actions for Holistic Housing.

Each design action is presented alongside illustrations, inspirational case studies, and learnings from the global pandemic.

With a foreword by Allison Arieff, “A Right to Good Design,” the handbook proposes a practical approach for designing and planning resilient communities.

While shaped by in-home conversations with thirty families in Hawai‘i and the specific conditions and realities faced by our remote archipelago, this framework is broadly applicable to communities everywhere.

The illustrated handbook can be viewed as a PDF at hawaiihousinglab.org

Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing | by Karla Sierralta, AIA and Brian Strawn, AIA

Sample Pages

Design strategies and actions.

Design Strategy

12 Design Strategies that support Holistic Housing.

Pandemic Insights

Each strategy is informed by a series of learnings defined by the 2020 global pandemic.

Illustrations

Depict depict the local idiosyncrasies of Hawai‘i, representing a diversity of ethnicities, tropical flora, and fauna.

Design Action

There are three design actions per Design Strategy. Each shows illustrated examples and recommendations.

Inspiration

Local and global projects serve as case studies exemplifying the potential of each design action

Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing | by Karla Sierralta, AIA and Brian Strawn, AIA

IV

Sample Pages

Case study data sheets.

Project Data

Category, location, year, dwelling units per acre, lot area, number of residential units, amenities and mixed use.

Other

Additional images, credits and sources are listed in this section.

Reference Number, project name and author.

Signature Image

Selected representative photo, diagram or rendering.

Description

Project description from author and key attributes, relationship to context, values and other relevant design aspects. Related Design Actions

Main design action highlighted in bold.

Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing | by Karla Sierralta, AIA and Brian Strawn, AIA

Part IV: Understanding Density

Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing | by Karla Sierralta, AIA and Brian Strawn, AIA

RESIDENTIAL DENSITY

POPULATION DENSITY

5,280 feet

ONE ACRE = 43,560 square feet

≈ 208’-9” x 208’-9”

AVERAGE BLOCK (HONOLULU)

300’ x 300’ ≈ 90,000 square feet = 2.06 acres

Based on core-sample averags

TYPICAL RESIDENTAIL LOT (HI)

50’ x 100’ = 5,000 square feet

≈ 0.12 acres

DWELLING UNITS PER ACRE (DU/ACRE)

Used to measure residential density in terms of how many residential units exist in a particular plot of land, regardless of building massing. Does not provide information on volume, open spaces, amenities, mixed uses, or other supporting infrastructures within the immediate context.

GROSS VS NET

GROSS Includes building(s) area and shared public spaces, amenities, and infrastructures such as sidewalks and streets

NET Includes only the building(s) area

5,280 feet

ONE SQUARE MILE = 27,878,400 square feet = 640 acres

PEOPLE PER SQUARE MILE

The number of people living on a specific area of land. Allows us to compare the intensity of built environments in a particular area and determines if a geographic location is rural or urban.

BUILDING DENSITY

FLOOR AREA RATIO (FAR)

Refers to the amount of built volume per land area (a ratio calculated using square feet per floor, height, and percent of lot area coverage). Does not specify programmatic use and therefore makes it difficult to assess how many people live in a particular zone.

Existing Conditions & Future Needs

Density can be measured at different scales and perceived in various ways, offering multiple perspectives and glimpses into how we occupy and inhabit space within towns and cities.

This section of the report presents four studies conducted to explore density in the Hawaiian Archipelago. These explorations are intended to create ideas that will help expand the understanding of density and offer visualizations that can illustrate the diversity of possibilities. These studies were centered on analyzing existing conditions and speculating for future needs.

• Existing Core Samples: Twenty-six sites were examined at the neighborhood/ community scale from rural to urban locations across Hawai‘i and in key areas along the Honolulu rail. These offer glimpses into the different shapes of density and variety of urban fabric across the archipelago. A zoom-in to blocks and lots reveals how people live in each place.

• Existing Multi-Family Residential Typologies: Varying from low to medium to high-rise, seven existing buildings in neighborhoods across Honolulu were examined. This study focused on metrics specifically related to residential typologies, such as dwelling units per acre (du/acre), floor area ratio (FAR), and areas and attributes of units, buildings, and blocks.

• Potential Building Massing: A series of massing variations for residential buildings were generated and modeled in two and three dimensions. A “massing” represents a structure’s generic volume and shape before selecting specific details for a particular project. The massings were determined based on Design Strategies and Actions established in the Holistic Housing Design Framework. These variations tested different components, shapes, and sizes in low, medium, and high densities on a 2-acre urban block.

• Potential Unit Layouts: Ten unit layouts were created to hypothetically fit in some of the previously generated massings. These plans were drawn for a single-loaded or open double-loaded building layout with cross-ventilation. These unit layouts are also based on Design Strategies and Actions established in the Holistic Housing Design Framework.

In order to properly understand density, multiple metrics and various scales of engagement were overlapped. For best accuracy, all studies used net density57 for calculations, limited to property lines of a particular lot, and omitting infrastructural components such as streets, sidewalks, and other common areas of the city.

57. Bob Bengford. Visualizing Compatible Density. April 10, 2017. MRSC.

(Left) Measuring Density diagram: Illustrates the density metrics at multiple scales of engagement Neighborhood/ community, Lot/ block/building.

Rural to Urban Core Samples

KAUNAKAKAI

Island: Moloka‘i, Zip code 96748

22 Population Density

Twenty micro-samples were selected for analysis amongst different places on each island. This sampling offers a glimpse into the entire rural/urban fabric and density of the archipelago. Each case highlights a typical block and its surrounding context. Listed data includes density metrics sourced from publicly available references, including the census58, zoning, real estate platforms, and Google Earth. Density was analyzed at two scales, within the neighborhood and the block’s scale.

Population density, measured in people per square mile, was calculated for clusters of census tracts, offering an assessment of the scale of the neighborhood. For example, Kaunakakai on Molokai Island has a population density of 22 people per square mile, compared to Waikiki, where 51,853 people live per square mile. Therefore, the most urbanized district analyzed was 2,357 times denser than the most rural.

WAIKIKI

Island: O‘ahu, Zipcode 96815

51,853 Population Density

A representative block was selected in each targeted area. For this study, a residential “block” is defined as a segment of land zoned for residential use and typically surrounded by streets or roads on four sides. Each block analyzed includes the number of dwelling units on the block and bedrooms and bathrooms per square mile to understand better how many people live there. Blocks were also analyzed to determine the average dwelling unit size. These blocks vary from less than one acre in urbanized zones on Maui to 131 acres in a rural area on Hawai’i island.

At this scale, dwelling units per acre (du/acre) offers a density metric for comparing the number of people that live on each block, regardless of building massing or other uses. The du/acre on Moloka’i, Kaua’i, Maui, and Hawai’i range from 0.08 in Waimea to 9.60 in Lahaina, while on O’ahu, the variation is between 0.89 in the rural community of Waianae to 376 du/acre in Waikiki, which is 442 times denser.

58. Census Tracts and Population Densities are available via https:// mtgis-portal.geo.census.gov/ arcgis/apps/MapSeries/index. html?appid=2566121a73de46 3995ed2b2fd7ff6eb7

Kaunakakai to Waikiki aerial images showing selected core samples. Source: for aerials Google Earth.

List Summary of Rural to Urban Core Samples

Spectrum of Density from Kaunakakai to Waikki diagram.

Source: for aerials Google Earth.

Lots and Blocks Along the Rail

Sixteen additional sample cores along the planned Honolulu Rail (HART) stations were selected for analysis. These samples offer a closer look at the residential urban fabric in Oahu’s most urbanized areas. Two main typologies were observed.

The first consists of single-family residential blocks, in neighborhoods with lower densities, with an average of 22 lots per block and an average lot size of 5,732 sf (0.13 acres). These coincide with communities along the first fourteen planned stops of the HART stretching from the Kapolei to Kalihi neighborhoods, excluding sites that have no residential developments for study or have limited or restricted information due to partial or total military designation.

The second group, encompassing sites with higher densities, presents developments occupied by larger or taller building massings with additional uses

other than residential ones, usually a single lot per block. Selected lots were an average of 2.56 acres and house an average of 184 dwelling units per acre. This group represents most neighborhoods along the remaining HART route from Kapalama to Ala Moana.

The study also examined buildings and units on each block. Averages were calculated for gross building area, lānais, number of bedrooms, bathrooms, and parking stalls per average unit on the block. The average number of bedrooms per unit for the first group of residential blocks described above is 4.57. In contrast, larger developments in the second group present an average of 1.73 bedrooms per unit.

Average sample large block ≈ 2.50 acres

Average du/acre ≈ 184 The lot is often the same as the block.

* Currently agricultural land - no residential developments for study.

** Limited or restricted information due to partial or total military designation.

LARGE BLOCKS

Lots and Blocks Along the Honolulu Rail diagram. Source: for aerials Google Earth.

TABLE 7: List Summary of Core Samples Along the Rail

Key density metrics based on US 2020 Census Tract map data and the analysis of selected sample blocks.

Population density is based on census tract of future rail stop location. acreage and residential density, measured in du/acre, are based on sample block averages.

Typical Residential Lots ≈ 5000 sf

1 Kualaka'i / East-Kapolei (#1)

2 Hō'ae'ae / West Loch (#4)

3 Pouhala / Waipahu Transit Center (#5)

4 Hālaulani / Leeward Community College (#6)

5 Waiawa / Pearl Highlands (#7)

6 Kalauao / Pearlridge (#8)

7 Hālawa / Aloha Stadium (#9)

8 Kahauiki / Middle Street (#13)

9 Mokauea / Kalihi (#14)

Typical Large Blocks ≈ 2.5 acres

10 Niuhelewai / Hnl CC-Kāpalam (#15)

11 Kūwili / Iwilei (#16)

12 Hōalu / Chinatown (#17)

13 Kuloloia / Downtown (#18)

14 Ka'ākaukukui / Civic Center (#19)

15 Kukuluae'o / Kaka’ako (#20)

16 Kālia / Ala Moana Center (#21)

Multi Family Residential Typologies in Honolulu

Seven multi-residential typologies were analyzed within Honolulu’s most urbanized areas. These case studies present a spectrum of medium to high-density residential typologies that already exist in the city, from low-rise (1-4 stories) to mid-rise (5-12 stories) to high-rise (13-40 stories).

Within the low-rise category, with a floor area ratio (FAR) below 1.6, the “townhouse” and the “walk-up” present densities of 55 and 113 du/acre, respectively.

Analyzed mid-rise buildings included both single-loaded corridor and double-loaded corridor configurations, which influence the potential for natural cross-ventilation. These varied between 71 and 201 du/acre.

High-rise typologies included examples with various parking and other uses of podium configurations. These examples spanned from 198 to 317 du/acre.

There are many factors that contribute to the perception of density, and height is only one of these factors. Buildings with similar densities may vary in shape, size, and number of stories.

Although a small sample was examined, it showcases that existing residential typologies in Honolulu can support the levels of density needed to increase our overall housing count.

Diagram of Multi-family residential typologies in Honolulu.

8: List Summary of Multi-family Housing Typologies

Density ranges from low to high rise and from 28 - 287 dwelling units per acre.

Typologies are organized by number of stories.

Variations of an Average Urban Block

Based on the study of existing density in Hawai’i and the Design Framework for Holistic Housing, a series of massing variations were generated to visualize potential future developments.

A theoretical 300’ x 300’ (90,000 sf /2 acre) lot was utilized for this study, following the average urban lot (97,000 sf) in Honolulu’s most densely populated areas identified in the core samples study. The maximum height, at 40 stories, was determined by the City and County of Honolulu’s restrictions for the densest zones of the island of Oahu.

Multiple iterations of drawings and models explored volumes and shapes for residential buildings from 20 to 1,000 dwelling units per acre. Schemes explored how Design Actions from the Holistic Housing Design Framework could translate into physical attributes such as positioning, organization, orientation, spacing, and

porosity and tested possibilities for low, medium, and high-rise versions based on established variables.

This exercise demonstrated that densities between 50-100 du/acre are most suitable for low-rise developments, densities between 200-500 du/acre for high-rise developments, and densities between 100-200 du/acre at mid-rise can be adapted to either low or high-rise versions.

Outside these ranges, developments below 100 du/acre that are high-rise could risk inefficient use of space, and buildings over 100 du/acre that are low-rise, buildings over 200 du/acre that are mid-rise or 500 du/acre at high-rise risk overcrowding.

While these massing depictions are schematic, they demonstrate that a range of densities can support walkable, sustainable, and equitable communities in various shapes and forms.

Massing Studies in Two Dimensions, second iteration diagram.

Massing Studies in Two Dimensions, first iteration diagram.

Massing Studies in Three Dimensions, second iteration.

(Right)

List Summary of Design Considerations That Inform Building Massing

Design considerations

Informing massing related to positioning, organization, spacing, orientation, volumetric attributes, and porosity.

PEDESTRIAN EXPERIENCE

1. Permeability at Grade

The percentage of spaces at the ground level that are open to the sky and accessible to pedestrians. These may be permeable or green spaces, i.e. parks, gardens, plazas, walkways.

2. Massing & Proportion of Street-Facing Volumes

The geometries, volumes and sizes of structures along the street or sidewalk within eyesight of pedestrians.

3. Programming at Street Level

The potential use of spaces at grade. Uses could include commercial, resident amenities or additional units on two levels.

4. Parking & Mobility

The location and design of parking and other spaces related to transportation.

RESIDENT EXPERIENCE

5. Unit Mix

6. Floor Plan Layout

The different kinds of units in a building.

The organization of units, clusters and circulation elements.

7. Building Massing & Organization

The geometries, volumes and proportions of buildings and their arrangement on the site.

IMPLICATIONS

Permeability at grade offers opportunities for common or public areas, allows rain water to percolate naturally and creates more walkable communities by inviting pedestrians to cross large blocks.

ADDRESSES HHDF DESIGN ACTIONS

Lower structures along the street hide taller structures from pedestrian view. The proportion of these volumes should consider human scale and urban continuity. 2.1,

Designing for the cross ventilation and natural lighting requirements of the most restrictive uses (i.e. residential) allows for programmatic flexibility and adaptability. 4.3,

Commercial or green spaces can serve as visual buffers to hide parking from street and residential living. Spaces for parking should be designed with flexibility in mind to accommodate other modes of transportation (i.e. bikes, car sharing) and consider future conversion to other uses.

A mix of residential units in a variety of shapes and sizes promotes a diversity of occupants.

Single loaded corridors allow operable windows on two sides. Double loaded corridors with bays or corridors open to the exterior also offer potential for cross ventilation. Other open spaces can serve as inhabitable terraces, shared spaces for gardens or play.

Offset or perpendicularly arranged volumes allow for unobstructed views from main living areas. Spacing in between structures permits flow of natural light and ventilation.

Flexible Unit Layouts

Complementary to the previous study, this exercise centered on designing ten potential unit layouts that could exist within the massing studies based on standardized floorplate widths and depths anticipating modular construction. Floorplans were developed following the strategies established in the design framework, promoting efficiency, flexibility, natural cross ventilation, and the inclusion of lānais.

Variations of each typology highlight trade-offs for key criteria. For example, one studio apartment option is illustrated with a larger lānai and a smaller interior area, while another studio layout shows a smaller outdoor space and a larger interior.

For each layout, the following was taken into account:

• Number of bedrooms

• Location of bedrooms (front or back facing)

• Interior-exterior space distributions

• Built-ins and flexible furniture

• Unit depths and widths

The resulting plans illustrate ten different options for five types of units, including micro-units, studios, one-bedrooms, two-bedrooms, and co-living, ranging from 250 sf to 2,000 sf. These drawings demonstrate that many layouts are possible within the same efficient and modular footprint.

1B2

1B3

1B1

2B2

Unit Layout Drawings for buildings with cross-ventilation.

TABLE 10: List Summary of Flexible Unit Layouts

Layouts were created for single loaded corridor buildings or double loaded corridors with crossventilation.

Long

Multiple, shared living spaces with private bath and kitchens

Illustration in plan of potential co-living layout for multi generational households.

UNDERSTANDING DENSITY

Key Findings

1. Understanding density with a single metric can be misleading. Overlapping metrics such as people per square mile, dwelling units per acre, and floor area ratios, consider multiple scales and offer a more holistic understanding of the density of a place.

2. The perception of density is relative to the immediate context. A development that is medium density in one place may feel high density in another. The surrounding urban fabric and specifics of a particular place should be considered when establishing the appropriate density for new development.

3. Unlike other regions and urban developments, Hawai‘i does not have homogeneous orthogonal urban grids. Two predominant groups describe the basic components of the urban fabric, a standard single-family lot and other larger blocks in a variety of forms. The shapes and sizes of lots should be considered, as each type may offer different possibilities; for example, a standard-size single lot may fit a walk-up typology to raise the density, but a large lot developed with single-family residences risks inefficient use of space.

4. Many possibilities exist for achieving higher densities in Hawai‘i. Existing typologies demonstrate that densities on small or large lots can be equivalent, and the speculative schemes developed for this project showcase that high density does not necessarily translate into a high rise.

Part V: Prototyping & Piloting Tools for Engagement

Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing | by Karla Sierralta, AIA and Brian Strawn, AIA

Conceptual Underpinnings

This section of the report presents a series of prototypes and pilots, based on the previously described studies, that were developed to generate ideas for increasing the participation of local communities in the spaces and places they inhabit.

This work is based on notions of social constructivism and social constructionism, such as the foundational work of Jean Piaget, who explored individual learning within a group setting and the actions that take place in these groups.59

Social constructionism looks at the ideas, concepts, and artifacts that groups produce and their interactions, “Central to social construction is the verb to construct, which implies building something, making something, or bringing something into being that had no existence previously.”60 Social constructivism centers around the collaborative aspects of learning. Social theory suggests a natural framework of decision-making where foundational values formed over time inform goal-setting and lead to preference selections that are all influenced by the immediate context.61

Based on these concepts, the following design exercises seek to explore physical and digital objects, spaces, and processes that invite all into conversations about designing housing and communities.

• Sorting Cards: Select research components were translated into a simplified format for easy communication during short educational or engagement activities.

• Digital App: Based on previous research findings, an existing app exploring real-time urban design was adapted to the Hawaiian context.

• Custom Environment: A construct was designed, developed, and built to full scale to explore how a space might reflect or integrate the local culture to provide a data-rich environment that visitors could identify with.

• Engagement Pilots: The cards, digital app, and custom environment were deployed and tested with multiple audiences, including professionals, students, and the general public.

• Toolkit as Box Set Concept: A concept for a design toolkit, unpacking the research in manageable portions of data, was developed and mocked up. This box set serves as proof-of-concept for a potential delivery system of the findings of this research to multiple audiences.

(Left) From Passively Listening to Actively Creating diagram: illustrates a data rich choice environment composed of focal objects that allow visitors to interpret data surrounded by and create their own visions of the future.

59. Ernst Von Glaserfeld, Radical Constructivism: A Way Knowing and Learning (The Falmer Press, 1995), Chapter 3

60. Wendy Leeds-Hurwitz “Social construction of reality” in the Encyclopedia of communication theory, eds. Stephen W. Littlejohn, Karen A. Foss, (SAGE Publications, 2009) p. 891-894.

61. Caleb Warren, A. Peter McGraw, Leaf Van Boven, “Values and preferences: defining preference construction.” Interdisciplinary Reviews: Cognitive Science, Vol. 2, pp. 193-205, March/April 2011

Sorting Cards

Card Sorting activities allow participants to organize information in a variety of ways. Sorting cards carry simplified information and are easy to carry, shuffle and handle. Two initial sets of 5”x7” sorting cards were designed to be used outdoors.

The Imagine Your Community card deck presented 36 cards with different design actions and illustrations, matching the Holistic Housing Design Framework. The set was initially divided into three suites, color-coded into three categories: Walkable, Sustainable, and Equitable. Imagine your Community was intended for identifying and categorizing core values.

The Design Your Home card deck introduces alternative layouts for micro-units, studios, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments. This card set was intended to uncover key layout preferences and spatial trade-offs.

Both card sets included special cards with key questions that served as prompts for conversations.

Two activities were designed for this initial set of cards, paired with a digital survey. Respondents were asked for general demographic data, including the number of people that lived in their household and the ideal size for their home, considering their current budget. Participants were then tasked with selecting unit preferences and identifying and categorizing the core values of an ideal community.

5 x 7 in. Sorting Cards Mock-up.

Digital Application: Adapting Scout

Adding a rail line attractor Transit Stations act as attractors for density. The properties surrounding each transit station will have higher density massing than the rest of the model.

A study was conducted in collaboration with the architecture firm Kohn Pedersen Fox’s Urban Interface62 (KPF UI ), an award-winning computational research initiative.

KPF Urban Interface specializes in urban data analytics for informed decisionmaking in the design of buildings and cities for people. They have developed the software “Scout,” a web-based tool that explores thousands of design schemes generated by a proprietary computational design process. Our team worked with KPF UI to tailor this application to the Hawaiian context.

The key challenge was to re-imagine how a tool developed primarily for use in dense urban areas could work for the rural, suburban, and lower-density urban conditions that exist on the islands of Maui, Moloka’i, Hawai’i, O’ahu, and Kaua’i.

The

Diagrams and recommendations were shared with KPF UI based on a series of studies focused on key issues related to urban planning, architecture, ecological conditions, and mixed-use goals relevant to all five islands. The desire to create holistic housing solutions that support walkable, sustainable, and equitable communities guided this work.

The final version, titled “Plan Your Neighborhood”, includes the addition of rail/ transit stops, the generation of potential walkable amenities, editing the terrain to reflect an oceanfront condition, incorporating the tower and podium typology emerging in Honolulu, and respecting the view corridors that stretch from mauka to makai (mountain to ocean).

Plan Your Neighborhood can be accessed through the hawaiihousinglab.org.

Diagrams created for adapting “Scout” to the Hawaiian Context.

1. Default Density Use of KPF existing density building massing and density distribution for default model.

2. One-Station Scenario

The amount and distribution of levels of density will depend on ‘Density Distribution Level’.

3. Two-Station Scenario

amount and distribution of levels of density will depend on ‘Density Distribution Level’.

62. Kohn Pedersen Fox’s Urban Interface is “an internal think tank furthering urban planning and architectural design through computational research”.

In 2020, KPF UI’s Scout software won one of Fast Company’s “2020 Innovation by Design Awards” for data design.

TABLE

List Summary of Plan Your Neighborhood Attributes

* Adaptations designed and programmed specifically for the Hawaiian context by KPF UI.

Rural to Suburban to Urban*

Hawai‘i enjoys a wide range of community types, from rural clusters to suburban developments to mixed-use urban neighborhoods.

Selection of community type is now a core functionality of Plan Your Neighborhood.

Clustering Rail Stops*

Close knit neighborhoods exist in all types of communities, from old plantation towns on Maui to emerging urban neighborhoods on O‘ahu like Kaka‘ako.

Increasing clustering settings can help to visualize the benefits of optimizing the spacing of structures in order to reduce car trips for frequent errands.

O‘ahu is building a train line that stretches from the west side of the island to Honolulu. The stops along the rail are prime locations for building walkable, mixed-use, mixed-income neighborhoods on large parcels of state-owned land.

The addition of rail stops to Plan Your Neighborhood leverages the generation of local amenities to reduce the total number of cars needed in more dense areas.

Community resources become available in neighborhoods as rails stops appear and clustering increases.

Plan Your Neighborhood now creates lists of local amenities, highlighting the benefits of planning for increased density around public transit.

The natural terrain in Hawai‘i makes planning streets and neighborhoods on a traditional grid difficult.

Plan Your neighborhood offers a number of street angles and orientations that accommodate a broad variety of common conditions.

Keeping sight lines open to natural vistas is a big issue for communities across Hawai‘i.

Plan Your Neighborhood uses the representative metric of “views to ocean” to analyze the percentage of the built environment that retains views on the natural vistas.

Mauka Makai Sight Corridors

Local Amenities

Walkable resources

Neighborhood places that become available as clustering increases

Attributes

Image Controls

Preferred inputs

Characteristics

Results

Characteristics

Walkability

% of trips available by walking

Outdoor comfort

% of year area is in comfort

Views to ocean

% of view that contains ocean

Solar energy kWh/m² of energy production potential Shade kWh/m² of annual energy solar radiation on building faces

Submit button

Diagram of the Plan Your Neighborhood Digital App.

Custom Environment: Lawn Loungers

Preferences are context-sensitive, and the “choice environment” where users form their final selections significantly influences decision-making. The concept of the “honey pot effect,” as developed in human-computer interaction, inspired this design exercise.

A custom space that would attract visitors was designed to form an information-rich setting for harvesting feedback and co-creation, where posters and artifacts would surround citizens with information.

Inspired by the everyday lawn chair, these micro-architectures are familiar, approachable, humble, playful, welcoming, and comfortable. Lawn Loungers serve as a platform to hold events, meetings, exhibits, and workshops.

A series of stands, tables, and benches were fabricated out readily available materials, including aluminum pipes, standard connectors, nylon

webbing, and rope. Each element was woven by hand with a unique pattern that reflects the diversity of our islands.

The assembled sets are double-sided and provide a space for talking story on one side and a space for posters and community engagement tools on the other.

Attributes such as being lightweight and collapsible facilitate easy deployment and reconfiguration and allow quick, precise setups.

Lawn Loungers operate as hangers for waterproof posters, as tables for co-creation exercises, and as chairs for chatting and relaxing. Collectively, these portable architectural artifacts frame communal spaces that allow guests to slow down and interact with one another while sharing their thoughts on the future of housing in Hawai’i.

63. Neil Wouters, John Downs, Mitchell Harrop, Travis Cox, Eduardo Oliveira, Sarah Weber, Frank Vetere, Andrew Vande Moere, “Uncovering the Honeypot Effect: How Audiences Engage with Public Interactive Systems,” Proceedings of the 2016 ACM Conference on Designing Interactive Systems, pages 5-16.

Lawn Loungers model to scale and configuration diagrams.

(Left) Photographs of various mock-ups and prototypes.

(Right) Patterns for weaving subtly suggest diversity through differentiation.

Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing | by Karla Sierralta, AIA and Brian Strawn, AIA

(Left) Lawn Loungers fabrication process

(This Page) Details of Construction with readily available materials. Photo credits: Tom Takata.

(Above) Testing potential deployment and configurations at UHM.

Photo credits: Tom Takata.

(Left) Composite Image showing multiple layout configurations.

TABLE 12: List Summary of Spatial Configurations

These layouts can be used with Lawn Loungers or other readily available elements.

Centered on a 24’ by 24’ square, this layout creates a welcoming, communal environment.

Radiating from a the corner of a 12’ by 12’ square, this compact layout is ideal for smaller spaces.

The 24’ by 24’ layout can host events in both small & large spaces based on display orientation.

~40’ in length, this layout invites interaction from a single side in long and narrow settings.

~28’ in length, this layout can host large or small events by welcoming guests from two sides.

Diagram of Overlaid Configurations.

(Right) Aerial photographs of potential configurations.

Photo credits: Tom Takata.

Engagement Pilot: Parking Day

The first engagement pilot, testing the sorting cards, digital app, and custom environment in a public setting, occurred on Park(ing) Day64 2019 at SALT, a popular retail complex in Kaka‘ako, which is on track to be Honolulu’s largest mixed-use neighborhood. This public festival was selected for testing deployment because designs are not expected to be polished and can be experimental or out of the ordinary.

Our team had the opportunity to speak with the general public, discuss the research project, and test out the mock-ups of the tools in a highly public setting. Student project assistants guided participants through the content and captured inputs with electronic devices through a temporary website, called the Hawai‘i Housing Lab.

The deployment of the Lawn Loungers had to take place in a linear arrangement due to the narrow confines of two consecutive parking spots. A piece of synthetic lawn

served to protect the structures from getting damaged by the pavement and also acted to visually ground the collection. The familiar material welcomed visitors off the sidewalk to interact with the content.

During the event, dwell times and the speed at which visitors moved through the content and engaged with the tools varied widely, with some users wanting to discuss each design opportunity and tool at great length, while others utilized the website directly to interact with the tools on their personal smartphones to move through the process more quickly. Multiple requests for QR code links to the individual tools indicated a desire by some to speed up the feedback cycle even more.

The following pages include diagrams that describe the components and processes tested during this pilot.

64. Parki(ing) Day was founded in 2005 in San Francisco. Today, designers utilize the ubiquitous parking spot as their canvas in hundreds of cities around the world in an effort to enliven public space every year on the third Friday in September.

Lawn Loungers installed during Parking Day 2019 in the Kaka‘ako neighborhood in Honolulu.

Pilot #1 Components

Digital Platform: Hosted by a temporary website, this site operated as a direct link to three tools.

(Right)

Physical Platform: Posters to be displayed on Lawn Loungers, which provided the structure and created the spatial environment

Eight printed posters gave an overview of the project and summarized the three research tools. The design walked participants through each tool and manually input the responses via the digital platform.

Temporary Website Links to three tools via Google Surveys.

Pilot #1Tool

Descriptions: Three tools were organized by scales of engagement, from community, to neighborhood to home.

3 DESIGN YOUR HOME

Imagine your Community identifies & categorizes core values.

The 36 strategies and illustrations for achieving walkable, sustainable, equitable communities are illustrated on a set of cards. First, respondents select the three design opportunities from each category that are most important to them. Respondents are then asked to pick which of these larger categories they value the most. The third question documents general demographic data.

This exercise asks, “How do you imagine your ideal community?”

Plan your Neighborhood provides metrics-based, urban design.

This tool, developed by KPF Urban Interface and tailored for this project to Hawai‘i’s unique environment, allows the public to explore thousands of design possibilities in real-time. Respondents are able to test density, clustering, street width, grid direction, and transit options to view the effects on walkability, energy efficiency, shading, thermal comfort, and views.

This exercise asks, “How would you plan your ideal neighborhood in Hawai‘i?”

Design your Home captures key unit layout preferences and trade-offs.

A set of general demographic data leads the digital survey. Respondents are asked to input the number of people that live in their household and the ideal size for their home considering their current budget. One of a few options must be chosen. This tool tests the importance of cross ventilation, the preference between indoor or outdoor space, and the basic orientation and placement of the bedrooms.

This exercise asks, “How would you design your ideal home?”

Google Survey on

Survey starter on

Google Survey on

Data Data Data Data

Data for each design uploaded to:

Data Analysis

Team

Responses uploaded to:

Pilot #1Data Collection diagram: Two methods were tested: in-place with Facilitator or Self-Serve on personal devices.

(Next Pages)

Various images of Pilot Event

University of Hawai‘i Community Design Center for the Hawai‘i Public Housing Authority

Research Feedback: EPIC Conference

The second engagement pilot was conducted via a peer-review process at the annual EPIC65 Conference at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence.

A large portion of EPIC attendees, presenters, and sponsors come from design and research consultancies as well as the tech industry, including Google, Facebook, Spotify, and Uber.

The project was displayed in a gallery format with a table and companion posters. The initial three tools, Imagine Your Community, Plan Your Neighborhood and Design Your Home, were tested on conference attendees and direct feedback via QR code which was uploaded to Google Drive, via Sheets and Surveys, and uploaded to KPF UI’s servers.

Hundreds of EPIC attendees visited the Gallery and were able to learn more about HPHA’s approach to improving design outcomes and increasing community engagement with the citizens of Hawai‘i.

The professional conference setting invited feedback related to the research approach and process in the form of refinements or recommendations related to UI/ UX design. Ethnographers, data scientists, UI/UX designers, academics, and others made recommendations to validate findings from the Parking Day pilot.

General feedback included:

- An admiration for utilizing technology to increase citizen engagement with the design of the built environments.

- Positive comments about using illustrations in combination with text descriptions to reduce cognitive load for future users.

- A recommendation to break the use of the tools up into multiple workshops rather than trying to combine them into one session.

- Sorting cards broadly acknowledged as the appropriate medium to handle the amount and type of information for collaborative use.

65. EPIC is a nonprofit membership organization, global community, and annual conference that supports the professional development, learning, and leadership of people who practice and promote ethnography.

EPIC 2019: Agency Conference November 9-12, 2019 Providence, RI

QR Code Feedback

Each tool was linked to a Google Survey for self-reporting feedback.

How

Plan Your Neighborhood App

A tablet device was on-hand to allow access to the digital application.

Components for Display at EPIC:

Three large format posters and a tabletop display gave an overview of the “Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing” project and provided hands-on interaction with the two sets of sorting cards and the digital application.

TABLETOP TOOLS

Rule sets and game templates led reviewers through each tool and provided a glimpse of a typical research use case.

PROJECT POSTERS

Research Approach

Diagrams of the project process, team structure, and conceptual underpinnings were displayed alongside the project’s driving question.

Data Ecosystem

Data flows between the facilitated conversations utilized with the cards and the information entered into the App illustrate the difference between at-home and workshop-based interactions.

Framework Overview

The initial clustering of Design Actions was presented with the Walkable, Sustainable, and Equitable model.

Delivery Format: Toolkit as Box Set

In the last phase of this project, the team explored ways to synthesize all the learnings from the research, prototyping, pilots, and supporting efforts conducted during this multi-year effort.

A box set that would contain simplified data accessible to multiple audiences was developed as a proof-of-concept.

The concept for the box set expanded the initial card sets into a collection of manuals and sorting cards divided into qualitative and quantitative suites. The Holistic Housing Design Framework would be divided into discrete content categories, allowing conversations with stakeholders to key in on specific aspects of holistic housing, one topic at a time.

Card sets and manuals could reference each other, providing opportunities to cross-reference information and mix-and-match elements for various activities customized to specific user populations.

This box set could also operate as a physical touch-point that can be utilized to direct toward a digital toolkit. The box set is meant to be deployed for in-person activities. It might also be available for download to increase overall access to the system and public dissemination.

(Left) Conceptual rendering illustrates the components that could make up the toolkit, including companion research reports, a scaled model of Lawn Loungers, and two digital tablets displaying the Hawai‘i Housing Lab website and the Plan Your Neighborhood digital application.

(Right) A mock-up of the box-set showcases potential size and components.

Takeaways

1. Sorting cards provide an ideal format for presenting discrete sets of information to multiple audiences. They allow and encourage users to participate by moving them around for various activities, including grouping, organizing, comparing, or pairing.

2. Spatial environments created for engagement should consider that different layouts support different activities. These spaces can be created with readily available furniture and stands, or custom designed to attract a specific group of users or reflect the identity of a particular location.

Custom environments should consider tone, perception, and deployment conditions, such as weather or available crew, in order to be successfully designed.

3. The collections of physical elements and objects should comprise one cohesive, experiential environment. Stands, tables, seating, t-shirts, posters, tools, and other tangible aspects of the kit should cohere.

4. The design and development of digital platforms supporting activities and events or modes of collecting feedback or data should also be considered when planning an event.

5. The development of a design toolkit could serve to disseminate all the data and findings collected through this research project. The linking or crossreferencing between various tools could encourage mixing, matching, and creating your own, expanding the knowledge beyond the Hawaiian Archipelago and leading towards possible exchanges and collaborations with other institutions, agencies, students, and instructors.

Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing | by Karla Sierralta, AIA and Brian Strawn, AIA

Part VI: Supporting Efforts

Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing | by Karla Sierralta, AIA and Brian Strawn, AIA

Sakamaki Extraordinary Lecture Density Done Right

by Allison Arieff

A series of efforts, conducted in parallel to the Future of Hawaii’s Housing Research project, were targeted at informing the work.

The first effort leveraged the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa’s 2019 Sakamaki Extraordinary Lecture Series, sponsored by the UHM Outreach College, the UH Community Design Center, the School of Architecture and funded, in part, by the UH Foundation’s Shunzo Sakamaki Extraordinary Lecture Endowment.

This lecture series is open to the general public and intends to “extend the intellectual resources of the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa to the community.”

Our distinguished guest, Allison Arieff, lectured about “Density Done Right,” spotlighting people, projects, ideas, and technologies that can help achieve the appropriate amount of density for a particular place.

“Designing for density doesn’t have to be ugly or scary, and yet the popular conception is that it must be. When people speak of their fear of “Manhattan-ization” or refer to four-story buildings as “towers,” we can see how we’ve been failing to make a good case for it. Density doesn’t have to mean high rises; its best possible expression is in compact, walkable neighborhoods that are good for both people and the planet”.

A pop-up exhibit accompanied this event which featured Allison Arieff’s writings on architecture and urban design issues for the New York Times.

Allison Arieff is currently the Editorial Director of Print at MIT Technology Review. She previously served as the Editorial Director of SPUR, an urban planning and policy think tank, was the founding Editor of Dwell Magazine, and was a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times. Allison lectures and writes about cities, design, and architecture, and in 2018, was the recipient of the AIGA Steven Heller Award for Cultural Commentary.

(Right) Pop-up exhibit at the UHM SoA featuring Allison Arieff’s writings.

Still from the lecture on May 2, 2019.

Building Voices 2019 Housing for All

Since the Spring of 2017, the University of Hawai‘i Community Design Center, the UHM School of Architecture, and AIA Honolulu have worked together to present Building Voices, a bi-annual public event promoting the power of design in Hawai‘i.

The 2019 edition of Building Voices, which focused on Housing for All, assembled work and discussions centered on affordable housing and was framed to support the Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing project.

Two days of conversations with thought leaders culminated in a round table discussion gathering government agency representatives, designers, developers, and community partners to talk about the tools needed to advance the next generation of housing in Hawai‘i. A panel of local and national experts came together to discuss the potential for walkable, sustainable, and equitable density in the archipelago.

Keynote speakers:

• Christopher Hawthorne, Chief Design Officer City of Los Angeles

• David Baker, David Baker Architects

• Marsha Maytum, Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects

Day 1 Panelists:

• Marc Alexander, Office of Housing, City and County of Honolulu

• Carol Fukunaga, Councilmember District 6 Honolulu

Day 2 Panelists and Presenters:

• Jonathan Lee, WCIT Architecture

• Kevin Miyamura and Andrew Neuman, AMA/AE

• Kumu Hula Victoria Takamine

• Kevin Auger, Hawai‘i Public Housing Authority

• Snoweria Zhang, KPF Urban Interface

• Karla Sierralta and Brian Strawn, Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing

The following pages present excerpts from the event and photographs and illustrations of select projects.

(Right) Symposium line-up for September 30 and October 1, 2019. Various images of lectures, panel discussions and informal conversations at the UHM SoA and Hawaii Convention Center.

“This space will be the poster child for how to do construction in Hawaii and how to provide affordable housing for artists and others.”

— Vicky Holt Takamine

Excerpts from the Building Voices Symposium

October 1, 2019

Ola Ka ‘Ilima by Urban Works

The approach to meeting affordable housing demand in Hawai‘i is a creative one. Ola ka Ilima Artspace Lofts designed by Urban Works, and Nohona Hale by WCIT are just two examples of local architects making strides toward a truly affordable model.

Ola Ka ‘Ilima Artspace Lofts is a decade-long dream championed by Vicky Holt Takamine known to most as Aunty Vicky, Executive director of the Pa‘i Foundation.

The new mixed-use arts development in Kaka‘ako was designed to reflect and support the lives and work of low-income artists and their families. “This space will be the poster child for how to do construction in Hawaii and how to provide affordable housing for artists and others,” Aunty Vicky says.

The architect, Urban Works, describes how the concept was designed around opportunities for artists to gather in and throughout large corridors and art walks referred to as piko, or center.

Above the piko, the layout of 84 affordable units maximizes passive cooling strategies so that each unit has generous natural airflow and deep awnings and shading devices to minimize solar heat. Ample community and flexible shared spaces create an inviting and welcoming living environment for all.

Ola Ka Ilima Artspace Lofts Section redrawn to highlight the FOHH’s emerging design framework.

Ola ka ‘Ilima received LEED Platinum Certification in 2020 and the USGBC Hawaii Sustainability Award in 2021.

(Left) Ola Ka Ilima Artspace Lofts by Urban Works. uwarchitects. com

“There aren’t many infill sites in Honolulu, but there are a lot of underutilized ones.”

— WCIT

Excerpts from the Building Voices Symposium

October 1, 2019

Nohona Hale by WCIT Architecture

Nohona Hale received the Kukulu Hale Distinguished Entry in 2020, the GCA Build Hawaii Residential Award, the Excellence and the USGBC Leadership Award Pacific Region and the AIA Honolulu Design Collaborative Award in 2021.

The approach to meeting affordable housing demand in Hawai‘i is a creative one. Ola ka Ilima Artspace Lofts designed by Urban Works, and Nohona Hale by WCIT are just two examples of local architects making strides toward a truly affordable model.

Nohona Hale, with 110 micro units within 4,400 square feet of buildable area, required the vision of many people who were up to the challenge of building and designing a project on a very small lot and without local precedents for this typology.

According to WCIT architect Jonathan Lee, “There aren’t many infill sites in Honolulu like this, but there are a lot of underutilized ones.” He hopes this project is an opportunity for other landowners, developers, and people with vision to see what other underutilized sites can offer.

Nohona Hale provides a mix of uses with engaging storefronts, sidewalks covered by deep awnings, and a colorful paint pallet to welcome residents home. A critical design component towards affordability included the micro-sized units at just under 290 square feet, each amounting to a density of 500 dwelling units per acre.

Nohona Hale Section redrawn to highlight the FOHH’s emerging design framework.

(Left) Nohona Hale under construction. www.wcit.com

“There’s also better interior quality control because it’s made inside so there’s less variation and less interior punch.”

Interview with David Baker

SEPTEMBER 30, 2019

In Hawai‘i, high-quality design and construction at a low cost seem, well, laughable. It does sound good, but is it really attainable?

David Baker, known primarily for designing award-winning affordable housing projects, is doing just that. In a sit-down interview with the Future of Hawaii’s Housing Team, he shares his strategies for expanding affordable housing using the San Francisco Bay Area as a model.

Construction costs in San Francisco are astronomical and possibly even higher than in Hawai‘i. Yet, more and more affordable housing projects that receive multiple design awards are popping up around the city. The key to meeting affordable housing demand is to decrease construction costs and increase efficiency.

One way to achieve this is through factory-made modules, commonly referred to as prefabrication. The modular construction approach is a process in which building components—walls, rooms, even entire apartment units—are prefabricated off-site, under controlled facility conditions, using the same materials, and designing to the same codes and standards as conventionally built buildings, but in about half the time. Factory-made apartment units can ensure high-quality construction while significantly shortening the development time frame and costs. According to the industry, if all benefits are taken into account, construction costs can be decreased by 20 to 50% by going the modular route.

The indoor construction environment reduces the risk of accidents and related liabilities for workers that work in outdoor conditions, in the presence of overhead cranes and heavy machinery, and at height.

While factory-made modular buildings are gaining more attention from architects and developers to address the affordable housing need, Baker insists that it is the coming together of multiple aspects in the planning, design, and construction of these prefab units that truly define the effort. Clear coordination and an experienced team is key.

www.dbarchitect.com

David Baker founded David Baker Architects in 1982, and in 1996 was selected as Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. He has guided and overseen the design of more than 10,000 apartment and condo units, 6,000 of which are affordable and in buildings that promote an acute design aesthetic. The firm has been honored with more than 300 awards, including five national AIA awards. In 2019, Baker’s firm received the AIA/HUD Secretary’s Award which recognizes affordable, accessible, and well-designed housing that sets important benchmarks in the industry and proves that good design is not exclusive.

(Right) “A single worker guides a crane-lifted module into place.” The Union Flat Apartments. Image credit: David Baker Architects.

“Factory-made modules are not only cheaper and more efficient to build, they’re also safer to construct.”

“Good design shouldn’t be sacrificed because everything is so much more expensive in Hawai‘i.”

— David Baker

Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing | by Karla Sierralta, AIA and Brian Strawn, AIA

“We have a professional obligation to protect the environment.”

Interview with Marsha Maytum

SEPTEMBER 30, 2019

Architecture has an important role to play as a catalyst for positive change by designing beyond borders and building lines.

“We have a professional obligation to protect the environment”, says San Francisco architect Marsha Maytum at the 2019 Building Voices Symposium. Using examples from her diverse portfolio, Maytum illustrated how architecture can help lead the way toward a just, healthy, and regenerative future for all. For over 35 years Maytum focused her career on community, cultural, and socially responsible projects that promote sustainable design. Her work has included the creation of affordable housing for disadvantaged populations, innovative educational environments, and the rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of historic buildings.

“There’s an amazing opportunity in Hawai‘i with the existing building stock.”

“There’s an amazing opportunity in Hawai’i with the existing building stock,” Maytum shares in an interview leading up to the symposium. Most of the apartment housing we see in Hawai‘i today was built in the 1970’s, placing some of these on the historic register or others falling into disrepair. “Looking at what can be done with the existing stock of buildings,” she says, is paramount to achieving net zero carbon for an island economy like Hawai‘i where land and resources are limited, and the majority of construction materials arrive by ship.

With respect to climate change, Maytum says, “there’s no ‘plan b’ we have to figure this out.”

Buildings account for 40% of the total carbon emissions in the world. The benefits of creative adaptive reuse are becoming increasingly obvious. Retaining just the structure has a major benefit too. Structural systems almost always comprise the largest source of embodied carbon—up to 80%, depending on the building type. This means that the majority of carbon emissions associated with building construction, including extracting, transporting, and manufacturing of materials, is for the structure alone. Adaptive reuse ensures that those embodied impacts are minimized and not lost.

www.lmsarch.com

(Right) Sweetwater Spectrum, Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects.

Marsha Maytum FAIA, LEED AP, is a founding Principal at Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects (LMSA) in San Francisco. LMSA has received over 150 regional, national and international design awards and has been recognized by organizations including the American Institute of Architects, Urban Land Institute, National Trust for Historic Preservation, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Green Building Council, and the 2014 ICC National Leadership in Sustainability Award. Ten of the firm’s projects have been named AIA COTE Top Ten Green Projects in the U.S.

“There is no ‘Plan B.‘ We have to figure this out.”

— Marsha Maytum

Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing | by Karla Sierralta, AIA and Brian Strawn, AIA

Course Integration

UHM SoA BEnvD S19 Design Studio

In the Spring of 2019, twelve students in the third-year undergraduate studio in the Bachelor of Environmental Design at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa’s School of Architecture explored future possibilities for urban housing in Honolulu.

The studio focused on a design challenge for a project located on a site in the Kalihi/ Kapālama district. Currently managed by the HPHA, thirty-two residential units occupy this 16-acre property.

The studio’s goal was to fit the maximum number of residential units while testing appropriate heights for the context. Privacy, natural light, ventilation, mixed-uses, open spaces, and shared amenities were also considered.

Students examined the context, studied relevant precedents, and conducted exercises to test density on the site, including low, medium, and high-rise variations.

The studio determined that 2500 units or 156 dwelling units per acre were the maximum comfortable density for this site and context. While conservative, this is 78 times the existing density of 32 units on 16 acres or 2 dwelling units per acre.

This course offered visualizations of low, medium, and high-density alternatives for the site. At the same time, students had the opportunity to experience real-world challenges while learning about the importance of understanding density.

The following residential mix served as a basis: efficiency units (450 sf), onebedroom units (625 sf ), two-bedroom units (950 sf), three-bedroom units (1200 sf), and four-bedroom units (1350 sf). Based on their research, students were also tasked with defining additional programmatic elements that would serve the neighborhood or the community.

(Right) Initial units studies and In-progress design reviews with HPHA officials.

The BEnvD Arch 342 Intermediate Design Studio II was taught by UHM SoA Associate Professor Karla Sierralta.

Low, medium and high rise studies.

(Right) Site Model in the Kalihi Palama Neighborhood.

The

Course Integration

UHM SoA BEnvD S21Design Studio

In the Spring of 2021, nineteen students in the third-year undergraduate intermediate studio focused on two different housing projects at various scales for the future Transit-Oriented-Zone surrounding the Honolulu Rail (HART) stop in Kalihi.

The first challenge re-imagined a typical single-family 5000 sf lot, present in many neighborhoods across O’ahu. Each student was assigned a different site (infill and corner lot conditions) within the area bound by Puuhale Rd, Kalihi Street, King Street, and Dillingham Blvd.

Students were tasked with developing concepts for walkable, sustainable, and equitable neighborhoods mixing housing with other complementary uses and testing the right amount of density.

Note: This studio was taught online due to the ongoing global pandemic, which influenced student ideas for designing housing.

For the purposes of this exercise, existing zoning requirements were not followed. Instead, the studio created a theoretical zoning based on Bill 7 (2019) that would allow increased density focused on pedestrian life. Parameters included maximums of 25 units, 4.0 FAR, 80% of the lot building area, and no parking required.

For the second exercise, students adapted their ideas to an average 2-acre site. The residential programming was based on the Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing project studies and included 15% efficiency units (550 sf), 45% one-bedroom units (715 sf ), 25% two-bedroom units (1100 sf), and 15% three-bedroom units (1320 sf). This effort focused on the understanding of complex urban design problems centered on high-density multi-family housing.

Projects developed an average of 250 residential units for the two-acre lot, equivalent to 125 dwelling units per acre. These proposals were not solely dedicated to residential and encouraged other programmatic uses to support walkability, sustainability, and equity in the neighborhood.

(Right) In-progress drawing of neighborhood analysis (blue indicates HART station location). Renderings of student project for 5000 sf lot.

BEnvD Arch 342 Intermediate Design Studio II was taught by Associate Professor Karla Sierralta.

Understanding Density (Research Framework)

Student Exercises based on FOHH density studies.

(Right) Renderings of student proposals for medium density multi-family housing in Kalihi.

(Right)

Students discuss challenges with multi-family dwelling (privacy, views, light and ventilations and other spatial needs).

Google maps aerial of selected site managed by HPHA in Hilo, Hawai’i

The BEnvD Arch 342 Intermediate Design Studio II was taught by Associate Professor Karla Sierralta..

Course Integration

UHM SoA BEnvD S22Design Studio

A third integrated studio was conducted during the Spring of 2022. Nine undergraduate students focused on the design of mid-to-low-rise developments for a 9.8-acre site in Hilo, Hawai’i.

During the first phase of the semester, the students engaged in a series of activities and exercises aimed at understanding the challenges and opportunities of the multi-family dwelling typology, including but not limited to case studies, infrastructural, political, socioeconomic, cultural contexts, and future forecasts that led to conceptual frameworks and ideas for a typological unit.

The second phase of the semester tasked the students with developing multi-family housing proposals for walkable, sustainable, and equitable living in Hawai’i based on the Holistic Housing Design Framework.

The site, currently occupied by 66 units and managed by HPHA, presented the following challenges:

- High Density Urban Area: The County of Hawai’i is planning to designate the Lanakila site as a “High-density Urban area”. The county is hoping to increase the density 250+ units as long as adequate parking can be accommodated (minimum ratio of 1. 5 to 2 stalls per unit). There is also a possibility to apply for rezoning (to RM-1), in which case the site would be able to accommodate up to 400 additional units.

- Pedestrian Centered: The county is also moving forward with its Complete Streets program and multi-modal transportation system. Bike lanes, safe crossings, bust stops should be considered.

- Brownfield: Contaminated rubble and structural fill from demolished buildings from previous phases of the project have been moved to the North East side of the site.

Students were tasked with developing site strategies and schematic designs to respond to these critical conditions. They worked individually and in teams on three organizational strategies exploring courtyard, bands and distributed models.

(Left) Low and mid-rise studies. Work in progress.

(Right) Images from the final review of student work attended by HPHA officials as guest critics.

Next Steps

Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing | by Karla Sierralta, AIA and Brian Strawn, AIA

Next Steps

As a final remark, this page presents recommendations for next steps in response to the five initial questions that guided this project. This research sought to examine existing conditions and challenges and aspires to act as a catalyst for future projects, contributing opportunities, ideas, and directions to move toward more equitable communities and housing for all.

How might we design housing for all in Hawai‘i?

Engage community members of all ages, design experts and students, developers and builders, government agencies and non-profits, and the business community across the design process.

How do we provide more housing without compromising mountain vistas, parks, or farmlands?

• Celebrate great projects locally and globally.

• Support legislation that encourages density that provides housing for all.

• Hold events that bring thought leaders and the public together for open discussions.

What attributes should be considered that are unique to our context in Hawai‘i?

• Share the framework and design opportunities developed in this project with other communities across the US and around the world to allow them to expand and evolve the effort.

• Use the tools created in this project as part of the design and development process for generating and evaluating concepts.

How do we create walkable density without locals feeling overcrowded?

Leverage advanced digital tools to create communities that are energy efficient, that provide thermal comfort naturally, that retain key views and vistas, and that can support vital community amenities and local businesses.

How can current and future residents become more involved in the design process of their communities?

Involve future residents alongside neighborhood and community members at the right moments with the right information so that they can make decisions that will meaningfully impact projects.

Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing | by Karla Sierralta, AIA and Brian Strawn, AIA

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to recognize the contributions of:

UHCDC TEAM:

Staff: John ‘Eiwa Colburn IX, Jason Hashimoto, Christina Holcom, Charles Palanza, Chris Songvilay, Sho Tetsutani, Griffin Ward, Hunter Wells

Student Project Assistants: Keola Annino, Micah

Axalan, Airon Castaneda, Alison Chiu, Hunter-Bailey

Kaimikaua, Keli‘i Kapali, Renz Laforteza, Beau Nakamori, Vivianne Nguyen, Rand Oshiro, Coby Shimabukuro

Sanchez, Mackenzie Suess, Edwin Sun, Bryson

Tabaniag, Areyn Undan, Kayla Watabu, Lisa Watanabe

HPHA TEAM:

Hakim Ouansafi, Executive Director

Kevin D. Auger, Redevelopment Officer

Becky Choi, State Housing Development Administrator

Sery Berhanu, Housing Development Specialist

PARTNERS:

Forge Studio:

Rebecca Buck, Ethnographer & Digital Strategist

KPF Urban Interface:

Luc Wilson, Director,

Snoweria Zhang, Urban Innovation Architect, Brandon M. Pachuca, Urban Data Analyst + Web Developer

TOPIC EXPERTS:

Allison Arieff, Design and Architecture Writer

Phillip M.E. Garboden, PHD, UHM DURP

DESIGN RESEARCH ADVISORS:

Alisa Weinstein, UX, Research & Strategy

HyunJoo Lee, Design Research

UHM SOA BENVD ARCH 342 STUDENTS

SPRING 2019,21,22 :

Elias A., Shwizardy B., Liezel B., Sharla B., Jared B.,

Josephine B., Airon C., Darlyn C., Jessa D., Amanda G.,

Anthony G., Kenneth G., Sukhyun H., Sarah H., Monet J.,

David K., Herman L., Ethan L., Jaewoo L., Raymond L.,

Jin H.L., Eleonor L., Daniel L., Beau N., Lia N., Nathan N.,

Vivianne N., Vinh P., Maleah R., Glorylin S., Logan S.,

Bryson T., Austin T., Anthony T., Timothy W., Austin X.,

Jacy Y., Lily Z., Quipeng Z.

SPECIAL THANKS TO:

Cathi Ho Schar, FAIA, UHCDC Director

William Chapman, PHD UHM SoA Dean

Steve Hill, UHM SoA Fabrication Lab Director

David Baker, FAIA David Baker Architects

Marsha Maytum, FAIA, Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects

2019 Building Voices Housing for All Symposium guest speakers, attendees, and assistants.

2019 Summer Share-out Critics, Daniel Friedman, FAIA and Elva Rubio.

Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing | by Karla Sierralta, AIA and Brian Strawn, AIA

Reimagining HPHA Series

This report is part of the Re-Imagining HPHA Series, an inter-departmental and multidisciplinary initiative conducted by a group of Principal Investigators at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa through the University of Hawai'i Community Design Center aimed at re-thinking public housing programs and facilities in an effort to support the Hawai‘i Public Housing Authorityʻs mission and long term goals. For more information on related projects visit hawaiihousinglab.org.