DAVID
PHOTOS: DWIGHT OKUMOTO/STUDIO 3
KA‘AHA‘AINA JR.
Senior Architect and Regional Business Development Manager | ALLANA BUICK & BERS
DAVID KA‘AHA‘AINA JR. is a licensed professional architect and the Hawai‘i regional business development manager at Allana Buick & Bers, a California-founded architectural engineering corporation with eight offices in the southeastern and western United States, focusing on building enclosure, construction management, mechanical and energy management and forensics services. Kaahaaina is a Kamehameha Schools and University of Notre Dame graduate.
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WHAT IS YOUR DESIGN PHILOSOPHY? I believe strongly that there are designs suited to all climates and geographies, but that the best solutions are the vernacular— the ones that respond to specific climates or purposes. The Native Hawaiians understood their ‘aina, wai and kai, and managed the abundance of these resources. Additionally, Western and Eastern cultures have now added to this understanding, and we have the opportunity to promote this blended style, or what I call “hapatechture.” It is taking advantage of building technology and systems, marrying them with sensitive and sustainable design concepts—keeping it simple yet elegant in that simplicity and letting our islands be the stars. And above all, function over form.
We owe it to na pua to make sure we create designs that perform. Our firm focuses on that design performance to make sure buildings are sustainable and durable. WHAT’S YOUR ADVICE TO FUTURE ARCHITECTS, BUILDERS OR DESIGNERS? Participate in the public discourse of planning, funding and constructing our built environment. Architects are keenly aware of the strength of design, the importance of durability and sustainability, and the impacts that these most public of art forms have on current and future generations. We must engage and lead the discussion so that all will benefit from our experiences.
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