Hawai'i Convention Center
Honolulu, Hawaii
Project Size:
1,100,000 square feet
Project Status:
Completed 1997
Services:
Convention Center Design
Associate Architect:
Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo
Press
Paradise Found: Hawaii's Convention Center
Building Design & Construction, 11/1/98
Hawaii Convention Center: More Than a Visual Achievement, the Center Has Up-To-The-Minute Technology
Facilities, 12/1/98
Selected Awards
2001 AIA
Honolulu Chapter, Award of Excellence
1998 Hawai'ian Electric Company, Inc.
Energy Project of the Year
1998 Design Build Institute of America/National Design Build Awards Competiton
Best Project-Public Sector over $15 Million
The design celebrates Hawai`i through innovative functional planning, ecological responsiveness and a unique expression of place. Designed before sustainable design gained popularity, the facility employs energy conservation and passive building systems as integrated aspects of the architectural experience.
The building is configured on the site to capture Hawaii’s trade winds and optimize natural ventilation of public spaces. More than 60 percent of the center, including lobbies, registration, pre-function areas and concourses, are open to the sky and shaded with trellis structures to provide abundant daylight while maintaining human comfort.
References to traditional building forms and landscape elements reinforce the connection to Hawaiian landscape and culture—expressed in roof shape, structural columns, and a series of folded fabric roof “sails” that induce air flow and create a dramatic civic presence.
Addressing its urban context, the building provides active edges on all four sides by enveloping the functional service areas within the building massing. Landscaped public terraces are designed for a diverse range of active and passive use, integrating the entire facility into its active pedestrian environment.