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I love the old plantation style. It's very useful in this climate. Big windows, deep eaves (never have to close windows), covered and/or open lanais extending all the way around the home, etc. We looked at some kit homes at HPM which are like the old plantation style and have some more modern aspects, and also allow for some modification for the individual. Better building materials mean these "new" homes will also last a long time.
Concrete is also very practical here. Termites don't eat concrete! It also provides a good deal of insulation against the heat. And, it's quiet in those big old concrete buildings.
Living in Hawaii is much more about the outdoors than the indoors, or probably the appearance of the doors! Most people live almost as much on their lanais and in their yards than any place on the mainland. With the most perfect weather on the planet, the actual box we live in is less important than in other places where one needs a lot of protection from the elements.
A lot of people forget that Hawaii (specifically Oahu) used to have much more varied and interesting architecture, especially in the more affluent neighborhoods.
What happened was during the 1980s and 1990s, rich Japanese and Taiwanese investors bought a lot of homes in Kahala for example, and tore down the original palatial homes and replaced them with modern "monstrosities".
Where my parents live on Pacific Heights, there's still a lot of older homes with interesting architectural features. There's a home with a roof shaped like a grand piano, a cottage which looks like it came out of the fairy tale fable Hansel and Gretal, mansions with Chinese, Japanese or other interesting features. Victorian, San Francisco style architecture, etc., etc..
A lot of people forget that Hawaii (specifically Oahu) used to have much more varied and interesting architecture, especially in the more affluent neighborhoods.
What happened was during the 1980s and 1990s, rich Japanese and Taiwanese investors bought a lot of homes in Kahala for example, and tore down the original palatial homes and replaced them with modern "monstrosities".
Where my parents live on Pacific Heights, there's still a lot of older homes with interesting architectural features. There's a home with a roof shaped like a grand piano, a cottage which looks like it came out of the fairy tale fable Hansel and Gretal, mansions with Chinese, Japanese or other interesting features. Victorian, San Francisco style architecture, etc., etc..
I love the old plantation style. It's very useful in this climate. Big windows, deep eaves (never have to close windows), covered and/or open lanais extending all the way around the home, etc. We looked at some kit homes at HPM which are like the old plantation style and have some more modern aspects, and also allow for some modification for the individual. Better building materials mean these "new" homes will also last a long time.
Concrete is also very practical here. Termites don't eat concrete! It also provides a good deal of insulation against the heat. And, it's quiet in those big old concrete buildings.
Living in Hawaii is much more about the outdoors than the indoors, or probably the appearance of the doors! Most people live almost as much on their lanais and in their yards than any place on the mainland. With the most perfect weather on the planet, the actual box we live in is less important than in other places where one needs a lot of protection from the elements.
There are a few coffee table books out there about what's called "Hawaiian" architecture. Check this neat blog out for some nice write-ups and imagery:
Many Hawaiian subdivisions nowadays could be in a suburb of San Diego, Atlanta, or Naples,FL, however. The reasons are costs, federal building code requirements, respective subdivision and community regulations, and what real estate brokers consider as 'easy resale'.
With commercial buildings we have a different, albeit not uniquely Hawaiian, problem. Since there are different budgets for the actual construction and the 'art' (i.e. for in- or outdoor plaza sculptures, hanging art, changing decoration) going along with new buildings our essential architecture is purely focussing on functions. Material costs, statics, vehicular accessibility and parking, energy efficiency, crowd control, space utilization, productivity, etc. Art is not part of the design in most of our run-of-the-mill government or commercial architecture, here or elsewhere in the western world.
Historically urban planning and building construction was centered on aesthetics within and throughout the physical structure. Romans, Greeks were masters by incorporating emotions into plazas, sports ventures, municipal buildings, and of course into ones home. These emotions could be balanced and calming (good for town squares), impressive and awe inspiring (city gates, theaters, gates and arches) or intimidating (court houses, palaces). The fascists and communists build fear into their structures; the feng shui design of Eastern philosophy creates positive and content emotions.
I wish there would be more of a resurgence of HAwaiian architects design and support by our government for that. Bed sheets with pineapples and a cheap print of a hula dancing native on the wall is all what tourists take away from their hotel room as memory. The Gucci store in Waikiki is as un-hawaiian as the row house in Ewa Beach or the car rental station in Kailua or the post office in Lihue.
Esthetic urban planning and design are essential for a populace, business, and economy. Miami Beach is a good example how a 1920s architectural style had been done in the 1950s, was resurrected in the 1980s and being strictly upheld today. It's a commercial success and fun place to visit and live at the same time. Waikiki beach, Kailua Kona, Lahaina, could learn much from this.
Last edited by KaraBenNemsi; 06-28-2013 at 01:59 PM..
There are a few coffee table books out there about what's called "Hawaiian" architecture. Check this neat blog out for some nice write-ups and imagery:
Hey, thanks, this blog (read the whole thing going back years!) was quite interesting. The Hawaiian roof style was invented by a Mr. Dickey of Maui? Wild.
The shock is that almost all of the still-standing examples of Tiki architecture seem to be in California, and even weird places like Seattle and Illinois; almost none were shown to be in Hawai'i. The blog shows articles showing the demise of some Tiki sites there. It appears that the style was taken to heart by mainland states in the mid-1960's.
Personally, I think this whole topic is bogus. Except for historic places like SF, I find Hawaii has just as much and just as little interesting architecture as anywhere in the US. It has cookie-cutter tract homes, smaller older homes with character (much like parts of LA in this respect), McMansions, ho-hum high end, and the occasional gem. Large buildings are a mix of nice old, trashy old, flashy new, tasteful and timeless, and 60's or 70's abominations (the capitol).
Of the two buildings that nightlysparrow linked to, the first (2234 Cooper Road Honolulu HI 96822) is blandly renovated middle-class (though I do wish I had that metal roof), and the second (160 Poipu Drive Honolulu HI 96825) is just-as-bland upper class--what a horrible jumble of walls and roofs and windows. I've seen much nicer pads for the same price, and then I've seen truly innovative or creative buildings at all price points.
As for the "tiki architecture," please. That stuff is so mainland fake. It was a fad. It was actually interesting and innovative but had precious little to do with Hawaiian designs. Even the Dickey roof that was used extensively in Hawaii was bastardized in those supposed mainland examples. Just like Disney's latest Aulani, the high pointed roofs have more to do with Papuan or Melanisean long houses than anything Hawaiian.
For me, the archetypical Hawaiian house is the plantation cottage inspired single story, single-wall modest home of the 40's and 50's. They were boxy, yet were often made up of several boxes put together nicely. Reflecting on their owners, some had Japanese accents such as wooden divider shelves, koi ponds, etc. Most were raised post-and-pier on what are called tofu blocks (cemenet blocks) locally. Sometimes you get a unique design such as this one: 255 Kamokila Rd, Kapaa, HI 96746 - Zillow.
Otherwise, I do think there was and still is a sense of conformity and humbleness, so McMansions are rarer and regular houses blend in. There are the occasional high-end custom home being built with Pacific rim influences (Thai and Indonesian), but as I mention above, these are hit or miss--so that means there are a few nice ones that stand out.
Also, what was said about living outdoors is also true (tons of carports converted to family rooms), and I think people are just more laid back and less concerned about having a designer house, or even a fancy house. Some people have a plain house and an elaborate or well kept garden--another Japanese influence I believe.
"Bogus" is a bit harsh. Yes, it's not a standard thread, and I 'get' that some people are just not that interested in architecture. However, I do think that the architecture of Hawaii is worth commenting upon and studying. The U of H thinks so as well, apparently.
University of Hawaii, Manoa
School of Architecture
ARCH 577 History of Hawaiian Architecture (3) Investigation of social, cultural, political, climactic, and technological factors influencing the historical development of architecture in Hawai'i. ARCH majors only. A-F only.ARCH 515
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Hawaiian architecture used to be more interesting
almost none were shown to be in Hawai'i. The blog shows articles showing the demise of some Tiki sites there. It appears that the style was taken to heart by mainland states in the mid-1960's. 
