Turning away termites
By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser Staff Writer
Michael Dalke says he doesn't really practice architecture or design. Instead, he thinks of his job as exploring the tropical lifestyle.
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Dalke, who has been working in Hawai'i and around the Pacific for more than a decade, focuses his exploration on new designs and products appropriate to the tropical climate. His latest "discovery" — an Indonesian hardwood that termites just hate — may just change the way we build in Hawai'i.
Bangkirai, an Indonesian wood loathed by termites, is being used to build a home in Waikane. Honolulu recently approved its use.
City officials recently approved the wood, known as bangkirai, for construction use in Hawai'i without the treatments with termite-fighting chemicals normally required of structural wood here.
"The bangkirai has been used in Asia for centuries, even in marine pilings and homes over the water," Dalke said. "It's very strong and very durable."
In Hawai'i, where subterranean termites cause more than $100 million in damage and control costs every year, officials and contractors are always on the lookout for new ways to outwit the pest. But city officials are extraordinarily cautious in approving new products or treatments until they are absolutely certain they work.
The test results for bangkirai were convincing though. (Scientifically, the wood is Shorea laevis Ridl.; other common names are bangkiri, belau and bangkiray.)
"This study demonstrates that bangkirai heartwood lumber from Indonesia is extremely resistant to termite attack and is a viable replacement for preservative-treated lumber," wrote University of Hawai'i entomologists Ken Grace and Carrie Tome.
Grace and Tome exposed 15 slices of bangkirai wood to colonies of 400 termites each at O'ahu's Poamoho Experiment Station for four weeks. Twelve of the 15 slices showed no damage at all; the other three showed only small surface abrasions from termites. By contrast, similar slices of Douglas fir, the most commonly used construction wood in Hawai'i, were destroyed.
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"The bangkirai wafers, however, were largely untouched, even when the termites had no other food source available to them ... and literally had to eat or starve," the report concludes.
After seeing the evidence, Honolulu's Department of Planning and Permitting last year gave permission for bangkirai heartwood to be used in Honolulu as structural lumber. Heartwood is the dense center of the growing tree; the surrounding sapwood is softer and not approved for construction use here.
Dalke, president of Resource-Pacifica, says bangkirai will appeal to clients and contractors worried about the heavy use of pesticides in their homes, those who prefer a tropical feel or are attracted by the wood's brownish-yellow color, interlocking grain and glossy surface. A home using the lumber is under construction overlooking the ocean in Waikane.
"A lot of people are discovering the Asian and tropical lifestyle, and there's a new nostalgia for natural materials and design," said Dalke, whose works can be found from Los Angeles to Asia and all across the Pacific. His Hawai'i work includes the Endangered Species Store, Canoe Stores, Honolulu Zoo and homes in Lanikai, Volcano and Kawela Bay.
Now he is developing a bangkirai modular home system that incorporates many of the features of the tropical style — pitched roofs, natural ventilation and materials, moveable walls, extended lanais and cluster designs. The modules are partially prefabricated in Indonesia, brought to Hawai'i in one shipping crate and assembled quickly here for as low as $40 a square foot.
The homes are based on 10-foot square modules that can be put together in various combinations and a variety of rooflines.
The Waikane home has about 1,800 square feet of interior space on concrete-block footings and an independent pavilion. The roof has four different pitches, all connected by one flat section, creating a number of interesting lines when viewed from the outside. Total costs were about $250,000, Dalke said.
Mike Leidemann writes about architecture and design for The Advertiser. He can be reached by phone, 525-5460, or e-mail, mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com
