Designs sought for nature center
Advertiser Staff
The Nature Conservancy of Hawai'i and Kapolei High School have launched an architectural design competition for the Malama Learning Center, which will be on a three-acre parcel at the entrance to the new high school.
There is no entry fee for the project and anyone can enter. Prizes total $40,000.
"Hawai'i's geography, tropical ecosystems and cultural history should be a compelling source of inspiration to architects and designers," said Michael Pittas, an adviser to the competition.
The site is to be used to study conservation and resource management, but the competition organizers want the design to celebrate Hawai'i's diverse cultures, to have a place for performing and visual arts, and to be a model for sustainable architecture and technology.
"With the Malama Learning Center, we will introduce students and the community to interdisciplinary and project-based learning that marries the head with the hands," said school principal Al Nagasako.
The project hopes to pay for the eventual construction with the help of grants and donations. A $75,000 National Endowment for the Arts grant is being matched by local money to pay for the competition.
Pauline Sato, O'ahu program director for The Nature Conservancy of Hawai'i, said the effort hopes to draw entries from around the world that will lead to "a center that will be a model for combining conservation, the arts, education and sustainable design."
All entry submissions are to be on CDs — no dioramas, models or display boards.
"In line with our efforts to conserve our natural resources and to bring the competition process into the 21st century, we are using digital technology throughout the competition process. Everything will be on the Web page ... We are breaking new ground in the field," said Ramona Mullahey, a member of the steering committee for the competition.
For more information, visit the Web site, www.malamalearningcenter.org or call The Nature Conservancy of Hawai'i at 621-2008. The deadline for submission is July 1.
