American Samoa's Olosega Elementary School
March 25, 2013
OIA Insular ABCs
Beginning in June 2012, five members of the MAI staff have been traveling to 10 islands in four US territories to evaluate over 1,500 buildings in approximately 125 schools. Lead by Helber Hastert & Fee and the Army Corps of Engineers, MAI’s Glenn Mason, AIA, Marianne Cooper, AIA, Katie Stephens, AIA, and Joy Davidson, AIA and Ming Yi Wong worked alongside local building professionals from Austin Tsutsumi & Associates, Martin & Chock, InSynergy, J. Uno & Associates, and Total Resource Management.
The Insular Schools Assessment of Buildings and Classrooms (Insular ABCs) initiative announced by Assistant Secretary Babauta in March 2011, represents a partnership between insular areas (the US territories of Guam, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa and US Virgin Islands) and the U.S. Department of the Interior Office of Insular Affairs (OIA) to conduct a baseline assessment of building conditions and develop deferred maintenance cost estimates for all public elementary, middle and high school buildings. The initiative includes a school facility condition assessment to help insular governments address maintenance and capital planning in a systematic and cost effective manner. A rapid assessment of indoor environmental quality (e.g., thermal comfort, indoor air quality, lighting, and acoustics) and energy audits have also been included to identify areas to immediately improve student performance, and to identify low-cost/no-cost changes to improve energy efficiency, respectively. The assessment and draft reporting phase of this project concludes in April as the team completes the evaluation of the final series of schools in the US Virgin Islands. The team will then work with the government on the review and production of a final report.
Hawaiian Hall, Bishop Museum
March 12, 2013
Non-Destructive Evaluation Methods for historic Structures
The Association for Preservation Technology Hawaii-Pacific Islands Chapter in conjunction with APT International is pleased to announce a Nondestructive Evaluation Methods for Historic Structures Workshop on April 11-12, 2013. This two-day workshop held at Bishop Museum will provide guidance for designers, engineers and contractors in the use of diagnostic non-destructive testing for historic structures.
The workshop includes lectures and hands-on field sessions and will address concepts, theories and application of NDE methods, including:
Hawaii/Pacific Islands chapter
February 12, 2013
Joy Davidson, AIA new VP of APT’s Hawaii/Pacific Islands Chapter
In May 2012, the Association for Preservation Technology International, a cross-disciplinary, membership organization dedicated to promoting the best technology for conserving historic structures and their settings, announced the formation of the Hawaii/Pacific Islands chapter. This chapter is open to APT members in the Hawaiian Islands and US Territories in the Pacific. Davidson assumed the role of Vice-President after the original officer moved to mainland.
The Hawaii/Pacific Islands chapter held their inaugural event at the recently restored World War II-era Ford Island Control Tower at Pearl Harbor on April 7, 2012. The event was hosted by the Pacific Aviation Museum who oversaw the $7.5 million stabilization project. Additional activities included a tour of Bello’s Millwork shop in Wahiawa, Hawaii. The Chapter has future plans to meet quarterly for brown bag/workshops on various aspects of materials science, behind-the-scene site visits, and outreach across disciplines.
Kana’ina Building (Old Archives Building)
January 25, 2013
Hawaii Modernism Lecture Series at Iolani Palace
On Thursday February 21, Glenn Mason, AIA joins other historic preservation experts in Historic Hawaii Foundation’s lecture series highlighting Hawaii Modernism. Mason will present “Technical Innovation and the Emergence of New Building Materials in Mid-20th Century Architecture” at noon on the 21st at the Kanaina (Old Archives) Building located on ‘Iolani Palace Grounds.
The lecture series is free, open to the public and sponsored by Historic Hawaii Foundation, the Historic Preservation Program UH Manoa and Friends of Iolani Palace.
Scaffolding in place to reassemble the rooftop Jali Pavilion
January 2, 2013
Jali Pavilion Restoration
Mason Architects Inc. has been working closely with the Doris Duke Foundation at Shangri-La for many years and in recent months began work on the restoration of the Mughal Suite's rooftop pavilion. Originally commissioned in 1935 for Duke's bedroom suite, the first set of the marble screen panels - jalis - were damaged in transit from India. Duke had her architect, Marion Sims Wyeth, design a rooftop pavilion to use the original pieces after they were repaired.
In 2011, restorative roof work required the removal of the concrete frames that supported the jalis. Last year, the removed sections of the jali were cleaned and repaired and the frames redesigned to allow for more sustainable removal of the jalis in the future. The new frames have been installed and the restored panels will be returned to reassemble the rooftop Jali Pavilion.