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December 07, 2004 (Top of the page)
A New MAI Partner: Marianne Cooper |
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A member of Mason Architects since 1998, Marianne Cooper now joins Glenn Mason and John Fullmer as a partner in the firm. Marianne, a native of Sweden, was an art student in Stockholm before coming to Hawaii to attend the UH School of Architecture in the mid 1980s. After graduation in 1988, she worked for four years with the Hemmeter Design Group, Projects International, and DMJM in the design of resort, commercial, and marina projects. Wanting to spend time with her young children, she then formed her own company and for six years worked as an independent contractor for Wimberly Allison & Tong, Architects Hawaii, and MAI, among others, until Glenn Mason persuaded her to come back to work full-time for MAI. Marianne specializes in custom residential design, where her skills as an artist are reflected in the pen, pencil, and water color renderings she prepares as a conceptual part of her designs.
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November 29, 2004 (Top of the page)
Hilo Federal Building |
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The Hilo Federal Building was designed in 1917 in the Classical Revival Style by architect Henry Davis Whitfield. Built of reinforced concrete but faced and floored in plaster, stone, and tile, it is the oldest federal building in Hawaii. East and west wings were extended in 1937. Over the years, earthquake damage, alterations to accommodate the needs of federal tenants, and natural wear and tear have taken their toll on the stately Hilo landmark, which was listed on the National Register in 1974. After concluding extensive space planning for the tenants, Mason Architects is now planning further measures to seismically reinforce the building, improve its work spaces, and restore its original historic features wherever feasible.
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October 13, 2004 (Top of the page)
Construction Underway at Kehalani Subdivision |
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Mason Architects has designed five unique one- and two-story homes for ŽOhiŽa, a 140-unit subdivision currently under construction by Towne Development of Hawaii in Wailuku, Maui. The project is part of the 550-acre master-planned community of Kehalani, which will eventually include over 2500 homes, a school, parks, and 20 acres of commercial space. The moderately priced single-family homes in ŽOhiŽa range in size from 2000 to 2800 square feet and are arranged on the sloping site to optimize spectacular views of the West Maui Mountains, Haleakala, or the north shore. Each home was designed with local kamaŽaina living in mind: a generous covered lanai, nine-foot ceilings, and deep overhanging eaves keep the rooms cool while doors and windows are placed to take advantage of the trade winds for natural ventilation. Potential buyers reserved nearly all lots in the subdivision within weeks of opening it to the public under a five-year owner-occupant program, which helps alleviate the housing shortage for local residents and discourages speculation.
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September 21, 2004 (Top of the page)
John Fullmer becomes a Partner in MAI |
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Glenn Mason is happy to announce that John Fullmer, AIA, CSI, is now a partner in the firm and will serve as Vice President and Corporate Secretary. A 1989 graduate of the University of Hawaii's School of Architecture, John joined MAI's predecessor, Spencer Mason Architects, in 1992 and was present at the creation of Mason Architects, Inc. in 1998. His role as partner has evolved naturally from his long and productive association with the company, where he specializes in large and complex projects. He currently works as Project Manager on the $17 million mechanical shop consolidation at Bravo 2 Pier, Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, and as Project Architect on the repair and renovation of historic Buildings 251 and 252, at Makalapa Crater, Pearl Harbor (more). He has also served as Project Architect on several single-family residential developments such as Woodcreek (more) on Oahu and Kilohana (more) and Kehalani on Maui. John is actively involved with the American Institute of Architects and recently completed his term as President of the Honolulu Chapter.
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August 31, 2004 (Top of the page)
Winners |
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On Saturday, August 28, MAI architect Katie Slocumb steered the Hui Lanakila canoe to victory in the 24-mile Dad Center Long Distance Race from Kailua Beach to Kaimana Beach. She and her teammates finished the race in 3 hours, 20 minutes, 4.59 seconds - only seconds before second place Hawaii Canoe Club and third place Outrigger Canoe Club. Seasoned paddlers in the club say this is the first time Hui Lanakila's women have won a long-distance race, though they performed well this year in shorter sprints. "We did great in the regatta races, but distance is a really different thing," said Katie. "So to get first really does a lot for our confidence."
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| Katie Slocumb (center)
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In contrast to Katie, MAI architectural intern Mike Zagorski crossed the finish line over three minutes ahead of his nearest competitor in the grueling 36.2-mile Cycle to the Sun race up the Haleakala road on Sunday. Starting in Pa´ia (elevation 40 feet) with 103 other cyclists, Mike broke away from the pack at the 2.5-mile mark and rode solo for the remainder of the race to the 10,005-foot summit. “The road up to the summit is the most amazing road I’ve ever ridden,” said Mike, a native of Scotland. “Weather was near perfect apart from gusty winds above 8000 feet.” Mike finished in 2 hours, 56 minutes, and 23 seconds, followed by Eric Takayama at 3:00:03 and Allister Knox at 3:00:10. |
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| Mike Zagorski |
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July 27, 2004 (Top of the page)
KalanianaŽole Hall |
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This plantation-style wooden hall was built in 1937 at Kalamaula, Molokai, the first land to be developed under the Hawaiian Homestead Act of 1921, which was initiated by Prince Jonah Kuhio KalanianaŽole, a delegate to the U.S. Congress.
The Hall was the center for activities of the Ahahui KalanianaŽole, a club formed to provide coffins and funeral services for the dead and comfort for their grieving families. Despite the solemnity of its coffin room, the hall was also used for weddings, hula contests, and weekend movies as well as funerals. Over the years, however, the hall's condition had deteriorated.
The Friends of KalanianaŽole Hall have pledged to bring it back to life through grants and the work of volunteers. The Hall has already been nominated for the National Register and Mason Architects has been commissioned to guide its repairs and plan its renovation.
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July 18, 2004 (Top of the page)
St. Patrick's Church, Kaimuki |
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Mason Architects is currently preparing an existing conditions analysis to guide repairs and renovations to St. Patrick's Church on Waialae Avenue in Kaimuki. The church was designed in 1926 by Ralph Fishbourne, an architect whose 1910-12 student travels in France and Italy influenced his later work in Hawaii in such buildings as St. Francis Hospital (1926) and McKinley High School Auditorium/Administration Building (1927). St. Patrick's traditional cruciform shape contains a spacious sanctuary, large organ loft, and sacristy under a groined and vaulted ceiling. The building's heavy reinforced concrete frame is roofed in red terra cotta tiles. The church was named for the patron saint of Father Patrick St. Leger, who initiated a tireless ten-year crusade to raise funds for its construction.
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June 18, 2004 (Top of the page)
1950s Buildings in Waikiki and Honolulu |
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Mason Architects has prepared a photo essay on 1950s-era buildings in Waikiki and Honolulu for the firm, 2100 Kalakaua Avenue. Using archival and field research and interviews with architects, MAI's architectural historians have written lively histories and descriptions, interspersed with drawings as well as historic and contemporary photos. The 152-page booklet covers nearly 50 demolished and extant buildings designed and/or built in the late 1940s through early 1960s period.
In the years following World War II, Hawaii's popularity as a tourist destination grew as air travel made it more accessible to Americans, many of whom were former servicemen who had enjoyed Hawaii's unique climate and ambiance during their tours of duty. The five-fold growth in tourism in the 1950s created a need for new hotels, shops, and restaurants as well as new business and public buildings to accommodate the growing economy. Local architects responded in two ways. Some assimilated, with Statehood, the mainland's International Style. Others embraced a regional style that incorporated Pacific and Asian features: steeply pitched roofs, the use of local stone, natural ventilation, and lanais open to the outdoors.
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| The Waikiki Cove apartment building stands at the corner of Kuhio Avenue and Launiu Street in Waikiki. |
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June 8 , 2004 (Top of the page)
MAI wins two AIA Honolulu Design Awards |
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At its Design Awards Banquet on April 27, the AIA Honolulu presented two awards to Mason Architects. The Sustainability Award of Excellence was presented to MAI for the Haleakala Comfort Station, which uses natural ventilation and lighting and an underground wastewater-recycling system to conserve resources at the remote and arid 10,000-foot summit of Haleakala, visited by over a million people each year. (more)
An Award of Merit was presented to MAI for the Kaumakapili Church, Sanctuary Restoration. The original plans for the 1911 Gothic-revival style church had been lost, so the architects relied on physical clues, educated guesswork, and the memories of long-time parishioners to restore the sanctuary and adjacent two-tiered classroom. (more)
.and two awards from the Historic Hawaii Foundation
The Historic Hawaii Foundation presented two Historic Preservation Honor Awards to Mason Architects at its Annual Statewide Historic Preservation Conference in May. One award was for the Kaumakapili Church Sanctuary Restoration, which involved the removal of half the exterior plaster to make repairs, repairing and repainting the wooden interior, installing new curved pews, and painstakingly restoring or recreating 43 stained glass windows. The other award was given for the restoration of Queen Lili´uokalani's bedroom in Washington Place. Termite damage was repaired in the wall and ceiling, a filled-in doorway was reopened, and moldings, wallpaper, and a light fixture similar to those in historic photos of the room were installed to restore it to the condition existing when the Queen lived, and died, in it. (more)
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| Halekala Comfort Station. |
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| Kaumakapili Church. |
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| Queen Lili´uokalani's bedroom in Washington Place. |
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April 6 , 2004 (Top of the page)
Rusti's Dream House |
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Orangutan Foundation International has commissioned Mason Architects to design a new home for Rusti, the 275-pound orangutan at the Honolulu Zoo. Rescued from a roadside zoo in New Jersey, the 24-year-old primate has been living at the Honolulu Zoo since 1997, but his current home, built in the 1950s for great apes, is considered cramped by orangutan standards. Rusti's new 6500-square-foot enclosure will surround a large banyan tree and will be bordered by a 15-foot fence and tropical foliage. His nighthouse will be a small but comfortable concrete building with steel-mesh openings and a floor plan suited to his lifestyle. It will contain an area for Rusti's keepers, who play with him and feed him fruit each day, and a sleeping area for two orangutans, should Rusti choose to share his new home with a female companion.
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| Rusti in reverie in his current home. |
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March 16 , 2004 (Top of the page)
Building 251, Pearl Harbor |
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Built in 1943 on the edge of Makalapa Crater, this two-story, semi-permanent, wood-frame building housed the Joint Intelligence Center Pacific Ocean Areas (JICPOA), which collected, evaluated, and disseminated strategic and tactical intelligence for the Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas, throughout World War II. Most recently used as offices for high-ranking naval officers, Building 251, partially built on fill, was gradually sinking into Makalapa Crater when Mason Architects was commissioned to design its renovation and oversee its reconstruction. (more)
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| Building 251. |
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