MAI architect Joy Davidson co-chaired the second annual Canstruction (R) competition, held at Pearlridge Center Uptown on Saturday, October 6. Fourteen teams of local architects,design professionals and students"Canstructed" structures entirely made of canned goods in their 8'x 8'x 8' spaces. After a team of jurors judged the structures, Joy and co-chair John Black, AIA, announced the winners: "Corn'undrum": In+Form Design "i-tiki" Ferraro Choi & Associates "An InCANvenient Truth" Peter Vincent Architects" "Brush Up on Nutrition" Durrant Media Five On October 21 the structures were decanstructed and 42,000 pounds of canned food were delivered to the Hawaii Foodbank. Thanks to the hard work of Joy, John, and many others, this was the largest single-day donation in the Foodbank's history, topping last year's record of 41,000 pounds. The event was sponsored by AIA Honolulu Chapter, Pearlridge Center, Foodland, C&S Wholesale Grocers, and HonBlue.

Members of AIA, Honolulu Chapter, voted online for Mason Architects' project, the Visitor Center at Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site, as this year's outstanding design appropriate to the climate and culture of Hawaii. The Jack C. Lipman Members' Choice Award was established in 1999 in honor of one of the Hawaii Chapter's distinguished past presidents. The award-winning lava rock building is sited to maximize views of the heiau yet minimize its own visibility; the curved shape of its roof defers to the contours of the Kawaihae landscape (more).

The Historic Hawaii Foundation presented a Preservation Honor Award to Mason Architects for its restoration of the exterior decorative painting on the Playhouse at Shangri-La, the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art. Local craftsmen had stencilled the painted geometric designs, copied from photographs Duke had taken in Isfahan, Iran, in the 1930s, directly onto the wood columns, moldings, panels, and ceiling of the Playhouse's porch. After 70 years' exposure to the harsh oceanfront environment and a short-lived renovation in the 1970s, the paint was discolored by layers of shellac and the substrate had decayed. The restoration team, which included Canning Studio, Molly Lambert, and Richard Wolbers, preserved what remained of the original materials, selected weather-resistant modern replacement materials, and employed traditional methods to recreate the finely-detailed decorative work (more).

On March 3 the Hawaii Historic Places Review Board accepted Tantalus Drive/Round Top Drive for inclusion in the Hawaii Register. This road is the first on Oahu to be designated as a historic district; only Kuhio Highway on Kauai and Hana Highway on Maui share this distinction. The ten-mile route starts near Punchbowl Crater, ascends the ridge between Pauoa and Makiki Valleys, and follows the contours of three mountains overlooking Honolulu before descending into Makiki. Beginning and ending in sharp hairpin turns, the narrow roadway unrolls beneath the forest canopy yet offers many sweeping views of the city nearly a thousand feet below. The road was built between 1892 and 1917 to provide access to residential lots in the Honolulu watershed area and has retained its original alignment, width (14-30 feet) lava rock guard walls, and lookouts, all included in the historic district. Mason Architects prepared the nomination forms at the request of the area's residents. Now that the road is listed on the Hawaii Register, measures to repair and maintain it will be reviewed by the DLNR; and the City can be more flexible in its interpretation of highway design standards to ensure safety yet preserve the road's historic features.

Our five historical architects (from left) Angela Thompson, Glenn Mason, Barbara Shideler, Joy Davidson, and Katie Slocumb have just been approved as architectural assessors for the national Conservation Assessment Program. CAP is administered by the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services to help these institutions properly care for their collections and the historic buildings they may be housed in. A museum or library that is over 50 years old and has not had a Historic Structures Report in the last ten years may apply to CAP for technical assistance. If the building is eligible, CAP will arrange for an architectural assessor to spend two days on site and three days writing a report to evaluate the building's condition and suggest measures for its preservation and maintenance. CAP will then provide most of the funds to pay for the assessment.