THE ADULT EDUCATION OF HAWAII: RETROFIT THE EXISTING MCKINLEY COMMUNITY ADULT SCHOOL FACILITY

Abstract

The American Economy’s Cities Index indicates that immigrants worldwide comprise 18% of Hawaii’s population, or roughly 255,000 immigrants settling on the tropical paradise in 2018 . Of the total immigrants, more than 110,550 are not naturalized as US citizens, which means limited access to jobs and business leadership opportunities. Regardless of the level of formal education, fluent English is necessary for all business communication and for preparing legal business-related documentation. US census in 2021 reported that the average median household income in Hawaii is USD 96,000; hence if taking 255,000 and dividing by four as an average household number and multiple by the average median household income, Hawaii is losing about taking about lost in about 6.12 billion dollars annually . Furthermore, the lost revenue would contribute up to a substantial 6.7% of the Hawaii GDP, USD 91 billion in the same year, as the Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT) reported. Every year as the immigration rate rises in Hawaii, the loss of taxable income also increases as immigrants must learn the language and the culture they migrated to. The sizeable monetary change in taxable income is not only limited to immigrants but also includes at-risk adults ages 16-24 who did not complete secondary education, adults who do not equip with literacy qualifications for white-collar positions, and elderlies that couldn’t follow the trends of the current technologies causing them to lose access of the retirement benefits they deserved. Hence, proposing an architectural landmark expressing the need for proper attention to adult education in Hawaii for all adults so they can adequately transition into the workforce will be the focus of this thesis. First, to discuss the existing adult education program available in Hawaii and identify a site that can be a converging point for all the adult students to come together and unlock their potential to create a difference. Secondly, this research will also look at what andragogy places the effect of adult education on the teacher and the student and derive critical decisions to be made with designing an adult education facility that might differ from a K-12 campus. Lastly, this research will identify architectural language that can help visitors, students, and faculty understand that school is more than a place of lectures—also a place to come together and appreciate Honolulu's rapid urban development. The problem of current awareness of the need for adult education should be mentioned in the K-12 programs, even as the community adult schools are also part of the system. Perhaps the primary goal of DOE is to place substantial emphasis on children’s education, which is crucial as they are the next future leaders of the world. However, adult students should also be recognized as they can take leadership roles if proper knowledge can be distilled in their conscious minds to communicate their needs and dreams to others effectively.