WATER: AN EXPRESSIVE MEDIUM WITHIN ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN CONNECTING TO THE CONTEXT OF HAWAI‘I

Abstract

Humankind and water continue to share a significant relationship among various cultures across the world. The story of water can be interpreted through various arts, as it bridges various cultures with beliefs and values with water, as it is a symbol to life. Designing with water provides an opportunity to enhance the experience of the user, which can be expressed in a variety of ways. However, water’s presence may be perceived as something laying in the background, rather than being the subject in the foreground. In regards to water, the overlapping impacts of climate change will ultimately affect man’s accessibility to an essential resource for life. Wai is specifically water that can be ingested unlike seawater. Technically Hawaii has abundant fresh and saltwater resources, but the access to freshwater continues to be a growing concern that is reflected on the impacts of increased population; increasing the demand and stresses for resources. The irony of the current trends on residential high-rises design imply an abstract concept of “water”, as it attempts to culturally connect the community with its bourgeois outlook on residential buildings. This D.Arch topic analyzes the application of water as a medium within architectural design and aims to; bridge a prescribed water curtain to “wai'', or the Hawaiian reverence to water, as it is a significant component within its cultural connection to the “ʻāina”, or the land. This design research project will present an adaptable mechanism that enables a celebration of water in the design for humane architecture, advocate for innovative practices of a locally-shared resource, and evoke human sensory-delight, thereby enhancing the quality of life within the user’s built environment.