A New Hawai‘i Tropical House: Creating a healthy pre-fabricated residential architecture and community

Abstract

Residential architecture in Hawai‘i has failed its inhabitants on many levels since the indigenous grass covered hale pili structures evolved into a western style of building. The way homes are designed, sited and built creates an architecture with several social, cultural, climatic and environmental issues as well as the potential for physical and mental health problems. This dissertation attempts to understand what these problems are, how they have been addressed in the past and how future architects and builders can progress to a higher standard of a Hawai'i tropical home.

Understanding the most popular residential building styles after Western contact, and analyzing case studies of contemporary, County and State initiated or approved residential developments compared with the presented climatic and environmental data for each of the climate zones in the state, lays the ground work for the standard of the current housing stock.

An investigation of the physical and mental comfort and health effects related to building materials and methods, the climate and their relation to the indoor environment uncovers numerous chemicals, VOCs and toxins such as mold (mycotoxins) which may be present in Hawaiian homes.