Urban redevelopment through adaptive re-use: Reimagining the varsity building as a student housing

Abstract

This initiative investigates the adaptive reuse of the Varsity Building, a mid-century modern building situated within the Mōʻiliʻili neighborhood of Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. Strategically located within proximity to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, the Varsity Building presents itself as a prime opportunity to address the growing demand for student housing while maintaining a valued architectural icon. The proposed design reconfigures the underutilized building to be a thriving mixed-use development incorporating living units, commercial spaces, and community gathering places, reaffirming the function of the building as a community bridge connecting the university to the adjacent neighborhood. Adaptive reuse techniques—such as Insertion, Juxtaposition, Weaving, and Wrap—were utilized to remodel the interior, expand circulation, and interpret historical architectural elements. Concepts including circular form, structural columns, and brise-soleil were retained and reinterpreted. A new community kitchen and co-working space were proposed as a complementary, yet unique addition to the historical building, further facilitating student living and everyday life. Acknowledging flexibility as critical to long-term urban development, development is taking place in only half of the site at the current time, reserving the remainder for possible future development. Phasing development in such a manner ensures the Varsity Building has the opportunity to continue to evolve to meet the needs of the university and broader community. Portraying adaptive reuse not only as a preservation strategy, but as a design tool, with the opportunity to lengthen the life, timeliness, and vitality of historic urban buildings, is achieved through this undertaking.