Forest School
modular // joinery
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Designed by Febuary 2023
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The project leverages the importance of kalo pondfield cultivation for future generations of Hawaiians by providing a research center for the study of the plant, accommodations for farmers conducting long-term research, and guest services for
day-visitors curious about traditional cultivation of and uses for this culturally important staple food crop.
Kalo (Colocasia esculenta, commonly known as taro) is a perennial native to South Asia that has been commonly cultivated across the Indo-Pacific region due to centuries of human migration. As kalo production on the Hawaiian islands has significantly decreased, the proposed project creates an environment that encourages the dissemination of ethnobotanical.
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Design Approach
Programmatically, the aim of the project is to provide a high degree of versatility.
The system of interconnected and terraced pondfields (lo’i in Hawaiian)
allows researchers to arrange cultivationsaccording to a project’s needs.
The provided enclosures can act as accommodations or be used as educational facilities
for individuals who would like to know more about the lo’i-cultivated kalo during a day visit.
Modular // Joinery
Structurally, the organization of the buildings follows the principles that drive the arrangement of kalo pondfields. As there is a strong foundational wall parallel to the contours of the site in a traditional kalo lo’i, so is the case with the proposed structures that cantilever from a concrete foundation positioned along the central axis of each building. This design offers a sense of lightness and a high degree of permeability for water and air to circulate beneath the buildings.
