The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa is planning to renovate the common areas in four student housing buildings, the Hale Aloha Towers, in summer 2024. Students who live in the towers—ʻIlima, Lehua, Lokelani and Mokihana—are helping design parts of the renovation project. Through two interactive workshops in December, students took the opportunity to reimagine the common areas and provide feedback on the design and furniture. Their input is being incorporated in the project’s final design.
Related: Repairs, improvements at student housing just beginning, December 2023
“I spend so much time at Aloha Towers, and because we’re the ones living in these facilities, it’s really fun to see what the living space could be,” said Reese Harwood, a freshman majoring in marketing who participated in the activity. “I’m glad I could be a part of this planning process, and I can’t wait to see what these spaces could possibly look like in the years to come.”
Student residents’ interactive workshops
The interactive workshops were held by the Campus Design Lab, an initiative of the Office of Planning & Spatial Experience (OPSE) and staffed by student project assistants from the UH Community Design Center (UHCDC). The team printed maps of the various spaces—lobby, lounge and rooftop—and miniature images of different furniture pieces, such as whiteboards, study pods and sports tables. The participants moved the furniture images to different locations on the maps to help them visualize their ideal design. The students shared their final design ideas along with how they typically used the spaces and their perceptions of the spaces.
“This interactive process is not only beneficial for the students, but for those working on the renovations as well,” said OPSE Director Brian Strawn. “We’re hearing the students’ honest opinions of the Aloha Towers while we’re still in the planning stages, so after gathering and implementing their feedback, we’re ensuring that the living spaces are practical and designed well with the students in mind.”
First-hand experience for architecture students
The interactive workshops also served as a learning experience for architecture students. While assisting OPSE staff, the architecture students gain valuable first-hand experience working with “customers” to develop a plan that addresses everyone’s input while also meeting project parameters.
“As an architecture student, you get trained to look at buildings and think about what could be better about the space you’re living in,” said Walker Mason, a senior architecture student and project assistant at the Campus Design Lab. “It’s important to look at these spaces, see what could be done, then work to improve them for the students. I’m graduating soon, so I won’t be able to see the changes that will be implemented in the summer, but it’s good to know that I was a part of making change happen for the future students that will be living here.”
The Hale Aloha towers are exclusively for freshmen and house 1,040 of the more than 3,000 students who live on the UH Mānoa campus. The project is just one of the many short term and long term improvements for student housing facilities.
