In the wake of wildfires that ravaged parts of Maui last year — including a blaze that killed more than 100 and destroyed much of Lahaina town — a course at the University of Hawaii at Manoa School of Architecture is teaching students to digitally restore buildings in Lahaina with technologies like virtual 3D modeling and artificial intelligence, the university said this week.
According to a March 25 announcement from UH, the course — ARCH 490: Rebuilding Lahaina in Mixed Reality — "focuses on 'preservation through memory and engagement through sharing,'" and aims to "impart technical skills and foster a deep appreciation for the historical and cultural context of Lahaina."
"In this context, students had the opportunity to speak with experts from the Hawaii State Preservation Department and the architectural practitioners to discuss potential stakeholders involved in rebuilding the architectural heritage," the announcement read.
“This project allows students to understand the importance of historical preservation through studying what happened in Lahaina and understanding the human connection to a place/building, or the sense of place,” Joyce Lin, an architecture student currently enrolled in the course, said in a statement. “We can also utilize existing technology to recreate historical and existing buildings, allowing people to experience the space and environment even from far away and possibly even assist in future developments and reconstructions of buildings.”
“I think that this project is important for architecture students in the sense that it offers us a different pathway," Karly Tangonan, another architecture student currently enrolled in the course, said in a statement. "One might think that architecture is all about new designs and new buildings, but sometimes it can be about saving/preserving old ones.”
According to the announcement, integrating digital model-making and AI "has opened new possibilities for preserving architectural history" and provides access for students to "appreciate the rich history of Lahaina."
"The course is helping to shape future architects who are equipped with both traditional and cutting-edge skills, ready to contribute to the preservation and evolution of architectural history," the university said.
Buildings the students have been designing in mixed reality include Wo Hing Society Hall, Masters Reading Room, Baldwin House and Old Lahaina Courthouse, the announcement further noted.
The collaborative effort involves Dean William Chapman and Professor Hyoung-June Park in the UH School of Architecture and Professor Kyung Hoon Hyun, a design computing specialist from Hanyang University in Korea, the announcement noted.
During its annual Nonprofit Roundtable in February, Pacific Business News spoke with nonprofit leaders about how their organizations were affected by the Maui wildfires and the roles they now play in restoring historic structures — and hope — in Lahaina. That story, published March 22, can be found online here.
