Hawaii Preparatory Academy Energy Lab

Site condition prior to project start:

Greyfield

 

Significant site information:
The Energy Lab was built on land that was previously used as the Hawaii Preparatory Academy campus bio waste (and other materials) dumping area where trees and debris for a prior campus project (faculty housing) were buried.

 

comments:

The building was intentionally located at the windward edge of campus to take full advantage of the abundant trade winds that accelerate down from the hillside above. The site faces due south to picturesque 14,000-foot Mauna Kea volcano. Due southern exposure optimizes solar thermal and photovoltaic panel performance and enables many interior building views directed toward the volcano and valley below. Given the favorable Hawaiian climate and the building’s dramatic hillside setting, direct connections to the outdoors are enhanced via operable glass doors. An entry court is located to the east, a large teaching porch opens directly south, and a wind-sheltered court to the west sponsors an outdoor, covered classroom. The topography of the hillside is reflected in the stepped, terraced arrangement of the building’s internal spaces, where storage tanks, solar panels and other systems have been strategically located to take advantage of this change in elevation.