Kamehameha Schools is considered one of Hawai‘i’s premiere educational systems serving native Hawaiian children. AHL designed the existing Kamehameha Schools High School library from a traditional and quiet research space to a next generation space where students can socialize, create, and collaborate. The design team was tasked with developing a learning center that created an innovative and technologically advanced space, while still respecting and showcasing the schools’ dedication to preserving and sharing Hawaiian culture.

School leaders praised the team’s “mauka-to-makai” design that artfully showcased a piko space in the center of the room and told a story through color and shapes. Green earth tones dominate the center’s mountain-side. Cool blues and sea greens sweep through its ocean-side. Grey-colored tiles blanket the middle piko space, representing the volcano that birthed the mountains and filled the ocean.   

The book collection was downsized to allow space for two new classrooms, two small enclosed meeting spaces, and a café. One of the project’s features is a makerspace, a collaborative work space where students can gather to create, invent, and learn. To accommodate the various study preferences of the students, multiple spaces options are provided to the learning center users. The space has lounge seating for comfortable reading, as well as tables and chairs for collaborative work. Study carrels and booths are provided in addition to the small enclosed meeting spaces to accommodate students who prefer quiet spaces.