Hookele Elementary
Collaborative Learning
Hookele Elementary was designed to be consistent with the concept of a 21st century school – a flexible, collaborative and exploratory academic environment for students. The school courtyard and classrooms were designed to be open, thus creating spaces for performances and expression by using multiple forms of media. The project was designed to achieve LEED for Schools Gold Certification. Smart zoning, variable frequency drives, bi-level switching, daylight sensors, and tubular skylights were included to achieve an energy cost savings of 25% . Regional content comprised 54% of building materials and 68% of construction waste and debris was diverted from the landfill or incinerator.
The school needed to conform to strict guidelines of the City of Kapolei’s Development Standards. A 'Garden City' concept was incorporated by integrating a variety of native and nonnative plants.
Hookele Elementary was designed to be consistent with the concept of a 21st century school – a flexible, collaborative and exploratory academic environment for students.
A theme of connectivity was reinforced by the transparency of classrooms to the Learning Hub and the connecting bridges between the grade level buildings. The Learning Hubs allow students to work on small or large group projects, make presentations, and engage in spontaneous learning activities.
They are the central points of the community and allow all the students in a grade level to come together in one space. Fixed glass windows allow passive supervision of students in the Hub from the classrooms. The Learning Hubs are also a primary connection point to outdoor learning spaces. On the second floor, the learning hubs have doors that open up to the exterior lanais. These areas accommodate wet, noisy, dynamic or other activities and are a great enhancement to these spaces.
Recognition
"Award of Excellence," General Contractors Association of Hawaii (GCA)