Hālau Kūkulu Hawaiʻi: A Home that Builds Multitudes presents a hale (building), whose design and construction process embodies grassroots efforts to care for ʻ āina, a Native Hawaiian term for land meaning “that which feeds.” Organized by After Oceanic Built Environments Lab and Leong Leong Architecture, the scalable design builds upon aspects of Indigenous Hawaiian architecture, adapting traditional hale and waʻa (canoe) lashing techniques, which use cordage to secure built structures without metal fasteners for contemporary architectural construction. The project brought together the expertise of culture bearers and traditional hale builders with architects, artists, and engineers at the Kūkūlukumuhana camp in the storied Waipiʻo Valley on Hawaiʻi Island. to develop the prototype by sharing knowledge with each other. Their approach demonstrates the value of engaging in collaborative building using Native knowledge systems as a means of supporting cultural, ecological, and political recovery across Pae ‘Āina Hawai‘i, (the Hawaiian Islands), and the Kānaka Maoli diaspora. Hālau Kūkulu Hawaiʻi illuminates the challenges and potentials for advancing Native architecture in Hawai‘i.

“Making Home – Smithsonian Design Triennial”

Featuring 25 site-specific, newly commissioned installations, Making Home—Smithsonian Design Triennial explores design’s role in shaping the physical and emotional realities of home across the United States, US Territories, and Tribal Nations. The exhibition is the seventh offering in the museum’s Design Triennial series, which was established in 2000 to address the most urgent topics of the time through the lens of design.