Citing the Native Genius

Abstract

For over 120 years Americanization has tried to demean and erase Hawaiian language, culture, and architecture. In contemporary discourse, the vernacular architecture of Hawai'i is mostly referred to as ancient and vague. As with many indigenous cultures, western perspectives tend to fetishize or patronize the Hawaiian design aesthetic. Within the western hierarchy of knowledge is a systemic assumption that Hawaiian vernacular architecture cannot effectively serve as a precedent resource for contemporary architects. Those who do reference the original vernacular will often classify it as utilitarian or resourceful. Regardless of intent, this narrative takes design agency away from the people involved. As a corrective, a respectful use of vernacular domestic form would benefit designers that are struggling to connect with Hawai'i’s cultural and architectural traditions. Fluent communication through form requires analysis and classification. Mining the European gaze and influence out of revivalist publications, archeological surveys and historic images reveal unique characteristics of Hawaiian domestic space. Geometric quotation and symbolic referencing are the foundational instruments in applying the discrete components, form and organizational logic of the vernacular. The result is a design process that creates an amalgamation of decolonized form and contemporary technique. This residential project intends to revive Hawaii’s erased domestic experience by revisiting the precolonial vernacular style. The outcome suggests that when designers look to the original vernacular as a primary source to solve architectural problems, a culturally unique and deeply symbolic space can emerge from the process.