28 Jun 2019
Snøhetta to lead revamp of Hawaii’s iconic Blaisdell Center
BY Andrew Manns
Integrated design practice Snøhetta have teamed up with AECOM and WCIT Architecture to redesign the Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, Hawaii.
The new masterplan will see the 22-acre cultural venue expanded to include a concert hall, exhibition centre, and sports pavilion.
The complex will also feature a number of outdoor spaces – such as ponds, gardens, and rivulets – all of which will follow what the design team have called a “water narrative”.
“The project is conceptually guided by the significance of water in Hawaiian culture,” said Snøhetta in a statement.
“Celebrating the use of water as it moves through the site, our design respects its natural flow from mauka to makai (from the mountain to the sea).
“Thus, the site becomes one more node in the larger system of water’s journey from the mountain to the ocean.”
Founded in 1964, the Blaisdell Center is one of Hawaii’s most well-visited landmarks, attracting 800,000 people per year.
In talks since 2017, the redevelopment is expected to “strengthen the relationship between the site, people, culture, and rich history of Honolulu”.
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