Everyone is invited to help celebrate Architecture Month by attending free April screenings of the film “Biophilic Design: The Architecture of Life” in Hilo, Waimea and Kona.
Everyone is invited to help celebrate Architecture Month by attending free April screenings of the film “Biophilic Design: The Architecture of Life” in Hilo, Waimea and Kona.
The Hawaii Island Section of the Honolulu Chapter of the American Institute of Architects is hosting the programs and Gov. Neil Abercrombie has issued an official proclamation recognizing April as Architecture Month in Hawaii.
The hour-long U.S.-made film, directed by Stephen R. Kellert and Bill Finnegan, focuses on Biophilic Design, which is defined as “an innovative way of designing the places where we live, work and learn.”
“We need nature in a deep and fundamental fashion, but we have often designed our cities and suburbs in ways that both degrade the environment and alienate us from nature,” said a spokesman. “The recent trend in green architecture has decreased the environmental impact of the built environment, but it has accomplished little in the way of reconnecting us to the natural world, the missing piece in the puzzle of sustainable development.”
The filmmakers invite people to “Come on a journey from our evolutionary past and the origins of architecture to the world’s most celebrated buildings in a search for the architecture of life. Together, we will encounter buildings that connect people and nature — hospitals where patients heal faster, schools where children’s test scores are higher, offices where workers are more productive.”
Here’s the screening schedule:
l Waimea: Friday, April 19, at 7 p.m. in the Hualalai Conference Room at the W.M. Keck Observatory Headquarters, 65-1120 Mamalahoa Highway;
l Kona: Thursday, April 25, at 6 p.m. at the Donkey Mill Art Center, 78-6670 Mamalahoa Highway, and
l Hilo: Friday, April 26, at 6:30 p.m. at the Hawaii Innovation Center at Hilo, with doors opening at 6 p.m. and introductions at 6:25 p.m. The center is at 117 Keawe St., one block mauka of Kamehameha Avenue in downtown Hilo.
To register for the free film screenings and for more information on these and other Architecture Month events, please visit the AIA Honolulu website at www.aiahonolulu.org.
AIA Honolulu first launched the celebration of Architecture Month in Hawaii in 2006 to mark the 150th anniversary of the founding of the national organization.
“The free public events are designed to foster local awareness of our built environment so that we may continue to enjoy our island lifestyle,” said an organization spokesman.
Since 1926, AIA Honolulu has served its membership and the community by promoting design excellence in Hawaii’s built environment. Its continuing education programs promote leadership and professionalism among its membership of some 800 architects and allied building professionals. And AIA hosts activities to educate the public about architecture and the value of quality design.
For 154 years, members of the American Institute of Architects have worked with each other and their communities to create more valuable, healthy, secure, and sustainable buildings and cityscapes. AIA members have access to the right people, knowledge, and tools to create better design, and through such resources and access, they help clients and communities make their visions real.