The goal of Pritzker Prize-winning Japanese Architect Shigeru Ban’s Paper Log House Project is to provide an affordable and sustainable housing solution for those displaced by the Maui wildfires to help rebuild the community.
KAHULUI — In the wake of the devastating wildfires that swept through Maui, leaving over 11,000 residents displaced and without a home, immediate housing accommodations for survivors into more sustainable, long-term housing solutions are much needed. Known for his relief work around the world, renowned Pritzker-Prize-winning Japanese Architect Shigeru Ban has come to Maui to build a prototype of his sustainable temporary housing solution.
What makes this project one-of-a-kind is its innovative and unique engineering that will utilize paper tubes as a structural system.
This project is an international collaboration between Paia Rinzai Zen Mission, Lahaina Jodo Mission, Volunteer Architects Network (VAN), University of Hawaii at Manoa School of Architecture, local architecture firm Hawaii Off Grid Architecture and Engineering, UH Maui College and Pacific Millworks. This inspiring initiative will be unveiled on Maui this month.
The objective is to replicate this prototype in West Maui, offering an eco-friendly, mid-term housing solution to those affected by the wildfires. Ban and his Volunteer Architects’ Network’s (VAN) successful track record in constructing similar structures in disaster-stricken regions fuels optimism for the project’s success.
The goal of Ban’s Paper Log House Project is to provide an affordable and sustainable housing solution for those displaced by the Maui wildfires to help rebuild the community.
“We are so grateful to Shigeru Ban and the Volunteer Architects Network (VAN) to inspire and remind us of the compassion and creativity that architecture and architects can provide to our communities,” shared David Sellers, principal architect of Hawaii Off Grid, and now key collaborator on the Paper Log House Project.
In a remarkable display of international collaboration, volunteer students, alongside Ban, will journey from Japan to Maui on Dec. 4-7. They will join forces with Hawaii Off Grid’s team and students from University of Hawaii at Manoa School of Architecture to assemble the prototype at Paia Rinzai Zen Mission.
Hawaii Off Grid invites the public to an official viewing of the completed Paper Log House prototype and to be a part of a Q&A with world-renowned architect Ban this Thursday, Dec. 7, at 10 a.m. at the Paia Rinzai Zen Mission (next to Baldwin Beach Park). For those not able to attend this Thursday, scheduled viewings of this important project are also available. To schedule a viewing, visit https://www.hawaiioffgrid.com/connect
This project represents a sustainable solution to the urgent post-wildfire housing needs in Maui. Public support is crucial to help fund this important venture. Your contributions will assist with the expenses for building materials. Every donation, no matter the size, is a valuable contribution to our community’s efforts to rebuild and offer practical housing solutions.
To support this effort, visit https://shigerubanarchitects.com/news/disaster-relief-projects/relief-for-the-hawaii-wildfires-2023.
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