(Honolulu Magazine)
Architect Dean Sakamoto spearheads the adaptive reuse of notable buildings to honor Honolulu’s social past.
Honolulu architect Dean Sakamoto has been on a quiet, yet determined, quest to preserve Hawai‘i’s past by finding new uses for notable buildings. As a creative problem solver with a commitment to sustainability, he says it’s his civic duty to prevent the loss of valuable resources.
A current focus is helping to reenvision the dilapidated Hawai‘i Hochi building in Kapālama, with Kamehameha Schools and the city preparing for its extreme makeover as a workforce housing hub on a revitalized industrial footprint. Built in 1972 for the Japanese newspaper Hawai‘i Hochi, and designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Kenzo Tange, the raw concrete structure is a testament to the social significance of the newspaper, which was born out of the milestone 1902 strike by exploited Japanese plantation workers.
Read Full Article: https://www.honolulumagazine.com/restoring-honolulu-buildings/ Credits: Lesa Griffith