Modern Hawaiian Lanais (Part I, houses)
Having just returned from the Big Island of Hawai‘i – the first time in five years not related at least partially to working with the Hawai‘i Wildlife Center – I still have Hawai‘i on my mind… It doesn’t help that the temperatures dipped into single digits this weekend, with wind chills below zero!
Architects have a hard time traveling without focusing obsessively on local architecture, and Hawaii’s – the openness to the elements, the blurring of inside and outside, the direct link to Asian architecture in both form and spatial flow – is particularly alluring. One key element is the “lanai”, a term first used in Hawai‘i in the early eighteenth century, and elsewhere known generically as a porch or veranda. The Hawaiian Islands are well known for their steady tropical breezes, a benefit and sometimes curse of being located so remotely in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Hawaiian lanais are often a house’s primary living space, and provide much needed shade and help Hawaiian buildings breathe by catching the trade winds and using that constant supply of fresh, naturally cooled (by the Pacific) air to remove hotter, more stagnant air. Below are a few of my favorite examples of modern lanais.
Send us your own images and thoughts! And look forward to future posts showing how we bring this “exotic” knowledge to our New England projects!
Credits:
Belzberg Architects, Santa Monica, CA: Belzberg Architects
Olson Kundig Architects, Seattle, WA: Olson Kundig Architects
Craig Steeley Architecture, San Francisco, CA: Craig Steely Architecture
Legoretta + Legoretta, Mexico: Legorreta + Legorreta
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- An abstract, open air entry lanai at a house designed by Belzberg Architects; with less than 10” of precipitation a year, shade is more critical than protection from rain.
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- Deep roof overhangs and a raised infinity-edged pool help keep this lanai cool. Credit: Belzberg Architects
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- This lanai is defined by two stone and glass walls and a narrow lap pool; the walls are tall enough to provide ample shade, and the shape of the space helps funnel fresh air through. Credit: Belzberg Architects
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- Opposite view of the same lanai shown on the left; note the lanai’s modern “trellis” ceiling, which helps create shade while also allowing warm air to escape between the wood beams. Credit: Belzberg Architects
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- A house on the Big Island of Hawaii designed by Olson Kundig Architects. Its primary lanai is located between the main living space and guest suites.
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- View of the lanai, which flows into the main living space. Credit: Olson Kundig Archtiects
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- This house, designed by Craig Steeley Architecture, has a screened lanai on the upper floor.
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- Inside Steeley’s screened lanai; note the floor boards, which are held apart to enhance natural ventilation.
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- Another house by Craig Steeley Architecture, with the open air lanai separating the main house and a separate studio.
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- The ceiling of this lanai is raised slightly to allow warmer air to rise up through the gap and be replaced by cooler, fresh air brought by the trade winds. Yes, that is lava…
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- A house by Ricardo Legoretta on the Kohala Coast of Hawaii. The continuous lanai protects the house from intense western sunlight and allows ever space to flow freely towards the ocean terraces.
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- Legoretta’s lanai utilizes a small salt water plunge pool to help keep the space cool, the steady sea breezes being cooled as they blow across the water.
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