From Keiki to Kalo

Kendall Ellingwood still beams with pride when he recalls the opening of the Sidney and Minnie Kosasa Community for Grades 2 – 5 in 2019. “The faces of the kids as they ran around and explored the play area were pure joy,” he says. “The space was coming to life – and it was even better than what we had imagined.”

For years, the vp at Design Partners had worked closely with a broad spectrum of Punahou stakeholders to bring Kosasa to fruition. “It was a committee that included teachers, administrators and other people who would be using the space,” he says. “They had great ideas that they would bring to the table and we would find ways to execute.”

Kosasa’s design was informed by research in the neuroscience of learning – and the way that spaces can facilitate inquiry-based learning, with an emphasis on green education. The impressive Kosasa complex includes 28 Studio Classrooms, an Art and Music Building and a state-of-the-art K – 8 Learning Center Commons. In addition, there are administrative offices as well as a multi-purpose central commons area.

As formidable as those spaces are, the crown jewel of the Kosasa complex is arguably its exterior – there aren’t too many campuses where one can find a functioning lo‘i for growing kalo (the Ka‘aumoana Lo‘i), catchment cisterns for collecting rainwater, a 25,000-square-foot native Hawaiian forest environment with trails, and a vegetable garden.

“All of these features were part of an interactive learning environment where sustainability and Hawaiian studies would clearly be integrated into the curriculum,” Ellingwood says.

The visionaries of Kosasa wanted a variety of outdoor places, where students could learn, socialize – and even take measured risks during play time. “The play equipment isn’t your ordinary jungle gym; it was carefully chosen for how it encourages certain types of dynamic play and then imported from Europe.”

Punahou’s dedication to sustainability has a long tradition, so it is no surprise that the complex was developed with diverse energy efficiency features, helping Kosasa become the first net-zero building on campus.

In 2021, Kosasa was recognized as a distinguished entrant in the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Design Awards, which highlights public and private structures shaping Hawai‘i’s community for the better through design. The AIA is the leading voice and resource in the architectural profession.

At the time, AIA Honolulu President Karen Sakamoto noted that, “all of the awardees exemplified a vision to meet or exceed safety requirements, utilize sustainable and efficient methods and fulfill our cultural and emotional needs.”