In 2016, the University of Hawaii at Manoa School of Architecture established the University of Hawaii Community Design Center (UHCDC), working in close collaboration with a state legislator to meet the needs of the state government. This unique governmental alignment introduced a novel form of community design that opened up new academic and extramural space for the school and university, taking the form of a top-down public sector practice as distinct from its more common, bottom-up public interest alternative. This paper presents the results of three years of continuous dialogue with the state legislature and over $2 million in contracts with state agencies, by reflecting on the transformative effects of public sector practice on design pedagogy. This reflection follows three case study courses: an undergraduate basic design studio; an undergraduate concentration design studio; and an advanced professional practice course, all required within Hawaii’s undergraduate and graduate curricula. Each case study lists learning, teaching, and long term benefits that flowed from each public sector partnership, focusing on the potential of this model to strengthen and enrich professional education. The evolution of these courses maps the transition from working on projects to working on systems, also a move toward applying equitable academic and design rigor to marginalized project typologies—e.g. utility buildings, infrastructure, renovation, and repair and maintenance. In addition, UHCDC’s contract work represents an expanded field of practice, including social science research, service and strategy design, community engagement, information design, engineering, and development studies, demonstrating the broader disciplinary demands of the public sector. More importantly, the significant dividends from this three year-old public sector practice identifies an opportunity area for architectural education and practice—design in government.
From Disaster to Resilience
