Fire goddess-inspired building wins award for UH Hilo College of Pharmacy

UH Hilo Pharmacy College

Photo credit: Tracy Niimi

Hale Kīhoʻihoʻi, the new home of the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy (DKICP) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, earned recognition at the 25th annual Kukulu Hale Awards, which recognizes excellence in Hawaiʻi's commercial real estate industry.

The 45,000-square foot, two-story structure completed in December 2019, received an award from NAIOP Hawaiʻi in the public/government project category. Hale Kīhoʻihoʻi houses lecture halls, pharmacy compounding laboratories, simulated pharmacy practice skills and dispensing labs, and innovative meeting rooms and spaces for the college. 

“With its wonderful open design, Hale Kīhoʻihoʻi is a very welcoming place that provides so many great spaces for learning, research and educational collaboration,” said Miriam Mobley, DKICP interim dean. “The structure also represents a significant commitment and investment by the State of Hawaiʻi in the university and the education of healthcare professionals.”

In ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language), kīhoʻihoʻi refers to the quick restoration of land after a lava flow. According to Hawaiian naming protocol, everything coming from this new building, and the college it houses, is intended to promote restoration of Hawaiʻi’s natural environment and its people.

Oʻahu-based firm, WCIT Architecture incorporated Hawaiian culture and themes into the building’s modern design—from the undulating roof line that represents the goddess Pele and her land-shaping lava flows, to the interior floor-to-ceiling murals that depict the blending of traditional and contemporary healing practices. The building’s design also followed LEED principles that required environmentally friendly materials and building practices.

Hilo-based Isemoto Contracting served as general contractor on the three-year building project, which is located above the main UH Hilo campus, and overlooks Hilo town and the bay.