Architect Shigeru Ban of Japan visits Maui to offer sustainable housing option in wake of wildfire

In the wake of the devastating wildfires that swept through Maui, leaving thousands of residents displaced, efforts to find immediate housing accommodations for survivors has been top of mind. Recent efforts have focused on the need to transition displaced residents from temporary hotel shelters into long-term housing solutions.

Known for his relief work around the world, renowned Pritzker-Prize-winning architect Shigeru Ban of Japan came to Maui to build a prototype of his sustainable temporary housing solution. His one-of-a-kind, unique engineering utilizes paper tubes as a structural system.

This initiative was unveiled on Maui when volunteer students, alongside Shigeru Ban, journeyed from Japan the Valley Isle from Dec. 4-7. They joined forces with Hawaiʻi Off Grid’s team and students from University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa School of Architecture to assemble the prototype at the Pāʻia Rinzai Zen Mission.

The objective is to replicate this prototype in West Maui, offering an eco-friendly, mid-term housing solution to those affected by the wildfires. Ban and his Volunteer Architects’ Network have constructed similar structures in disaster-stricken regions.

The goal of Ban’s Paper Log House Project is to provide an affordable and sustainable housing solution for those displaced by the Maui wildfires to help rebuild the community.

“We are so grateful to Shigeru Ban and the Volunteer Architects Network to inspire and remind us of the compassion and creativity that architecture and architects can provide to our communities,” said David Sellers, Principal Architect of Hawaiʻi Off Grid, and key collaborator on the Paper Log House Project.