For the 13th Festival of the Pacific Arts and Culture (FestPAC), the Hawaiʻi Convention Center was transformed into a vibrant cultural village that featured four exhibits, one main stage, and three artisan stages, in five days. Under the theme "Ho'oulu Lahui - Regenerating Oceania," the 200,000-square-foot exhibition space was designed to celebrate culture, sustainability, and learning.
Historically, the Festival Village was built outdoors with permanent structures reflecting the host country's traditional architecture. This year marked the first indoor construction using temporary structures, reimagining a dynamic cultural exhibition space that brought the outdoors inside. Within the 200,000-square-foot exhibition hall, 28 prefabricated hale (house), measuring 20 by 30 feet and 18 feet tall, were thoughtfully constructed from invasive trees.
Combining modern prefabrication techniques, locally sourced materials, and the reuse of invasive trees allowed us to meet the event’s rigorous timeframe while minimizing environmental impact. Building a single traditional hale (house) typically takes over one month; however, using prefabricated flame-retardant lumber, thatch and hardware reduced the typical month-long timeline for a single hale to 2.5 days for all 28 structures—a remarkable feat made possible through collaboration with the design team, community stakeholders, local contractors and volunteers.
FestPAC pioneered a sustainable approach by repurposing multiple invasive tree species into structural lumber—a first at this scale—addressing Hawai‘i’s pressing ecological challenges. These fast-growing, non-native trees pose significant ecological threats, displacing native species by outcompeting them for sunlight and water, and contributing to a decline in biodiversity. By repurposing invasive trees, the project not only addressed pressing ecological challenges but also set a groundbreaking precedent for using invasive species in sustainable building practices. Harvested and prefabricated at a single state land site, the process reduced emissions, minimized waste, and established a scalable model for sustainable construction.
The Festival Village hale layout mirrors the geographic arrangement of the Pacific Island nations. Visitors were welcomed by the "Chanting Ocean" exhibit and a Wa’a (canoe), evoking their ancestors' arrivals. Dynamic ocean wave projections and rhythmic audio chants immersed visitors into the rich tapestry of Pacific culture.
The "Star Compass" exhibit, serving as a striking backdrop to the Wa’a, featured a 60-foot rotating night sky that used multiple 4K projectors, synchronized audio, and moving visuals, to highlight key constellations that showcased ancestral navigation by stars.
The nearby 360-degree “Hā” (Breath) exhibit embodied the meaning of ALOHA—presence of breath. This meditative space invited visitors to participate in a sacred breathing ritual. The immersive experience combined nature visuals with calming rhythmic audio to evoke a sense of connection to life. The Polynesian greeting of honi, pressing foreheads and noses together, symbolize the exchange of hā, the breath of life.
In this convergence of Pacific nations and cultures, FestPAC transcended traditional expo boundaries and emerged as the largest hub for Pacific art, cultural connection, education, and preservation for future generations, weaving a tapestry of unity and celebration while fostering a legacy of heritage and environmental stewardship for Oceania.
