MANOA HERITAGE CENTER
THE HARRY & JEANETTE WEINBERG VISITOR EDUCATION HALE

©2019 Photos by David Franzen

Kuka'o'o is an agricultural heiau that is believed to have been constructed during 10th century. Strategically placed in the Waikiki ahupua'a (ancient Hawaiian land division from the mountains to the sea), Kuka'o'o heiau served as a temple for both worship and to study the cosmos related to the Hawaiian lunar calendar which determined the wet & dry seasons as well as the monthly planting & harvesting schedule. Today, Kuka'o'o heiau symbolizes the 600-800 years of sustainable living for ancient Hawaiians prior to western contact and is why sustainability was a major priority for this project. One of our major project goals was to create a Visitor Education Hale with a net zero carbon footprint and provide an educational curriculum for the school children & adult visitors who come to visit MHC.

The Visitor Education Hale is the final piece of the Manoa Heritage Center master plan. It serves as a flexible classroom for the thousands of visitors who come to MHC to experience for the ancient Hawaiian temple, Kuka'o'o heiau and well as the endemic and indigenous collection of Hawaiian plans. It also provides for the MHC administration as well as public restrooms.