UHM School of Architecture faculty and students at the 2014 Hawaiʻi Woodshow, from left: Woodshop Supervisor Steve Hill, students Landon Hamada, Mohuhano Tu‘ikolongahau and Christopher Songvilay, and Assistant Professor Hongtao Zhou.
By Staff Reports
(Oahu)– A chair made of Hawaiian ash wood by Mohuhano “Mo” Tu‘ikolongahau, a graduate student at the UHM School of Architecture, was the winner of the 2014 Hawai‘i Woodshow’s Spirit of the Show Award. Sponsored by the Hawai‘i Forest Industry Association (HFIA), the statewide juried wood show is being held at the Honolulu Museum of Art School at Linekona until Sunday, September 14. The show is free and open to the public.
Tu‘ikolongahau, a graduate of Tonga High School, earned his undergraduate degree in Architecture from UH Mānoa in 2012. He produced the piece, titled “Rise Chair,” while a graduate student in a DArch elective studio class, Arch 693-Advanced Furniture Design and Fabrication, taught by Assistant Professor Hongtao Zhou.
‘Rise Chair,’ which won the Spirit of the Show Award at the 2014 Hawaii Woodshow
The Spirit of the Show Award recognizes the most creative use of underutilized Hawai‘i-grown non-native wood species. “Mo’s design took advantage of the straight ash wood fiber to create a long spiral using a free-form laminating technique, combining both sculpture and structure elements to create an architecturally beautiful as well as functional chair,” said Zhou.
There are more than 80 entries from Hawai‘i, California and Japan in the HFIA’s 2014 Hawai‘i Woodshow. UHM’s School of Architecture students and faculty contributed nine entries to showcase their design talents and woodworking skills.
“It was challenging to balance the elements—structure, seating, backrest—to achieve a cohesive look that was functional at the same time,” said Tu‘ikolongahau, who spent two months working on “Rise Chair.”