University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa School of Architecture Dean William Chapman has co-authored the 600-page book Architectural Conservation in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands alongside renowned architects and scholars.
Chapman’s earlier contributions, particularly on architectural conservation in Asia, have laid the foundation for this extensive exploration. In this book, he wrote the sections on Hawaiʻi and Micronesia, and contributed to other island sections.
“Hawaiʻi has actually had a great impact on conservation practice throughout the Pacific,” Chapman said. “The book also looks at the darker side of history, such as nuclear testing in Micronesia, which is part of a shared Pacific heritage.”
Chapman plans to incorporate the book as a resource for the School of Architecture curriculum. The Hawaiʻi chapter will be introduced in the architecture course, “Preservation: Theory and Practice,” which aligns with the School of Architecture’s recently established graduate certificate program in historic preservation.
“The book places architectural conservation in the context of heritage conservation generally,” said Chapman. “It looks at traditional practices as well as efforts to preserve important examples of both Indigenous and colonial architecture.”
Architectural Conservation in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands‘s contributors come from diverse backgrounds, reflecting a global perspective on architectural conservation. Lead author John Stubbs, an emeritus professor at Tulane University has spoken at UH Mānoa’s graduate program in historic preservation. Ross King, former dean at the University of Melbourne, and Julia Gatley, a doctoral graduate from the University of Melbourne, offer insights into architectural modernism in Australia and New Zealand. The book aims to enrich the discourse on architectural conservation and the shared heritage and global cooperation in preserving the rich history of the Pacific region.
