The University of Hawaiʻi will break ground on a major capital improvement project in early 2025 to transform the heart of the UH Mānoa campus.
The project on McCarthy Mall has two phases: 1) the construction of a modern, five-story building for interdisciplinary learning and 2) significant upgrades to the iconic tree-lined mall and the Paradise Palms Food Court. It is tentatively scheduled for completion by the fall of 2028.
“This is one of the most transformational projects for the UH Mānoa campus in decades,” said UH President David Lassner.
“The new academic building will provide modern educational facilities and bring our vibrant College of Education together with collaborators and resources in other schools and colleges. And the project will fully activate McCarthy Mall as a place to actively engage rather than just transit between buildings.”
- Watch a “fly-through” of the planned McCarthy Mall transformation
- Watch a “fly-through” of the planned Interdisciplinary building
Interdisciplinary Learning Facility
The planned five-story, 77,575-square-foot facility is located on the ma uka (mountainside) of McCarthy Mall, where Snyder Hall once stood, and will be connected to Edmondson Hall. The first two floors will feature 13 small classrooms, two medium classrooms, and one large classroom, available for all UH Mānoa departments, colleges and schools.
“The goal is to create spaces that foster community, learning and collaboration,” said UH Mānoa Provost Michael Bruno. ”The modern classrooms and expanded outdoor areas will offer students and faculty comfortable, engaging environments.”
The top three floors will house modern, collaborative office spaces and conference rooms. The College of Education (COE) will occupy the third and fourth floors, and about half of the second floor. The College of Arts, Languages and Letters (CALL) will be on the fifth floor.
“The faculty and staff were asked to participate in the design of the work spaces, which meant a lot to everyone involved,” said CALL Dean Peter Arnade. “It has been a true collaborative effort for a facility built for collaboration.”
COE will relocate from its current location at the corner of University Avenue and Metcalf Street, across from the main campus.
“I commend our faculty and staff for embracing this move because it will be great for our college and the students we serve,” said COE Dean Nathan Murata. “It is going to be so much more convenient for our students and their access to campus resources.”
McCarthy Mall, Paradise Palm upgrades
Improvements to McCarthy Mall include widened walkways, lots of additional seating, electrical outlets, and enhanced lighting. The shaded area under the Monkeypod trees will accommodate more than 1,000 students with more seating options—benches, tables with umbrellas, and tablet-arm chairs, creating a more inviting and comfortable space for students to gather and study.
The Paradise Palms Food Court renovation will add a larger entrance facing McCarthy Mall with a 75-by-70-foot photovoltaic glass canopy. The canopy will provide natural light and generate renewable energy while also creating more outdoor space for students with high stools, tables, and outlets for up to 500 people.
“These upgrades respond directly to students’ requests for more outdoor gathering spaces with electrical outlets,” said UH Vice President for Administration Jan Gouveia. “This project, along with the Student Success Center opening in 2025, will hopefully encourage students to spend more time on campus.”
Part of the plan
This project is the latest in a series of major construction projects that are improving campus life. Other projects include the Isabella Aiona Abbott Life Sciences Building (completed 2020), the live-learn-work Walter Dods, Jr. facility (completed 2023), the renovation of Sinclair Library into a modern Student Success Center (opening fall 2025) and the Hale Kauhani graduate students and faculty housing facility (opening fall 2025).
“We developed ambitious, long-range plans for the campus that were approved by the Board of Regents and we are systematically and successfully executing those plans,” said Lassner. “We have embraced and integrated new approaches including design-build methodology for construction projects and public-private partnerships (P3) to increase availability of housing.”
Lassner said those responsible for the successes including Gouveia and her team that spearheaded UH planning and construction, VP for Budget & Finance and CFO Kalbert Young and his team that learned to implement P3 to do more than what was possible with the limited public funding available to us, and Provost Michael Bruno and the Mānoa leadership team that changed the way the academic community views campus spaces.
“We are incredibly grateful for the support we received from the Legislature, the Governor and the Board of Regents, who trusted us and believed we could be transformational in our thinking and approach,” said Lassner.
The McCarthy Mall project and the new Student Success Center are the second phase of the UH Mānoa Mini Master Plan and part of the campus’s Long Range Development Plan, updated in 2020, and successive 6-year CIP plans, with the last one approved in 2022. The first phase included the demolition of Henke and Snyder Halls and the construction of the Abbott Life Sciences Building. The third phase, which still needs to be funded, includes either renovating or replacing Kuykendall Hall.
Design-build team
The Hensel Phelps design-build team was selected for the McCarthy Mall project with architectural and sustainable design led by Hawaiʻi-based KYA Inc. and global design firm Perkins & Will. The project integrates advanced LEED Silver standards for sustainability and energy efficiency, reinforcing UH Mānoa’s commitment to environmentally conscious development.
“The new design not only enhances functionality of educational and work spaces, it also reflects UH Mānoa’s vision of a sustainable, collaborative campus that brings students, faculty and the wider university community together,” said Peter Mercuris, Hensel Phelps Design Manager. “We are proud to partner with UH Mānoa on this transformative project, which enhances functionality.”
The Office of Project Delivery oversees the project and ensures it finishes on time and within budget. Design-build projects—where there is a fixed sum, single contract for the design and construction—are more likely to be completed on time and with fewer cost overruns than typical design-bid-build projects. It is one of the many industry best practices adopted by UH about a decade ago.
