This month the American Institute of Architects is featuring several events to highlight architecture history in Hawaiʻi. It includes passing the baton to the next generation of designers.
On that note, Hawaiʻi architect Sid Snyder will be in the spotlight this Friday. He was a longtime design partner of the noted modernist Vladimir Ossipoff.
The SHADE Institute is the driving force behind an upcoming pau hana event with Snyder. The institute’s name stands for Sustainable Humanitarian Architecture & Design for the Earth — its offices are in the downtown Liberty Bank building, designed by Ossipoff.
HPR talked with Dean Sakamoto, the executive director of the SHADE Institute, about Synder's contributions, as we see more high-rises materialize in Kaka’ako.
"He actually oversaw the regional urban design assessment team's visit to Hawaiʻi to make recommendations for Kaka’ako's redevelopment. So the AIA took an active role to envision what Kaka’ako could be, 50 years ago on the nose, and those recommendations helped the state to create HCDA," Sakamoto said, referring to the Hawaiʻi Community Development Authority.
He said it was thanks to Snyder that a book on Hawaiʻi modernism and Ossipoff’s influence was born.
"Sid was gracious and generous with his time and information. He gave me full access to the records. I realized that he's a walking treasure," Sakamoto said.
A talk story with master architect Sid Snyder will be held at the historic Liberty Bank offices from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. this Friday. For more information, click here.
This interview aired on The Conversation on Oct. 15, 2024. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
