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John A. Burns School of Medicine in Kaka'ako

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  • John A. Burns School of Medicine in Kaka'ako

    What do you think about the new JABSOM BioMedical Center located in Kaka'ako?

    Right place?
    Wrong place?
    Or should they have built it at all?

    The architectural and technical aspects of the facility are certainly state-of-the art. No question the pride and joy of JABSOM.

    But what is the logic of placing a medical research facility on one of the hottest pieces of waterfront real estate in Honolulu?

    Is this part of the big picture of a planned new redeveloped Kaka'ako?

    What kind of attractions will they offer the general public? A visitor's center or guided tours perhaps? Even with that, does this still justify the location?

    Will this only INCREASE traffic, with students and staff traveling to and from Manoa campus?

    If you aske me, it's a WONDERFUL facility in the WRONG PLACE.
    sigpic The Tasty Island

  • #2
    Re: John A. Burns School of Medicine in Kaka'ako

    Originally posted by Pomai
    If you aske me, it's a WONDERFUL facility in the WRONG PLACE.
    For starters it is in a tsunami indundation zone. I don't know if the fake hills of Kakaako Waterfront Park behind it are tall enough to protect the facility if we get a tsunami. Certainly the school is vulnerable if a wave hits it from the side.... though I have been told that the Honolulu Harbor area may be immune from tsunani because Sand Island is in front of it.

    I think what is more wrong is for the State to approve the development of high rise condos on the waterfront parcels near the John Dominis Restaurant that are being up to make room for development.
    I'm still here. Are you?

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    • #3
      Re: John A. Burns School of Medicine in Kaka'ako

      Originally posted by mel
      I think what is more wrong is for the State to approve the development of high rise condos on the waterfront parcels near the John Dominis Restaurant that are being up to make room for development.
      The newspaper recently published drawings of the chosen A&B Properties plan of that whole area. Some of the features includes:
      • Waterfront retail and dining along the side corridor of Kewalo basin
      (where J. Dominis and old Fisheries auction block currently sits).
      • 3 High Rise Condominium "clusters"
      • 9 acre park
      • Pedestrian Bridge spanning the mouth of Kewalo basin, connecting Kaka'ako with Ala Moana
      • Amphitheatre
      • Ample Parking

      Everything about the redevelopment sounds great except the CONDOMINIUMS. Sounds like more property that will be absurdly overpriced and out of reach for most of us island residents. Not to mention adding to an already overcrowded skyline.

      Also, how does a MEDICAL RESEARCH FACILITY fit into that picture? That's like saying, "here's an AMUSEMENT PARK we're going to build, with a SUGARCANE PROCESSING PLANT in the middle". lol

      This new JABSOM facility supposedly has a seawater pumping system that uses the ocean water to "cool" the facility. Isn't good 'ole AIR CONDITIONING/REFRIGERATION more than adequate to do this?

      Good point about being in an inundation zone too. So what if that place gets swamped with sea water by Tsunami? Do they have water-tight vaults to protect the precious research material that will be stored there?
      Last edited by Pomai; October 4, 2005, 09:51 AM. Reason: Added Content
      sigpic The Tasty Island

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      • #4
        Re: John A. Burns School of Medicine in Kaka'ako

        I think the rationale behind building any edifices in a tidal wave inundation zone or flood plain is simple...the land is there, to hell with the consequences. It's like people who don't buy insurance, hoping they can beat the odds. But if they didn't develop there, where would A&B find enough land on Oahu to satisfy the developers? Many times ambitious projects like what's planned in Kaka'ako don't have the kinds of people on their planning boards that can look into the future and ask those "what if" kinds of questions. No doubt there will probably be some unexpected consequences that occur there in the future.

        Miulang
        "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

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        • #5
          Re: John A. Burns School of Medicine in Kaka'ako

          Originally posted by Pomai
          This new JABSOM facility supposedly has a seawater pumping system that uses the ocean water to "cool" the facility. Isn't good 'ole AIR CONDITIONING/REFRIGERATION more than adequate to do this?
          Seawater cooling is supposed to be more energy-efficient, because you don't need to use electricity to do your cooling. It still costs some energy to run your water pumps, but you don't have to run chillers. If your building is located near to a cold-water source, it's worth considering.

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          • #6
            Re: John A. Burns School of Medicine in Kaka'ako

            Originally posted by Pomai
            What do you think about the new JABSOM BioMedical Center located in Kaka'ako?

            Right place?
            Wrong place?
            Or should they have built it at all?

            The architectural and technical aspects of the facility are certainly state-of-the art. No question the pride and joy of JABSOM.

            But what is the logic of placing a medical research facility on one of the hottest pieces of waterfront real estate in Honolulu?

            Is this part of the big picture of a planned new redeveloped Kaka'ako?

            What kind of attractions will they offer the general public? A visitor's center or guided tours perhaps? Even with that, does this still justify the location?

            Will this only INCREASE traffic, with students and staff traveling to and from Manoa campus?

            If you aske me, it's a WONDERFUL facility in the WRONG PLACE.
            Without having any spreadsheets in front of me, I want to say that there is intrinsic value to having a med school facility in that area. I don't see it on par with say, an industrial area. It will bring the trendy and brainy to the locale, which adds a certain cachet to the waterfront. Sort of like what HPU brings to the heart of the business district.

            Its a perfect complement to what our beloved touriseses bring to the same locale.

            pax

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            • #7
              Re: John A. Burns School of Medicine in Kaka'ako

              There's a good piece on the Kaka`ako plan in the September issue of Honolulu Magazine ("The Crowning of Kakaako"). The theme I pick up from the HCDA and others with a stake in the area is "diversification." We don't just want retail, or residential, or light industrial, but also life sciences, technology, education.

              If anything, plunking the medical school there seemed a deliberate statement that Kaakako won't just become Victoria Ward West, or Downtown East, but something else entirely.

              Not too long ago, I never gave the area a second thought. Then the unlikely development of the Kaka`ako Waterfront Park (on buried waste that still needs venting!) brought families and young people there. Then the Children's Discovery Center brought even more kids. The medical school brings students, scientists, young professionals... basically, it went from an area that I completely ignored to one that I find myself in surprisingly often.

              I suppose as a whole it seems a bit weird, but the mix can be a good thing. The only thing about the "master plan" that bothers me, in fact, is that a unifying vision usually means sameness and uniformity - another mall slash business park slash tourist attraction.

              The residential aspect of the plan is definitely the most troublesome for some folks. I can see rationale for and against. Without a neighborhood, the character of a place becomes schitzophrenic. Like UH Manoa after 11 a.m., or downtown after 5 p.m. Everyone goes home, and the area becomes a shell for... whatever else wants to move in.

              On the other hand, there is an element to entertainment and nightlife to the plan, and purposely putting arts and music and performances as well as residents into an area is just building in complaints and conflicts. Even if people moving in know what they're getting -- especially if they're the kind of people who'll probably be the only people who can afford to move in -- they'll find a way to stifle activity over time.
              Last edited by pzarquon; October 4, 2005, 02:38 PM.

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              • #8
                Re: John A. Burns School of Medicine in Kaka'ako

                I think the medical center should have been built on the Big Island. With Oahu becoming more and more overpopulated, UH Hilo would be a perfect place to expand the University of Hawaii's science program on abundant land area.

                I think the mentality of building only on Oahu is a bit short-sighted the State of Hawaii should really be looking at extending beyond Oahu's shores to it's neighbor islands where commerce and population expansion is starting to grow at a feverish pace.
                Life is what you make of it...so please read the instructions carefully.

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