OUTSIDE HOUSE: Kipuka Makai

The Outside House is an experiment in design for dwelling where the land comes first. It is two small pavilions, the “mauka” and the “makai,” that structure space for living outside on this agricultural land in upcountry Maui. The center of the Outside House is the uneven, ever-changing ground between the pavilions. The unbuilt areas of the Outside House—lichen on the lava, a curved rock wall, a growing endemic mamane tree, and the weather–are the essence of daily living in this place. The outdoor pavilion is named the Makai after the Hawaiian word for seaward. This pavilion is a roofed platform that shelters a deck, outdoor kitchen, and hidden outdoor shower that are all open to views of the Pacific and the island of Kahoolawe. Photography: Olivier Koning, Structural Steel Design and Steel Fabrication Design: Mark Donofrio