Updated June 18, 2023: The start of the campus shuttle service announced on June 15 has been temporarily delayed. The new start date will be announced soon.

Original story:

A pilot project between the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa and the (HDOT) will launch the State of �鶹��ý’s first autonomous electric “Min-E Bus” on the Mānoa campus starting June 2023. This HDOT test project is the first under �鶹��ý’s Autonomous Vehicle Testing law passed in 2020 and will help the state meet its goal of achieving 100% clean energy by 2045 as HDOT transitions to electric vehicles.

UH Mānoa’s College of Engineering is a partner in the project, responsible for collecting and analyzing data for HDOT as it begins to add autonomous and electric vehicles to its fleet.

“This is a milestone for the Department of Transportation and the state,” said HDOT Director Ed Sniffen. “We are doing our part to meet the state’s sustainability goals and make our roads safer. As autonomous vehicles become more widely used, the rate and severity of car accidents is expected to drop, and that will save lives.”

The air-conditioned, 14-passenger, AV Star All-Electric Autonomous Min-E Bus features state-of-art technology Perrone Robotics TONY (To Navigate to You) autonomous system and meets all Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. It is also able to serve passengers in wheelchairs and as a precautionary measure, human drivers will be seated at the wheel and able to take control, if needed.

The HDOT Min-E Bus will provide autonomous shuttle service to UH Mānoa’s upper and lower campus over the summer in the first phase of the project. Phase 2, expected to begin in the fall, will expand the service to the Kauʻiokahaloa Nui Apartments faculty housing complex near the Mānoa Marketplace.

“This pilot autonomous shuttle bus project will provide first-hand experience right here in �鶹��ý and help us collect invaluable data that will help in our understanding of what the future of transportation and mobility will look like,” said College of Engineering Dean Brennon Morioka. “It will help the state better prepare for the necessary changes in infrastructure as well as policies to accommodate large-scale autonomous vehicle deployments in �鶹��ý. We are very proud of the role that UH’s College of Engineering is playing in this initiative that HDOT is leading.”

Professor Guohui Zhang added, “This project will provide our students with an invaluable research opportunity to use what they have learned in the classroom to serve our state and community. In addition to better understanding the innovative, state-of-the-art autonomous driving technologies, we will emphasize vehicle-infrastructure interoperability and community-wide travel connectivity in this project. Our students will use this autonomous bus platform to advance their research horizons in Artificial Intelligence (AI)-empowered traffic mobility and safety enhancement, as well as traffic digital twin modeling and formulation.”

The project is a natural fit with UH, which has set a goal for the 10-campus system of zero carbon emissions by 2035. Compared to a comparable gas-powered passenger vehicle, the HDOT Min-E Bus is estimated to save more than 660 gallons of gas per year ($3,133 savings/year if cost of fuel is $4.60/gallon) and decrease carbon dioxide by 13,021 pounds/year.

Autonomous shuttle information

The autonomous shuttle is for UH Mānoa students, faculty, staff and affiliates. The Phase 1 route for the HDOT Min-E Bus will run every 30 minutes from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. starting from the Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies. The route with 11 stops will take it through student housing, down East West Road and Maile Way, to the Queen Liliʻuokalani Center for Student Services (QLC), and back to the Kamakakūokalani Center.

There are 11 stops along the route in the following order:

• Kamakakūokalani Center
• Frear Hall
• Hale Noelani
• Hale Wainani
• Burns Hall
• Jefferson Hall
• St. John
• Varney Circle
• Paradise Palms
• Kennedy Theatre
• Gateway House on Dole Street

The route for a second phase is planned to run from the UH Mānoa campus to the Kauʻiokahaloa Nui Apartments faculty housing located near the Mānoa Marketplace.

Other UH Mānoa units involved in the UH phases of the project include Commuter Services, Student Housing Services and Campus Operations and Facilities and the Office of Risk Management.

On April 5, the Board of Water Supply urged Oʻahu residents, businesses and government agencies to reduce water usage by 10% because of the Red Hill water crisis and the answered the call.

“We want to do our part in knowing the urgency of water conservation, especially with what is happening at Red Hill,” said Blake Araki, director of campus operations and facilities. “Our team has stepped up to the challenge and has done an incredible job of maintaining our beautiful campus while conserving water.”

UH Mānoa voluntarily reduced on campus water consumption by 10% and stopped watering large lawn areas, reduced irrigation, put new plantings on hold, postponed fire protection system testing that discharged water and instructed maintenance staff to address leaking fixtures with urgency.

The UH Building and Grounds Management has continued to reduce water usage while maintaining plant and tree health by watering landscaping when necessary and spreading mulch around campus.

The Mānoa campus continues to reduce watering large lawn areas by 50–75%, as needed depending on the condition of the area, and is reducing the frequency of irrigation for shrubbery by 20%.

UH Facilities Operations implemented a water conservation program to reduce domestic water usage for chilled water plant chemical treatment systems by approximately 25%. Domestic water usage for a chilled water plant can contribute up to 15% of the total building water usage.

Long-term planning

Reducing water usage on campus has been a collaboration across multiple units including: landscaping, campus operations and facilities.

Some long-term plans are to continue replacing plumbing fixtures with low flow fixtures; reducing make-up water demand on central air conditioning systems by consulting with appropriate chemical treatment vendors on various treatment programs; and reducing operating hours of the larger chilled water plants in buildings around campus.

Reporting leaks

Reports on water fixture leaks in buildings around campus have increased by more than 20%, with people being more proactive in filling out a report when they see a leak.

The UH community can report any leaking fixtures on campus by submitting a work request to the work coordination center at manoawcc@hawaii.edu.

Read more UH Mānoa sustainability stories.

The University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa will shine a little brighter, use less energy and be safer at night after a major project to upgrade the lighting poles along the upper campus main roadways with new energy-efficient LED lights is completed. The UH Mānoa Office of Campus Operations and Facilities will begin replacing 150 lighting poles, fixtures and foundations on East-West Road and Maile Way in October in a project expected to take about 18 months.

“This project will not only make our campus safer with better lighting, it is another step toward UH’s goal of being net-zero (producing as much energy from renewable sources as consumed) by 2035,” said Jan Gouveia, UH vice president for administration. “In the last 11 years, we have saved more than 50 million kilowatt-hours (KWh) through projects like these and by redesigning and reworking of systems.”

The new LED lighting system will use 64% less energy, with an estimated annual energy consumption of 29,346kWh compared to 82,346kWh with the current High-Intensity Discharge light fixtures. Additionally, LEDs have a longer lifespan, and require less maintenance and fewer replacements.

UH Mānoa completed similar exterior lighting upgrades over the last several years, which yielded better lighting and energy savings of millions of kilowatt hours annually. Those projects included the law school library courtyard and the parking lots at the Pacific Biosciences Research Center, Center for Korean Studies, Kennedy Theatre and Spalding Hall, among others.

• Related �鶹��ýNews story: UH Mānoa net zero heroes improve energy efficiency, track progress, March 1, 2021

The LEDs have automated time-clocks and turn on from 6 p.m.–7 a.m. daily, for the safety and benefit of students, faculty and staff commuters who traverse the campus at night and during the early morning hours. Their motion-activated illumination controls also help to increase safety and save energy at the same time.

“Reducing our energy use has helped save the university millions of kilowatt-hours annually, and makes for a more sustainable Mānoa campus in the future,” said UH Mānoa project manager Daren Lui.

Construction is expected to begin in late October 2022 and will affect pedestrian and vehicular access along East-West Road and Maile Way roadways. Project completion is expected by January 2024.

See the UH Office of Sustainability’s Energy Efficiency website for information on multiple energy savings projects on campus.

An aging pedestrian walkway on the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa campus got a brand-new look while saving the university thousands of dollars, thanks to the hard work of students.

Located between the Queen Liliʻuokalani Center for Student Services and Saunders Hall, the 100-foot walkway became very uneven and filled with potholes through the years, creating a pedestrian hazard. More than 40 students from a construction materials course, under the guidance of Professor Amarjit Singh, took matters into their own hands.

After approval from Campus Operations and Facilities (COPF), students prepared the layout and structural and pavement design for the new walkway in March. The proposal was approved by the Office of Project Delivery in April. The COPF-Buildings and Grounds Management (BGM) Department helped with excavation, heavy equipment, installation of the rebar and partial placement of the aggregate subbase. The students compacted the subgrade and subbase, specified the concrete mix, and fabricated and installed the formwork. The students procured the rebar and lumber and various tools. Hawaiian Cement donated the aggregate and the concrete. Students arranged for a concrete pump truck and then assisted BGM workers to pour and vibrate the concrete. Hensel Phelps contributed two professional masons to make a perfect surface finish.

In total, the students worked with and gathered approvals from UH Mānoa’s Office of Planning and Facilities, Office of Project Delivery, Mānoa Sustainability Office, Facilities Management Office, Buildings and Grounds Management, and the Environmental Health and Safety Office.

Project completed under budget

The students initially budgeted $4,300 for a 40-foot walkway project. However, thanks to the Hawaiian Cement donation and other cost saving measures, the students were able to complete the full 100-foot walkway in approximately $3,500. This saved the university an estimated amount upwards of $40,000, if an outside structural engineering consultant and contractor were hired.

Making a difference on campus

Rumesh Senthilnathan, a junior majoring in civil and environmental engineering, was one of the student leads in the project.

“It was a good feeling to learn what it takes to turn an idea into reality in the real world,” Senthilnathan said. “I had a real taste of what it takes to get everything and everyone on track. The trick was to roll with the punches because nothing was perfect and will never be, but we must strive to make the finished product as close to perfection and humanly possible.”

Senthilnathan credited Singh, teaching assistant Jacob Passoff and Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering lab tech Jonathan Imai with helping to supervise all aspects of the project.

“This was a great learning experience for students who will handle future large-scale construction projects in the state, country, or anywhere in the world,” Singh said. “There was great collaboration between the Facilities Department and the students. This project was a win for UH Mānoa that got a solid walkway to high quality industry standards for minimal cost. The students completed the project well below budget and were ready for the pour one week ahead of schedule. Students learned strategies for effective execution of works. In the end, the stated purpose of the walkway is to improve life on campus one walkway at a time, as well as encourage student learning.”

UH Mānoa Director of Campus Operations and Facilities Blake Araki credited Roxanne Adams, COPF–BGM director; Yosuke Jo, BGM-Landscape Services manager; and Brandon Shima, Office of Project Delivery–design manager with helping to oversee the project from start to finish.

This work is an example of UH Mānoa’s goals of (PDF) and (PDF), two of four goals identified in the (PDF), updated in December 2020.

—By Marc Arakaki

While the campus was still not at full capacity over the summer due the COVID-19 pandemic, the Office of Campus Operations and Facilities completed a special project on the third floor of Kuykendall Hall and took advantage of the empty space to do a total refresh of three general classrooms.

In three classrooms on the third floor—rooms 301, 306 and 310—the project team replaced the carpet, cove base, window blinds, chair guards, patched and painted all surfaces in each room, installed new LED lights, repaired and replaced ceiling soffits and tiles, replaced all air conditioning system air devices, replaced light switch and outlet cover plates, repaired projector screens and other miscellaneous items.

Ceiling tiles in the corridor were repaired and replaced, new LED lights installed, and wall surfaces were patched and painted. The restrooms had work done to repair damaged wall and floor ceramic tiles, replace mirrors, patch and paint wall surfaces, replace damaged plumbing fixtures, install hands-free faucets and paper towel dispensers and replace damaged lights.

In the Diamond Head lobby area on the third floor, existing classroom tables and concrete benches were relocated along the lobby perimeter to allow for extra study, seating and gathering areas.

“Our facilities team did a phenomenal job spearheading this special project and were able to take advantage of the empty space in Kuykendall Hall this summer to make sure everything was ready for classes in the fall,” said Blake Araki, director of campus operations and facilities.

• Related �鶹��ýNews story: Major uptick in Mānoa campus upkeep during pandemic, June 2, 2020

Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, the UH Mānoa operations and facilities team were able to complete a number of campus improvements including:

• Repaving and resurfacing of approximately 290,000 square feet (6.5 acres) of roadways and parking lots
• Repairs to air conditioning cooling towers and chillers that serve the Campus Center Complex—Campus Center, Hemenway Hall and the Warrior Recreation Center
• A deep cleaning to the Campus Center meeting rooms and courtyard, including the benches

This effort is an example of UH Mānoa’s goal of (PDF), one of four goals identified in the (PDF), updated in December 2020.

Construction crews finished tearing down Snyder Hall on iconic McCarthy Mall on the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa campus on July 2. The project is on schedule and will be completed before the start of the fall 2021 semester.

Site preparation started in the spring, with the actual demolition of the 59-year-old, five-story, concrete building beginning on June 2. Crews will now remove the remaining debris and prepare the site for temporary landscaping.

The state Legislature has provided $70 million in funding for a replacement building that will include flexible learning and office spaces that support modern methods of online delivery, collaboration and advising. The project is in the planning phases with construction tentatively scheduled to start in 2022/2023.

• Related story: Eerie animal noises, world-class research part of Snyder Hall’s history

Snyder Hall’s former occupants are now located in the $65-million Life Sciences Building that opened in July 2020.

The Snyder Hall demolition marks the start of Phase 2 of the UH Mānoa Mini Master Plan that includes the construction of a replacement building. Phase 1 included the demolition of Henke Hall in 2017 and the construction of the Life Sciences Building in its place on the Diamond Head end of McCarthy Mall.

With hundreds of employees working on campus to keep operations online, a call for masks was sent out. And UH Mānoa community members responded in a big way.

The College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTHAR) and the Department of Theatre and Dance provided Buildings and Grounds Management teams and facilities employees with about 500 masks.

“Our employees appreciate the aloha these volunteers provided with their own hands and hearts,” said Blake Araki, director of Office of Campus Operations and Facilities. “Our employees have never left. They’ve been here the whole time to make sure our campus is safe and that essential operations can continue.”

The department was able to purchase several hundred more masks, allowing front line employees to have a mask for almost each day of the week.

To help the cause, CTHAR alumna Sylvia Kop and husband Mark, owners of Hula Supply Center, donated more than 500 yards of fabric for the masks.

• Related �鶹��ýNews story: Volunteers needed to sew masks for UH Mānoa facilities crew, April 7, 2020

The has entered into a pre-closing agreement and pre-construction right of entry with for its first major public-private partnership (P3) that will provide on-campus housing for UH Mānoa graduate students and faculty members.

The estimated $110 million building project will provide 388 affordable rental housing units along with a child-care facility and ground floor retail space. It will be located on the former NOAA site (approximately 2.2 acres) on Dole Street next to Burns Hall, across the street from Frear Hall. The pre-closing agreement was approved by the Board of Regents in March.

“We are constantly working to find pioneering opportunities to enhance the experience for our students, faculty and staff on campus,” said Kalbert Young, UH vice president for budget and finance and chief financial officer. “The new housing project helps meet the demand for modern, on-campus housing at a reasonable cost.”

The university is actively pursuing P3s as a way to monetize UH-owned lands to generate another revenue stream beyond tuition and state funding such as real property development, renewable energy development and facilities maintenance.

P3s are nationally recognized as a great way for government entities to enhance financing options, shift operating costs, leverage assets and capitalize on private-sector expertise.
—Kalbert Young

“P3s are nationally recognized as a great way for government entities to enhance financing options, shift operating costs, leverage assets and capitalize on private-sector expertise,” said Young. “The Office of Strategic Development and Partnership that was established in June 2019 will lead the coordination of real property administration for the 10 UH campuses, and P3s are a significant part of our strategy moving forward.”

Greystar will design-build, finance, operate and maintain the family-oriented mixed-use rental housing project. The company is considered a global leader in the investment, development and management of high-quality rental housing properties and collegiate facilities.

“We are thrilled and grateful for the opportunity to partner with a company of Greystar’s caliber,” said UH Vice President for Administration Jan Gouveia. “They are national leaders in the university housing industry and we look forward to bringing their expertise to our campus.”

In addition to providing affordable, on-campus housing, the project is expected to generate residual free-cash flow to UH in the form of ground lease rent.

• More on UH Mānoa’s plan to transform the campus.

This message was shared with the faculty, and staff of the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa on March 29, 2020.

Aloha UH Manoa faculty and staff,

A number of adjustments regarding campus facilities will be made due to a significant drop in usage as a result of the university’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and state and county orders. Following President Lassner’s March 18 message, these changes include maximizing social distancing in accord with health guidelines. Thank you for your patience during this time.

Effective Monday, March 30, the following changes will be made affecting access to and operations of all UH Manoa upper campus buildings. These changes will reduce the workforce reporting to campus and allow personnel to focus on servicing areas that must remain open to support critical operations. Exceptions to these conditions will be made on a case-by-case basis to support research and other appropriate on-campus needs, while continuing to protect the health and safety of all employees.

In general, all upper campus buildings will:

• Be closed and locked until further notice. Occupants with keys will still be able to access the building. A notice will be posted on buildings that are closed.
• A limited number of buildings will remain open. These buildings will only have one entrance that is accessible during “regular” business hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.). A notice will be posted on the building to indicate which door is operable.
• For those buildings that are still open, only a limited number of restrooms will be open. A notice will be posted on the building to indicate which bathrooms are open and closed.
• For those buildings that are still open, there will be no trash pick-up in individual offices or other “private” areas like conference and meeting rooms. Trash will continue to be picked up in common areas (i.e., bathrooms, hallways, etc.).
• At this time, air conditioners are operating as normal, excluding some general classrooms. However, plans for air conditioner schedule changes are coming in the next two weeks.

If you are not able to access a building, please contact the Work Coordination Center at (808) 956-7134 (weekdays, 7 a.m to 4 p.m.), For after hours and weekends, contact the UH Mānoa Department of Public Safety at (808) 956-6911. For further questions, email covid19@hawaii.edu.

Your cooperation and kokua during this challenging time is greatly appreciated.

Mahalo Nui Loa,
UH Manoa

Preliminary results of the Pedestrian Movement Study that mapped pathway usage around the campus were recently released by the UH Mānoa Facilities— team.

Sensors were used to anonymously count the number of wi-fi-enabled devices that moved through the campus during the fall 2018 semester, allowing analysts to estimate pedestrian traffic on campus. The study is intended to help guide decisions on future improvements to the campus such as additional lighting, bike racks and outdoor seating, etc.

The research team is asking the UH Mānoa community for feedback on how they use the pathways on campus and where they see patterns of movement.

See the visualization of pedestrian traffic on campus and leave feedback at the .