From Storage to Success: How Two Hawai‘i Libraries Are Redefining Learning

HAMILTON LIBRARY PROJECT Reclaimed 86,000 square feet of program space for active student use and flexible learning environments

At the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, two neighboring libraries are redefining what it means to Build Less and Solve More.

Hamilton and Sinclair Libraries, once symbols of a print-based era, are now living examples of how existing buildings can evolve to serve people, performance, and place without expanding a single footprint.

Guided by MKThink’s spatial intelligence approach, these transformations prove that progress doesn’t always come from building new; it begins with understanding what already exists.

When Buildings Outgrow Their Era

For decades, Hamilton and Sinclair Libraries anchored the academic life of the campus. They held knowledge, but over time, they began to lose meaning in terms of how students actually learned.

As digital access expanded and pedagogy evolved, the buildings remained static, dense, underused, and disconnected from the rhythm of modern university life.

UH Mānoa saw an opportunity, not a problem. Instead of replacing its libraries, the university chose to renew them, honoring their legacy while aligning them with the future of learning.

That choice reflected a deeply Hawaiian sensibility: to care for what you have, adapt with intention, and let the place evolve alongside the community.

Hamilton Library: Making Room for Discovery

HAMILTON LIBRARY - HIGH DENSITY STORAGE SITE Stores approximately 1.4 million books

At 255,000 square feet, Hamilton Library was built to house more than 1.4 million books. Yet, only about a quarter were actively used. Working closely with the university, MKThink developed a strategy that used technology to unlock space and possibilities.

The solution: an Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS), a high-density, climate-controlled facility adjacent to the main building. By relocating low-use volumes into this compact structure, UH Mānoa reclaimed more than 86,000 square feet for active learning, research, and collaboration.

SPACE ANALYSIS Existing vs future space allocation comparison

Through spatial analysis, benchmarking, and design modeling, MKThink helped the university transform Hamilton from an archive into an adaptable learning platform, one that operates efficiently, supports modern study, and continues to evolve as needs change.

Efficiency, in this case, became deeply human: freeing space for discovery, community, and growth.

Sinclair Library: A Living Room for Learning

SINCLAIR LIBRARY The campus reimagined with the library as the living room

Just a short walk away, Sinclair Library tells the story of transformation through connection. Once a quiet, collection-heavy space, it’s now the Student Success Center, a 90,000-square-foot adaptive reuse project that reimagines the library as a campus living room.

Here, advising, tutoring, writing, wellness, and study intersect under one roof. Through MKThink’s “gathering typologies,” spaces were designed to shift and flex, from open commons that encourage collaboration to hybrid classrooms that support project-based learning and inclusion.

A PLACE FOR CONNECTION Adaptive multi-use campus

The change was more than architectural. It was cultural. Sinclair has become a place where students don’t just access information; they find belonging, confidence, and support. It now serves as a scalable model for future student-centered modernization across the UH System.

Transformation Rooted in Stewardship

Neither Hamilton nor Sinclair added new square footage. Instead, both projects embodied MKThink’s principle: the most sustainable building is the one that already exists.

By integrating data, behavior, and design, MKThink helped UH Mānoa plan smarter, spend more wisely, and serve more. The result: a university that uses its assets more intelligently, prioritizes people over expansion, and demonstrates how modernization can honor both history and environment.

Beyond the Library

Hamilton and Sinclair are more than facilities; they’re proof that strategy and stewardship can coexist. Together, they mark a shift in how Hawai‘i approaches learning environments: from storage to success, from maintenance to meaning.

Across the islands, MKThink is working to apply this same systems mindset to different built-in environments, such as schools and public buildings, helping communities plan for the future through adaptability, equity, and care for place.

Because when we build less and solve more based on data, we make room for what matters most: people.

Every space holds potential. We invite you to uncover what yours can become by connecting with us following this link.