Take a tour of HoMA’s architectural screens  | Honolulu Museum of Art To the cookie settings To the main content To the footer Story Fri Dec 26 2025 Take a tour of HoMA’s architectural screens HoMA visitors are loving Let Trade Winds Flow an architectural exhibition on the breeze block in Hawai‘i. Breeze blocks are the 20th-century children of a long line of variations on architectural screens, used in hot climates around the world to create privacy, provide shade, and allow cooling air to circulate. These can range from the intricately carved wood mashrabiya in Islamic architecture, which go back more than 1,300 years, to Le Corbusier’s 1930s innovation the brise-soleil (sun breaker) which can be seen on Honolulu’s IBM Building. HoMA’s iconic building and courtyards draw inspiration from various architectural styles and eras. So it’s not a surprise that you can find examples of four different types of screens can throughout the Museum’s grounds. Looking for an inspiring activity during your holiday break? Take this mini self-guided tour, starting in the Chinese Courtyard: Chinese Courtyard The original museum building that opened in 1927 was famously designed by architects Bertram Goodhue and Hardie Phillip with an eye to making the most of natural light and Hawai‘i’s trade wind–cooled climate, and included the Chinese Courtyard . As you enter the tranquil space, you step onto a lanai that is cordoned off by half-walls made of beautiful teal glazed Chinese tiles. “This is an early equivalent of breeze block,” says Tory Laitila, curator of Let Trade Winds Flow and curator of textiles and historic arts of Hawai‘i. “They serve the same function.” The tiles were salvaged from houses that were demolished during the expansion of Bishop Street in the 1920s and collected by museum founder Anna Rice Cooke. More of these tiles can be found covering what used to be an air vent above the Museum’s Victoria Street entrance behind the teahouse. Almost 100 years later, HoMA still has a few extra tiles in storage, and one is on view Let Trade Winds Flow Kīna‘u Courtyard From the Chinese Courtyard turn left into Kīna‘u Courtyard . Built in 1931, this was the Museum’s first expansion. The eastern wall is composed of three alcoves featuring square holes that peekaboo into Luce Pavilion. Known as a masonry grille, the wall’s bricks were arranged to leave a pattern of spaces then covered with stucco. “Grilles like this appear to have been derived from Chinese building traditions,” says Don Hibbard, architectural historian and co-author of Screen Blocks in Hawaii . “You’ll find them in other historic Honolulu buildings such as the C. Brewer Building downtown.” Palm Courtyard Head to Palm Courtyard , which was designed by Albert Ely Ives and constructed in 1959 as the “Education Wing.” On the second floor is railing is made of cast concrete panels with what are called “piercings” forming a diamond-in-a-circle pattern. “The next step from these panels was the standardization of size so that they could be used for multiple projects,” says Laitila. To the right of the Coffee Bar is HoMA’s oldest example of an architectural screen—the Indo-Persian jali from the 17th to 18th century. A gift of Christian and Sally Aall, this sandstone screen that was once part of a home in India was installed in Palm Courtyard in the 1990s. “I like that this screen’s motif is actually used in modern breeze block,” says Laitila, pointing out how midcentury designers copied the ancient pattern and named it Venetian. Early examples of skilled carving through a surface to create latticework like this jali date back to 2 BCE, such as the Buddhist prayer hall in caves in Maharashtra, India. Jali can be seen in the Taj Mahal and, closer to home, at Shangri La , where hand-carved screens create a shadowy ambience in the Mughal Suite. Suggested stories Bodhisattvas and Bart Simpson: All about Tsherin Sherpa and his work Explore Tsherin Sherpa’s journey from traditional thangka painter to global contemporary artist blending Buddhist iconography with pop culture in Divine Disruption. Story New jewelry line is inspired by HoMA artworks GAMAR x HoMA collection reimagines HoMA artworks as ethically crafted gemstone jewelry, inspired by O’Keeffe, Hokusai, Guanyin, and more. Story The Garden Club of Honolulu wants you to “Imagine That!” May 8-10 Experience Imagine That!—the Garden Club of Honolulu’s Major Flower Show at HoMA, May 8–10, featuring stunning floral design, sustainability, and community inspiration. Story We have received your application. We will contact you when tickets become available. Something went wrong. Please call to be put on the waiting list. Added: To wishlist