Biocultural Design is a Hawaiian Islands-based landscape and environmental design-consultation studio, founded by landscape designer, Joshua Diem. Integrating the knowledge of ancient land systems with the innovative strategic spatial thinking and design methodologies of today, we strive to create enduring, engaging, and poetic landscapes. Biocultural Design takes projects from the initial concept stage right through to the design and coordination, working alongside our trusted partners and collaborators.

Our Mission
For the old Hawaiian planters, the spatial arrangement of natural elements created heartbeat, rhythm, and vitality in the landscape. Biocultural Design embodies the fusion of design strategy and spatial thinking, deeply rooted in the landscape heritage and cultural identity of Hawai'i. Leading a nascent path in the field of design, we harness the principles of Landscape Architecture to craft harmonious spaces, that cultivate an equilibrium between ecology and human cultural connections. With reverence for the framework laid by the ancient Hawaiians, we strive to create landscapes that are personal, dynamic, and ever-evolving. In our pursuit, we firmly believe in the transformative potential of thoughtful design to shape a sustainable and enriching future.

 


Biocultural Design
5-5226 Kuhio Hwy, #733
Hanalei, HI 96714
+1 (808) 482-9898   
studio@biocultural.design









About




Joshua Diem


Joshua Diem is a landscape designer, builder, and craftsman. Having received his formal training as a Landscape Architect from the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Joshua comes from years of field experience with Limahuli Garden & Preserve. There he has worked to recover significant archeologic sites within the preserve and employ schematic spatial thinking to the valley as a traditional Ahupua’a System. Knowledgeable in Hawaiian plants, traditional land systems and building techniques, Joshua practices with a design approach that integrates the knowledge and resiliency of Hawaii’s ancestral planters with a forward-thinking vision for Hawaii’s contemporary landscapes and the landscapes of our Islands future. Outside of his primary research and design work, Joshua together with his wife Claire, stewards the lands of their home in Ha’ena, caring for their mala (garden).

view portfolio pdf