Kamakoa at Waikoloa is a landmark community and housing development which will serve the growing workforce of Hawaii’s Big Island. Located on the Kona side of the Island, the 275 acre community creatively implements a planned development modeled after neo-traditional town concepts. Elements, such as neighborhood pocket parks, tree-lined sidewalks, natural multi-use trails, textured motor courts, courtyards, garden nodes and landscaped destination points, are designed to support a walkable environment for residents and guests. From this planning foundation, a distinctive new neighborhood identity will be established and maintained.

The architectural character of the homes and community buildings will maintain the Hawaiian vernacular, including spacious lanais for indoor/outdoor living, climatically appropriate materials and natural ventilation. Both rental and for-sale units will be created. One- and two-bedroom family units are offered at rents that are 20% below area market rates, so residents are able to save with the intention of graduating to for-sale products. Single-room occupancy units comprise three or four bedrooms and are appealing to resort workers who are transient or seasonal, or to workers who live on one side of the island and work on the other. Detached, for-sale homes include 958- to 1,320-square-foot bungalows affordable for those earning less than 120% of the average median income. Single-family homes that are the premium housing product of the community range from 1,110- to 1,365 square feet, and are available with numerous finish options.

Luxetown is large scale master-planned resort community which is part of the Luxehill development located on the outskirts of Chengdu, China. Amidst the hustle and bustle of Chengdu, Luxetown offers the peace and tranquility of pastoral and luxury living in the shadow of a world class metropolis. Planned in four phases, the residential towers and mid-rise buildings are organized around a central man-made lake. The architects envisioned an organic park-like setting through which landscaping is weaved into the architecture as part of a sustainable site planning concept.

The plan allows for residential units to receive maximum lake view and two hours of solar exposure per unit. In addition, many pedestrian paths meander throughout the site to create a walkable, pedestrian-friendly community highlighted by a series of landscape features. This naturalistic concept is further utilized in the design of the buildings where landscaped terraces and balconies become an extension to the park. In addition to the desire to design a naturally beautiful surrounding, the planning also promotes a harmonious sense of community and neighborhoods to enhance ones wellness.

Halekauwila Place will provide an opportunity to create an urban affordable housing solution in the Kaka’ako District of Honolulu. This critical mass of affordable housing will help to balance employment opportunities with much needed housing for the local community, while contributing a fresh architectural approach to 21st century Honolulu.

The project has two distinctive massing elements. The first are four stories of two-story stacked townhomes with front facing lanais that wrap the edges of a 3-story parking structure along Halekauwila and Cooke streets. This arrangement presents a warm residential architectural scale and charm on the street edge while obscuring the parking. The inclusion of townhomes reinforces the importance of consideration of human scale and texture in an urban setting. The second massing is a 17-story tower that satisfies a desired density fitting this burgeoning urban center with 180 rental units. The apartments will have views of mountains and ocean, as well as that of downtown. The tower will be offset from the street with deep sidewalks, a ground level lobby and 3,510 sq.ft of retail space. The mixed-use configuration will to complement the city’s nearby mass transit station and will transform this affordable housing project into a catalyst for other transit-oriented developments and become a highly desired amenity for this vibrant neighborhood.

Halekauwila Place is envisioned not only to provide the desperately needed affordable housing, but to foresee a future Honolulu that includes an integrated mass transit that increases connectivity to home, work and play, thereby improving a quality of life from which all Honolulu citizens can benefit.