New Construction
Halawa Heights
Inspired by Sarah Susanka’s Not so Big House, this client wanted to use his modest budget to build a small, efficient home. The young homeowner also wanted a home unlike the typical ranch house that had previously occupied his lot. The new design features a “butterfly” roof that rises up to enhance the views of Pearl Harbor, provide shading, and funnel rainwater to a central gutter, where it dramatically spills out from a large scupper. A future cistern will capture this water for irrigation. Inside, a long linear skylight allows daylight to wash down a two-story hallway. This hallway also provides natural ventilation as tall jalousie windows catch the trade-winds, and expels warm air by pulling cool air in through windows set low along the green backyard lawn.
Kahala
While the layout of this house takes advantage of a corner lot’s visual openness, the curved street corner gives form to a circular kitchen. Walls of smooth-finished coral extend out from the house to emphasize the indoor/outdoor lifestyle of Hawaii. In the living room, clerestory windows provide light and ventilation, a mahogany grid defines the circulation path, and pivot doors open to a pool lanai. The master bedroom also connects intimately to this lanai with doors that swing open to the pool’s edge.
Manhattan Beach
This contemporary style home takes advantage of a narrow lot that opens to a pedestrian walk on one end and a vehicular street on the other. In response to the narrow lot (6’ between homes), textured glazing was used along the side- walls to provide both privacy and daylight. At each end of the house, open exterior decks focus views towards the ocean and provide a sense of an extended interior living space. The interior-exterior connection is also reinforced with the use of natural wood finishes that extend from the interior to the exterior of this home.
