Studio Gang has designed a 41-story residential high rise called Ko’ula that would be a central component within the 60-acre Ward Village master-planned community in Honolulu on the island of Oahu in Hawaii.
The tower will include 565 studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom residences, each with its own lanai, or veranda. The design of the building—which twists as it rises and undulates to create a succession of different floor plans—recalls the shape of red sugarcane plants that once grew in this area.
The Howard Hughes Corporation is the developer on this tower and Ward Village. The design firm Yabu Pushelberg designed Ko’ula’s interiors, which will showcase natural materials, colors, and textures. The project has yet to name its other Building Team members.
A porte cochiere connects the high rise to an expansive courtyard. Image: The Howard Hughes Corporation
The high rise will connect to a public porch that opens onto an expansive courtyard that will serve as another entry point for Ward Village’s Central Plaza, which began construction earlier this year and whose first phase is expected to open to the public in January. The completed tower will include 58,300 sf of dining and retail spaces, 11,000 sf of open spaces, and 58,496 sf of recreational spaces.
Ko’ula’s residents will have exclusive access to a lobby and dropoff area located a level above the street.
A sales office that the design firm Woods Bagot converted from a 1960s-era office building will start taking purchase orders for Ko’ula’s residences later this year. Ko’ula is scheduled to break ground sometime in 2019, although no specific date has been set. Hughes has not disclosed a completion date nor the project’s anticipated cost.
One of the amenities decks within the Ko'ula high rise, which will offer 565 apartments. Image: The Howard Hughes Corporation
The Ward Village district is located between downtown Honolulu and Waikīkī. As part of the district’s redevelopment, Howard Hughes Corporation last summer topped off a 43-story mixed-use tower called Ke Kilohana, with 424 residential units, 375 of which targeting workforce buyers.
When it’s completed, Ward Village will have 4,500 residences and one million sf of retail space. It is part of Ka’kaako, Honolulu’s commercial and retail district for which the city has laid out ambitious expansion plans that include 30 new buildings.
Related Stories
| Jun 11, 2014
David Adjaye’s housing project in Sugar Hill nears completion
A new development in New York's historic Sugar Hill district nears completion, designed to be an icon for the neighborhood's rich history.
| Jun 11, 2014
Koolhaas’ OMA teams with chemical company to study link between color and economy
Dutch company AkzoNobel is partnering with Rem Koolhaas' firm OMA to study how the application of colorful paints and coatings can affect a city's economic development.
| Jun 10, 2014
Built-in balcony: New skylight windows can fold out to create a patio
Roof window manufacturer Fakro offers a skylight window system that quickly converts into an open-air balcony.
| Jun 9, 2014
Green Building Initiative launches Green Globes for Sustainable Interiors program
The new program focuses exclusively on the sustainable design and construction of interior spaces in nonresidential buildings and can be pursued by both building owners and individual lessees of commercial spaces.
Sponsored | | Jun 4, 2014
Fiber cement panels bridge historic and modern at Minneapolis apartment complex
The design team for the Third North apartment complex specified Nichiha’s Illumination Series architectural panels in a blend of six colors—divided into swaths of reds and swaths of grays—that combine with a rectilinear shape to complement nearby brick.
| Jun 3, 2014
Libeskind's latest skyscraper breaks ground in the Philippines
The Century Spire, Daniel Libeskind's latest project, has just broken ground in Century City, southwest of Manila. It is meant to accommodate apartments and offices.
| Jun 2, 2014
Parking structures group launches LEED-type program for parking garages
The Green Parking Council, an affiliate of the International Parking Institute, has launched the Green Garage Certification program, the parking industry equivalent of LEED certification.
| May 30, 2014
MIT researchers create 'home in a box' transformable wall system for micro apartments
Dubbed CityHome, the system integrates furniture, storage, exercise equipment, lighting, office equipment, and entertainment systems into a compact wall unit.
| May 30, 2014
Developer will convert Dallas' storied LTV Building into mixed-use residential tower
New Orleans-based HRI Properties recently completed the purchase of one of the most storied buildings in downtown Dallas. The developer will convert the LTV Building into a mixed-use complex, with 171 hotel rooms and 186 luxury apartments.
| May 29, 2014
7 cost-effective ways to make U.S. infrastructure more resilient
Moving critical elements to higher ground and designing for longer lifespans are just some of the ways cities and governments can make infrastructure more resilient to natural disasters and climate change, writes Richard Cavallaro, President of Skanska USA Civil.