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 3, 2013
6 residential projects named 'best in housing design' by AIA
The Via Verde mixed-use development in Bronx, N.Y., and a student housing complex in Seattle are among the winners of AIA's 2013 Housing Awards.
| Jun 3, 2013
Construction spending inches upward in April
The U.S. Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce announced today that construction spending during April 2013 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $860.8 billion, 0.4 percent above the revised March estimate of $857.7 billion.
| May 30, 2013
The Make It Right squabble: ‘How many trees did you plant today?’
A debate has been raging in the blogosphere over the last few months about an article in The New Republic, “If You Build It, They Might Not Come,” in which staff writer Lydia DePillis took Brad Pitt’s Make It Right Foundation to task for botching its effort to revitalize the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans.
| May 21, 2013
Foster + Partners reveals plans for London residential towers
British firm Foster + Partners has unveiled plans for two residential skyscrapers as part of a mixed-use development in north London.
| May 21, 2013
7 tile trends for 2013: Touch-sensitive glazes, metallic tones among top styles
Tile of Spain consultant and ceramic tile expert Ryan Fasan presented his "What's Trending in Tile" roundup at the Coverings 2013 show in Atlanta earlier this month. Here's an overview of Fasan's emerging tile trends for 2013.
| May 20, 2013
Jones Lang LaSalle: All U.S. real estate sectors to post gains in 2013—even retail
With healthier job growth numbers and construction volumes at near-historic lows, real estate experts at Jones Lang LaSalle see a rosy year for U.S. commercial construction.
| May 7, 2013
First look: Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill skyscraper designed to 'confuse the wind'
The 400-meter-high, 116-story Imperial Tower in Mumbai will feature a slender, rounded form optimized to withstand the area's strong wind currents.
| May 6, 2013
7 major multifamily residential projects in the works
A $140 million redevelopment of a landmark, 45-building apartment complex in Los Angeles is among the nation's significant multifamily developments under way.
| Apr 30, 2013
Tips for designing with fire rated glass - AIA/CES course
Kate Steel of Steel Consulting Services offers tips and advice for choosing the correct code-compliant glazing product for every fire-rated application. This BD+C University class is worth 1.0 AIA LU/HSW.