AIA Design Awards 2021
Shaping communities through design excellence — All of the awardees exemplified a vision to meet or exceed safety requirements, utilize sustainable and efficient methods, and fulfill our cultural and emotional needs.
Construction
Past Attempts to Build a Rail on Oʻahu
Honolulu has talked about building a rail system since 1967.
How Rail Got to $12.45 Billion and 11 Years Late
We sorted through more than a decade of cost overruns, audits and reports to explain how the price soared and why completion fell behind schedule.
How Honolulu's Rail Compares to Other Federally Funded Projects
It’s common for rail projects to have cost overruns, but few are as large as Honolulu's.
The Three Largest Rail Contracts
We looked through the project's publicly available documents to identify the biggest contracts and how much they cost.
A Look at the Rail's Increasing Price Tag and Pushed Back Completion Dates
We tracked some of the project's major milestones, including cost increases, funding deficits, lawsuits and voter input.
Honolulu Rail Columns Tell Stories
Engraved columns depict legends and unique elements of each station area.
How Will Urban Honolulu Deal With the Rising Ocean?
Eroding beaches, king tides and groundwater inundation are already impacting the urban core and it will only get much worse. Here’s what is being considered to limit the damage.
Hawaiʻi's Top 250 Companies 2021
Revenue numbers reveal resilience, pivots and struggles amid the pandemic.
Local Architects Talk About Repurposing Existing Buildings in Post-Pandemic Hawai‘i
In some cases, it will make more sense to repurpose underused buildings than to tear them down and start from scratch. Recent examples include the office-to-residential conversion of 1132 Bishop Street and the transformation of the former Macy’s in Kailua into Lau Hala Shops.
3 Factors Shift Hawai‘i's Real Estate into Overdrive
The pandemic has shifted Hawaiʻi's already expensive house prices into overdrive. Five, ten or more buyers sometimes compete for the same homes, turning sales into bidding wars — with cash buyers holding the edge.
Construction Industry: Stronger than the Rest
The BOSS Survey of 447 local business owners and executives statewide compares the construction industry to other local sectors.
Best Practices for Community Engagement
Here's advice from experts in conflict resolution and planning. It's mainly geared toward project leaders and developers, but community members may find it useful.
The Resilient City Emerging
The pandemic is leaving its mark on cities, impacting urban design, transportation and governance. Five experts reflect on developing trends and future possibilities for resilience in Honolulu.
Hawaiʻi Engineers Directory 2021
Even with the COVID-19 pandemic which struck the College of Engineering, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa since March 2020, we transformed and survived.
Construction Industry Outlook 2021
The only private industry in Hawai‘i to add jobs in 2020, the construction industry is holding its ground, but not without a new set of challenges.
Construction Industry Still a Bright Spot for Hawaiʻi Economy During Pandemic
Diverse projects are keeping Hawai‘i’s construction industry busy and offering much-needed support for the state’s fractured economy.
6 Tips for a Smooth Home Construction Project
With many of us spending more time at home, homeowners across the island are contemplating major home construction projects.
Risk Transfer in the Construction Business
Got subcontractors? What you need to know about contractual risk transfer.
Advice for Hawaiʻi Condo Owners and Boards
Lessons learned from experts interviewed for this story: 1. Try to consolidate multiple projects into a big one. Dana Bergeman, CEO of construction management company Bergeman Group, says many condo associations and unit owners look at infrastructure improvements as individual…
Why Condos Need to Plan Ahead for Major Repair Projects
Aging condo buildings need large, complex projects to keep them safe and functional. But many condo associations have not budgeted for these expensive, time-consuming repairs, says Dana Bergeman, CEO of local construction management company Bergeman Group.
A Condominium Can Last Hundreds of Years, But Not Its Components
This story was updated Sept. 10, 2020 to correct information on the expected useful lifespan of pipes and add further details. A 40-year-old Honolulu condominium can show its age in many ways: brittle, leaking pipes; cracks in its concrete walls…
How Rail Got to $12.45 Billion and 11 Years Late
We sorted through more than a decade of cost overruns, audits and reports to explain how the price soared and why completion fell behind schedule.
All of Hawaii's Eight Gecko Species are Nonnative
Geckos are iconic in Hawaiʻi, as much as pineapples or ukuleles, and, like them, are not native to the Islands. The Polynesians brought them here about 1,500 years ago along with other plants and animals.
Hawai‘i’s Best Places to Work 2021
71 companies of all sizes worked hard and thoughtfully to support their employees. In return, each company got a loyal and enthusiastic workforce.
