Construction

Innovation
Dennis Hollier,

Hawaii Architects Make Order Out of Chaos

Three award-winning local architects talk about their roles in society, preserving historical buildings, and the ugliest and best-looking buildings in town. Glenn Mason and Bettina Mehnert were selected in April as fellows in the American Institute of Architecture, one of…
Construction
Noelle Fujii-Oride,

Storm Warning

Hawaii's current building code does not require construction that could withstand a storm as powerful as Hurricane Iniki. In fact, some new local homes are built under the assumption that wind gusts won't exceed 100 mph - much less than…
Education
Meghan Miner Murray,

Learning by Building

A young girl on a pink bike zooms past the newest custom-built home in her close-knit Hawaiian community in Hilo. The single-story, three-bedroom and two-bath home with a beige exterior and metal roof has taken dozens of workers more than…
Leadership
Beverly Creamer,

WATG Dazzles the World for 70 Years

A lot of collaboration takes place around the main work table at WATG’s Honolulu office. From left are Craig Takahata, VP and managing director for Honolulu; Tiffany Lee, associate operations manager; and Brittany Meyers, administrative assistant. Photo:…
Tourism
Dennis Hollier,

The Biggest Getting Bigger

The $572 million Ewa extension of Ala Moana Shopping Center, which is scheduled to open on November 12, has been an enormous undertaking. As Francisco Gutierrez, director of development at General Growth Properties, explains, the project will add 330,000 square…
Construction
Treena Shapiro,

Distant Peak

High-rises in Kakaako, condos and a new wing at Ala Moana Center, development in and around Kapolei, rail, sewers and a host of other projects are keeping developers and construction companies hopping. However, they know from long experience that what…
Leadership
Powell Berger,

Did You Know: Size Matters

The Hawaii Community Development Authority, the agency that oversees development in Kakaako and a few other places on Oahu, runs its shop with a mountain of rules and regulations, as you might expect. Whether you agree with HCDA’s rules or…
Lifestyle
Treena Shapiro,

Re-Energized

W Hen Iolani Palace’s monthly power bill doubled to more than $41,000 last fall, even drastic steps like cutting off the air conditioning in the adjacent barracks couldn’t bring costs back to where they had been just a few months…
Lifestyle
Henry Bennett,

Something Old, New, Borrowed & Green

WHAT DO YOU GET WHEN YOU COMBINE ELEMENTS OF THE 19TH, 20TH AND 21ST CENTURIES? Start with the U.S. government’s oldest scientific agency, with roots stretching back to the early 1800s; add historic Ford Island aircraft hangars that survived the…
Construction
Steve Petranik,

2015 BOSS SURVEY

WHAT IS THE BOSS? BOSS stands for the Business Outlook and Sentiment Survey and it’s conducted twice a year for Hawaii Business by QMark Research. It provides a revealing picture of Hawaii’s economy by asking about 400 business leaders twice…
Construction
Jolyn Okimoto Rosa,

Engineer Helps Youth Learn and Grow

Robert Nichols spends his workdays focused on modernizing the interisland terminal at Honolulu International Airport as program manager for Parsons Corp. On many Saturdays, the engineer’s focus shifts to the Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii’s Youth of the Year…
Construction
Dennis Hollier,

Talk Story with John White

Executive Director, Pacific Resource Partnership PRP, a unique partnership between Hawaii’s top contractors and the Hawaii Carpenters Union, is a powerful supporter of rail. White talks about integrated communities and how they will help guide Oahu’s development.   What are…
Construction
Paula Bender,

Uniting Families Under One Roof

Chances are good that when additions or a major overhaul are made to a Hawaii home, the goal is to accommodate multiple generations on the same property. Sometimes the reasons are economic: Grown children with their own kids can’t afford…