Island Residence
Island Residence
Hawaii Residential: Single Family Buiding Size: 4,500 SF Lot Size: 22,104 SF
Situated on the Ocean’s coastline at a corner of an ancient fishpond, this private residence reflects the culture of the Hawaiian Islands by embracing its lush surroundings. Located on a site adjacent to a public access path to the ocean, the house has diverse outdoor spaces, large operable doors and windows, and a highly transparent envelope with intimate views of the landscape, the coastal reef and the surf. In particular, the stepped edge along the expansive lanai softens the transition to the landscape while acting as an amphitheater for watching the surfers and the net fishermen practice their arts just beyond the seawall. The design was influenced by the clients’ Japanese heritage, appreciation of craft, and delight in natural materials with a bold approach to light, space, and the whole natural world. Sliding walls of windows in the living room open completely to blur the boundary between inside and out. The shaped wood beams that shelter the lower lanai take cues from the sculptural forms of canoes while nodding to the canopies of the ancient Banyan trees. Finely crafted wood windows and doors celebrate tradition and craftsmanship while providing access to a planted roof of edible microgreens which are harvested and prepared downstairs around the communal family kitchen island. The residence reflects a uniquely Hawaiian way of living in its series of places for gathering and enjoying the serenity of the surroundings, the intimacy of the landscape, and the spirit of the place.
The house is bounded by a public surf access to the west and a private road to the east. Originally the site of a caretaker’s cottage for the loko i’a (fish pond), the house maintains the relationship to the ancient Hawaiian land planning by orienting itself along the maukamakai (mountain - water) axis. Entering along this axis, the highly transparent and porous envelope further embraces the relationship to the land and the water, an essential part of both ancient and modern Hawaiian life.
The deep eaves of the entry approach extend to provide shelter from the late day sun while creating a comforting canopy that nods to the mature banyan trees.
A large expansive lawn threads the house into the landscape which in turn inhabits the home’s lower roof in the form of an edible garden visible from the entry gate.
16 11 1
12
2 3
4
6 9
15
5 13
7
10
12
8
14
First Floor
Second Floor
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Entry Powder Room Study Prep Kitchen Kitchen Dining Living Family Room
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Lanai Lanai Dining Play Room Bedroom Master Bath Master Bedroom Garden Roof Carport
The clients desired a home with a traditional Japanese entry sequence signified by entering on stone and stepping up onto wood.
The open and flexible living pavilion uses custom fabric wrapped doors that slide along the teak display shelving to conceal the kitchen when the clients have events and desire a more formal living space.
From Farm Roof to Table: The open kitchen was designed as a gathering place based on the client’s passion for the culinary arts and food as an aesthetic expression. With this in mind, the roof over the living pavilion is planted with an edible roof garden that is accessed from the second floor hallway. Currently the roof garden is planted with over 180 varieties of fruits and vegetables from lettuces to strawberries to traditional Japanese mushrooms and peppers.
The orientation of the house tells a story of the ancient Hawaiian ahupua’a (land districts) that run from the peak of the mountains (mauka) to the sea (makai). The view to the north from the children’s playroom frames a view of the Niu Valley: a dramatically different micro-climate only a few miles away.
The living pavilion is transformed to an outdoor amphitheater when the large lift-slide doors are opened. The canopy of the roof structure shelters the stepped edge of the expansive lanai, which creates a seating edge beneath the banyan trees and a vantage point to enjoy the home’s intimate connection to the ocean and surrounding landscape.
The structural system for the lower pavilion roof is constructed using custom curved and shaped glue laminated wood beams that are hung from above by a stainless steel rod and plate. The beams were shaped by hand utilizing carpentry techniques reminiscent of the ancient Hawaiian tradition of canoe building.
Hawaii Residential: Single Family Buiding Size: 4,500 SF Lot Size: 22,104 SF
Situated on the Ocean’s coastline at a corner of an ancient fishpond, this private residence reflects the culture of the Hawaiian Islands by embracing its lush surroundings. Located on a site adjacent to a public access path to the ocean, the house has diverse outdoor spaces, large operable doors and windows, and a highly transparent envelope with intimate views of the landscape, the coastal reef and the surf. In particular, the stepped edge along the expansive lanai softens the transition to the landscape while acting as an amphitheater for watching the surfers and the net fishermen practice their arts just beyond the seawall. The design was influenced by the clients’ Japanese heritage, appreciation of craft, and delight in natural materials with a bold approach to light, space, and the whole natural world. Sliding walls of windows in the living room open completely to blur the boundary between inside and out. The shaped wood beams that shelter the lower lanai take cues from the sculptural forms of canoes while nodding to the canopies of the ancient Banyan trees. Finely crafted wood windows and doors celebrate tradition and craftsmanship while providing access to a planted roof of edible microgreens which are harvested and prepared downstairs around the communal family kitchen island. The residence reflects a uniquely Hawaiian way of living in its series of places for gathering and enjoying the serenity of the surroundings, the intimacy of the landscape, and the spirit of the place.
The house is bounded by a public surf access to the west and a private road to the east. Originally the site of a caretaker’s cottage for the loko i’a (fish pond), the house maintains the relationship to the ancient Hawaiian land planning by orienting itself along the maukamakai (mountain - water) axis. Entering along this axis, the highly transparent and porous envelope further embraces the relationship to the land and the water, an essential part of both ancient and modern Hawaiian life.
The deep eaves of the entry approach extend to provide shelter from the late day sun while creating a comforting canopy that nods to the mature banyan trees.
A large expansive lawn threads the house into the landscape which in turn inhabits the home’s lower roof in the form of an edible garden visible from the entry gate.
16 11 1
12
2 3
4
6 9
15
5 13
7
10
12
8
14
First Floor
Second Floor
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Entry Powder Room Study Prep Kitchen Kitchen Dining Living Family Room
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Lanai Lanai Dining Play Room Bedroom Master Bath Master Bedroom Garden Roof Carport
The clients desired a home with a traditional Japanese entry sequence signified by entering on stone and stepping up onto wood.
The open and flexible living pavilion uses custom fabric wrapped doors that slide along the teak display shelving to conceal the kitchen when the clients have events and desire a more formal living space.
From Farm Roof to Table: The open kitchen was designed as a gathering place based on the client’s passion for the culinary arts and food as an aesthetic expression. With this in mind, the roof over the living pavilion is planted with an edible roof garden that is accessed from the second floor hallway. Currently the roof garden is planted with over 180 varieties of fruits and vegetables from lettuces to strawberries to traditional Japanese mushrooms and peppers.
The orientation of the house tells a story of the ancient Hawaiian ahupua’a (land districts) that run from the peak of the mountains (mauka) to the sea (makai). The view to the north from the children’s playroom frames a view of the Niu Valley: a dramatically different micro-climate only a few miles away.
The living pavilion is transformed to an outdoor amphitheater when the large lift-slide doors are opened. The canopy of the roof structure shelters the stepped edge of the expansive lanai, which creates a seating edge beneath the banyan trees and a vantage point to enjoy the home’s intimate connection to the ocean and surrounding landscape.
The structural system for the lower pavilion roof is constructed using custom curved and shaped glue laminated wood beams that are hung from above by a stainless steel rod and plate. The beams were shaped by hand utilizing carpentry techniques reminiscent of the ancient Hawaiian tradition of canoe building.
