Design Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Pacific Edge Magazine

Phillip Hasha, principal and co-founder Redmont Group

Dec 30, 2016

The Redmont Group may not command the brand recognition of Honolulu’s largest architectural firms, but what the firm lacks in size, it makes up for in quality and flexible execution. Founded in October 2012, the Redmont Group is a boutique firm comprised of architects, construction managers, asset managers and appraisers. Principal and Co-founder Phillip Hasha sees the firm’s diverse internal structure as a prime business advantage. “We are probably the only firm on O‘ahu that can take a project from design to completion, in-house,” Phillip says.

“There is so much power in that. We can do things a lot faster than our counterparts and we add value by thinking like owners because we are owners.”

At 31 years of age, Phillip has already been immersed in real estate for nearly a decade. After earning a bachelor’s degree from Auburn University in 2007, he went straight to work as an appraiser for his father’s real estate business in Birmingham, Alabama. “I knew going back and working for my Dad would kick my ass,” Phillip explains. “It was the right step to go where I needed to be. I really learned to understand real estate value.”

Three years later, Phillip was accepted to Auburn University’s Master of Real Estate Development program, where he met fellow Redmont co-founders Ryan Takaki and Brad Wardlaw. “I had the evaluation skill, Brad had the architecture and Ryan the construction,” Phillip says. “That’s something that most firms don’t have.” Ryan, an ‘Aina Haina native, suggested starting the firm in Honolulu. They set up the first Redmont office in an IT closet in one of Ryan’s buildings. Phillip purchased his father’s company, Hasha Appraisal and Consulting Service, and brought it under the Redmont hat in 2013.

“We can do things a lot faster than our counterparts and we add value by thinking like owners because we are owners.”

Phillip is quick to highlight Redmont’s diverse skill set and ability to execute. “Acura came to us needing to move their operations from Kaka‘ako to a location on Nimitz Highway and they had six months to do it,” Hasha says. “The architectural planning phase [alone] can take up to six months.” Phillip and his team set the design, permitting and construction processes in motion simultaneously and moved Acura into the 27,000-square-foot service bay on schedule. “That kind of quick action is pretty unheard of and it’s a great example of how our approach can impact owners positively.”

There’s more than just a versatile in-house team that sets Redmont Group apart from its competition. Where most would demolish and rebuild, the firm takes a refurbish-and-reuse approach to development whenever possible. Redmont is currently transforming the old Patisserie bakery in Honolulu into a high-tech facility as part of its Alert Alarm project. “There’s so much character in these buildings that it doesn’t make sense to demolish them and start over,” Phillips says. “We were able to redesign it and it’s going to be an extremely nice and high-tech facility headquarters.”

Phillip is adamant about increasing Redmont Group’s community involvement as the firm continues to grow. Taking on jobs of all sizes is crucial for healthy development, and Redmont’s client list runs the gamut in scale. Business ventures aside, Phillip also believes that volunteering is an essential part of operations at Redmont. He even allows his employees to volunteer on company time. He’s currently working with his staff and several community organizations to determine the most effective use of Redmont’s resources in addressing the homeless issue in Kaka’ako.

“It’s in our neighborhoods, it’s where we live, where we work,” Phillips says. “I want to be a catalyst for change to help that.”

Some people work hard. Others play hard. For Phillip, the line between the two is a bit blurry. “For me, this is realizing a childhood dream. Real estate development is something I’ve wanted to do since I was ten,” he says. “It’s not about the money. I want to do what my idols did.” An avid traveler, Phillip often seeks inspiration abroad. “Traveling is what I love to do. I work hard to travel,” he says. “When you’re standing atop the Burj Khalifa in Dubai and you’re looking around at everything, you can’t help but take inspiration. When walking the streets of ancient Rome and seeing how it was done 3,000 years ago, you can’t help but be inspired—there’s nothing like it.”

Craig Washofsky, vice president Servco Home & Appliance Distribution

Dec 30, 2016

Craig Washofsky fires up the grill in his fully equipped outdoor kitchen.

A leg of lamb rests in a Pyrex dish on the countertop, smothered in whole yogurt and tabil. He gives the cooking grate a quick once-over with the grill brush before mopping it with olive oil and placing the lamb in the center of the hot grill. He closes the cover, washes his hands and grabs a bottle of pinotnoir from the wine chiller and a wine glass off the counter. “Before I got into the kitchen business, I thought the only thing wrong with my house was that the TV wasn’t big enough and the speakers weren’t loud enough,” says the Servco Home & Appliance Distribution group vice president.

“After I started at the Kitchen Distribution Center [in 1986], I realized that my stereo was just fine, but my kitchen needed a lot of help.” Home electronics were all the rage in the late 1970’s and early ’80s. Technology was rapidly evolving and new products never before available to consumers—projection TVs, surround-sound speakers, video recorders—were blowing minds.

Craig, a self-professed equipment junky, was riding the consumer electronics boom. He was in his mid-twenties, happily married and running a lucrative electronics retail business. Craig was having a great time helping people create audiovisual systems for their homes.

That all changed when the store’s majority owner decided to take the business in a new direction. The new rent-to-own business model did not interest Craig and he quickly became disillusioned with his employer. Craig was at the end of his rope when a loyal customer offered him a sales job in the appliance industry. Craig remembers going home and saying to his wife, “I’m going from big-screen TVs and stereos to refrigerators. How exciting can that be?

“She pointed out that when I’m solving a problem for somebody, it doesn’t matter what the box is that solves the problem,” he continues.

“It’s the ability to come up with a solution that’s unique.”

Craig brought his problem-solving approach to his new job at the Kitchen Distribution Center, an appliance distributor for a local kitchen design firm. The stagnant kitchen designs of the 1990’s were a far cry from the rock-star kitchens that are the norm today, but Craig enjoyed the work immensely and soon put in the financial capital to become an owning partner.

At the time, homes were being constructed with the most inexpensive kitchens possible to keep costs low. Sales were steady among remodeling contractors, but the company’s middle- to high-end appliances were not in great demand among new-home builders. Now that Craig had a financial stake in the game, he resolved to expand his client base to new-home builders in order to grow the business.

Hoping to deepen his understanding of the industry and foster new relationships, Craig joined the Aloha Chapter of the National Kitchen and Bath Association, a venue for Hawai‘i’s kitchen and bath design professionals to share resources and promote their businesses. Craig also joined the Building Industry Association of Hawaii, a nonprofit trade organization that promotes growth in the construction industry. He later served as committee chair for both organizations and on the board of the NKBA. Working in concert with insiders in the kitchen and bath and construction industries, Craig saw an opportunity to promote the industries while growing his business at the same time.

Craig’s colleagues on the board of the National Kitchen and Bath Association Aloha Chapter recognized his leadership capabilities and moved him up the ranks from secretary to treasurer and then to chapter president. He served for two years as the first non-designer president, with the intent to validate designer certification as an industry standard for quality and safety. “In those days, and even today, anyone could call themselves a designer,” Craig says. “It was important for us that consumers understand the value of working with a certified kitchen and bath designer who’s a member of the NKBA. It might cost a little more, but the results will be superior.”

To underscore the advantages of hiring a certified designer well-versed in kitchen design, Craig helped develop a design competition based on best-practice guidelines set forth by the National Kitchen and Bath Association. Soon, high-rise and single-family home builders began to see the kitchen as a way to differentiate their product. “At the end of the day, especially talking about a high-rise dwelling, a home is a rectangle with a set number of rooms,” Craig says. “What sets it apart from the other rectangles? People look at the kitchen.”

Other industry players had taken notice.

Automotive, insurance and home and commercial products distribution company Servco Pacific was looking to expand its reach into the kitchen and bath market. It acquired the Kitchen Distribution Center in 1998 and kept Craig on board as vice president. A year and a half later, Craig’s boss retired and Craig assumed responsibility for Servco’s electronics and appliance distribution.

Since then, Craig has led the division to new milestones. To service consumers and industry professionals alike, he updated Servco’s home and appliance showroom to feature 22 kitchen vignettes, complete with cabinetry and counter tops. Three of the vignettes are working kitchens, so consumers can test out various appliances while working with their builders and contractors. Craig also expanded Servco Home & Appliance Distribution to U.S. territories throughout the Pacific and expanded its presence on the neighbor islands to serve builders directly.

Meanwhile he developed the BIA Home Building & Remodeling Show and chaired the event for three years.

Craig found that the BIA, while structured as a nonprofit, employs the same strategies as a business. At a company like Servco, every decision is made in the best interest of the client. At the Building Industry Association, decisions are made in the best interest of its members and the consumers who use their services.

As a non-builder serving on the board, Craig’s agility proved an asset in working with industry professionals and consumers. “If the folks sitting around the table have the ability to run or be part of a successful enterprise, and they have the time to serve on that board, then there’s something to learn from them,” Craig says. “There’s a personal reward in doing good for the community. There can be a business reward as well. When you sit across table and get to know someone over a year or two, you’re going to benefit from those relationships.”

Last December, Craig was chosen to be the first non-builder president of the BIA of Hawaii.

He hopes that what he has learned over the past two decades at Servco will continue to translate into successful strides with the BIA and is looking forward to tackling some of Hawai‘i’s larger societal issues—such as the housing crisis—in his new capacity as president.

Craig lifts the lid from his backyard grill and sticks a meat thermometer into the leg of lamb. The scent of coriander and garlic envelops the lanai. After 30 years of working cohesively between the business community and the nonprofit sector, Craig has championed higher industry standards and helped consumers create their dream kitchens. With his state-of-the-art sound system and rock-star kitchen, it would seem that Craig has everything he could want. However, Craig is a problem solver at heart and he’s working from within the industry to find solutions that grow the builder and serve the consumer.

Informed office design

Dec 30, 2016

Some grumble that Hawai‘i’s corporate culture is static or behind the times, but it’s just the opposite. We are all part of Hawai‘i’s multicultural melting pot and our business community inspires diversity, innovation and accessibility. In 1993, scholar David Ralston and his colleagues formulated the “crossvergence” theory, which describes the cross-pollination of cultural influence and business ideology in multi-cultural societies. Their theory asserts that new value systems are created through the synergistic interaction of these influences. Let’s apply crossvergence to your business model and office design.

Think of your organization as a melting pot of ideas. Group your departments as if they were different cultural populations. Take human resources and accounting—do these cultures interact?

Do their duties overlap? Would HR benefit from understanding accounting practices and vice versa? Is the current layout of the two departments enhancing the triple bottom line or countering it?

Understand the productivity levels of your organization and whether synergy or separation of the two departments is beneficial to the whole.

The way your office space is designed is crucial in keeping them either synergized or separated, physically as well as operationally. Once you determine what is effective, then the most efficient office design solution will be easy to achieve.

Open workstations are the latest innovation in workplace communication.

Yet all too often, I hear that employees love the idea at first, but they take issue with the absence of privacy. Strike a happy medium with additions like divider screens and chest-level panel separators, which allow for brief interaction while keeping employees focused on individual task completion. HR and accounting can work together when needed but they ultimately stay on top of their internal duties. In this way, the layout of your office can promote crossvergence among your company’s various departments to create a shared culture of engagement, communication and productivity.

Chris Dittmar is the vice president of business development at Infinium Interiors. An O‘ahu native, he earned a BFA from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona, and recently received his Executive MBA from the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa Shidler College of Business.

cdittmar@infinium-interiors.com

Four Seasons Resort Lanai

Dec 30, 2016

When Larry Ellison, owner of the Four Seasons Resort Lanai, decided it was time to re-imagine the look of the resort and redefine the guest experience, he spared no expense. The resort closed in June 2015 for the comprehensive lobby-to-roof renovation. The multi-million dollar transformation of the 90,000-acre property on secluded Hulopo‘e Bay left no part of the resort untouched.

Inspired by Hawai‘i’s diverse flora and fauna, the luxurious interior design elements include mahogany floors, hand-woven area rugs and walls lined with artisan-produced Nepalese lokta paper with teak and zebrawood edging. The 217 redesigned guest rooms and 51 suites also feature fully integrated and intuitive lighting, temperature, service and privacy controls as well as highly responsive in-room technology, including 75-inch, platinum-bezel LED television panels for unparalleled in-room entertainment. The natural themes in-room are an extension of the outdoor common areas, where gardens of lush, tropical foliage are the backdrop for outdoor art and sculpture. The resort will also debut upgraded landscaping featuring native Hawaiian plants and a new restaurant and pool complex when it reopens this February.

Following its comprehensive lobby-to-roof renovation, The Four Seasons Resort Lanai will debut 217 redesigned guest rooms, sophisticated dining experiences, a newly imagined spa, high-end boutiques and a luxury transfer fleet.

ADU Housing Solution

Dec 30, 2016

Construction is all the rage these days. Unfortunately for many residents, luxury developments account for the lion’s share of new construction, while affordable housing is about as elusive as a vacant parking stall in Kaka‘ako. To increase housing opportunity for a greater segment of the population, Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell signed an ordinance in 2015 approving accessory dwelling units, or ADUs. The secondary dwellings—often referred to as “‘ohana units” in Hawai‘i—can be up to 400 square feet for lots that are 3,500 to 4,999 square feet and 800 square feet for lots 5,000 square feet or larger. An ADU can be built in a residential neighborhood and include full kitchen and bathroom.

Following a model for green building called the Living Building Challenge, Architects Hawaii developed a design concept that sets a new benchmark for sustainable ADU building. As part of its pro bono work, Architects Hawaii partnered with Hawai‘i Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice to build an efficient and sustainable ADU in east O‘ahu. Using the criteria for Living Building Challenge certification as a guide, the ADU demonstration project addresses seven areas of sustainability in the built environment: water conservation, energy efficiency, safe and responsible material use, health and happiness, equity in the community, sense of place and inspirational beauty. This ADU is more than just a place to call home; it’s an affordable housing solution that also gives back to the community. —Kevin Whitton

Mike Fairall, Principal and Project Manager Mokulua High Performance Builder

Dec 30, 2016

Growth has been on Mike Fairall’s mind the last few years. As a niche builder leading a small team of dedicated craftsmen, company growth has become just as important as building high-quality, energy-efficient homes. In 2014, Mokulua High Performance Builder acquired a five-employee masonry firm. Mike says the addition of the firm will further his goal to internally manage all parts of the building process. Mike also took on a few light commercial projects with clients that include Sea Life Park and Parker Ranch on the Big Island.

Mike has also seen a steady increase in the company’s workload. Mokulua High Performance Builder is building and certifying—LEED and Energy Star— six to eight new homes per year. In 2015, his team built two homes that achieved LEED version 4, the most current version of the U.S. Green Building Council’s sustainable home certification, and was also awarded the U.S. Green Building Council Outstanding Single-Family Home of the Year. —Kevin Whitton

Bryce Sprecher, President and CEO Summa International

Dec 30, 2016

“Business has been amazing,” says Summa International President and CEO Bryce Sprecher. “We’re making some big moves in reorganization and growth that will strengthen our opportunity to continue in this direction. Every single one of our staff are amazing and I couldn’t ask for a more proficient, productive and motivated team.” The renovation management company has recently expanded into California and opened a new office in the Fine Arts Building in downtown Los Angeles.

An international player in the building industry, Bryce recently developed new systems to greatly minimize the amount of containers required to transport product. He’s also been working with manufacturers to extend the life of their products, aesthetically and from a construction standpoint. These internal strategies reduce his clients’ bottom lines and his company’s environmental impact. Bryce is also a partner in the acquisition of two hotels to re-purpose and re-position these existing properties, what he’s best known for in the industry.

—Kevin Whitton

Bali Aga Lifestyle

Dec 30, 2016

Established in 2000, Bali Aga opened its first location in Honolulu with a mission to provide a variety of high-quality home furnishings and accents at accessible prices. Since then, the company has become a cornerstone in Hawai‘i’s brick and mortar furniture retail industry.

Bali Aga Lifestyle offers a wide range of products and services. The company’s experience furnishing private homes, condominiums and large scale, state-of-the-art properties enhances its ability to cater to the needs of its clientele. From functional, everyday designs to innovative, high-quality products, secure shipping and handling and on-site installations, Bali Aga can help improve the day-to-day living experience of local families as well as fulfill the needs of demanding commercial projects.

Whether you need stylish contract furniture or refi ned residential pieces, rustic accents or contemporary designs, you’ll fi nd something of interest at Bali Aga. For interior designers, Bali Aga can work according to custom specifi cations or from its catalogs, which feature an extensive range of products in several styles, including neocolonial, minimal and contemporary. Choosing

Bali Aga Lifestyle is a sign of your confi dence and trust in the company’s products and services—a responsibility that Bali Aga doesn’t take lightly.

—created by Bali Aga

Workplace Wellness

Dec 30, 2016

“SITTING IS THE NEW SMOKING.” “BLOOD FLOW AND MOVEMENT STIMULATE SUCCESS.” THERE ARE PLENTY OF THEORIES ON HOW TO PROPAGATE A SMARTER, HEALTHIER WORKPLACE AND AVOID THE TRAPPINGS OF AN UNWELL WORK ENVIRONMENT.

Ask your benefits consultant, health insurance enroller, even the facilities manager analyzing your ergonomic needs—they will all have a best practice, the latest white paper or LinkedIn article on the subject.

The truth is, there is no silver bullet to make all of your employees healthy and productive, but there is hope. Can you imagine your parents working at treadmill desks when they finalized their dissertations, medical studies or cost-benefit analyses? Organizations have never been more forthright about their work environments than in today’s workplace landscape.

A standing desk won’t make you smarter, but the change in viewpoint stimulates different viewpoints in the mind.

Walking all morning won’t make you more attentive, but regular movement curbs complacency and refines focus. Eating better won’t make you an American Ninja Warrior, but a diet rich in whole foods may keep your energy levels more consistent throughout the day. Imagine what all three of these practices could do for your productivity and efficiency. A pneumatically raised worksurface is no substitute for a vacation or mental health day, but a static workstation will only amplify tunnel vision in a stressed or burnt-out employee.

What can your organization’s leaders do to pivot this?

Ask questions about your organization’s culture. Do your managers need treadmill desks to have walking meetings with your employees instead of sitting ones? Do strategy meetings between department leaders need to be done over acai bowls and fresh-pressed juices in the morning instead of pau hana drinks and pupus in the afternoon? Integrating work and wellness may prove the solution.

The challenge then becomes gaining buy-in from your workforce. How can this be done? The answer is leadership.

According to the Wellness Council of America, when CEOs value healthy lifestyles and openly practice good health habits, the rest of the organization is likely to follow in their footsteps.

Wellness in the workplace might just be a top-down management style where all can benefit.

CHRIS DITTMAR is the vice president of business development at Infinium Interiors. An O‘ahu native, he earned a BFA from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona, and recently received his Executive MBA from the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa Shidler College of Business.

CDITTMAR@INFINIUM-INTERIORS.COM

International Market Place 2.0

Aug 29, 2016

Whatever your feelings are about the old International Market Place, chances are you’ve navigated its shady labyrinth of souvenir stands in the heart of Waikiki. Crammed with loud aloha shirts, puka shell lei and bobble-head hula dancers, the open-air flea market went from charmingly kitschy hotspot to aging tourist trap in the 56 years since it opened. But with an end of an era comes the dawn of new one; in a bold move to rebrand the neglected marketplace as a high-caliber retail and dining destination, the International Market Place was closed in December 2013 for a massive overhaul that left only Queen Emma’s banyan tree standing. When the new International Market Place opens in August 2016, it will bring a modern buzz and overdue economic activity to a piece of prime real estate formerly frozen in time.

Before Waikiki became an international vacationing destination, it was the stomping grounds of royalty. The land where the market is situated today was once owned by Hawai‘i’s first elected monarch, King William Charles Lunalilo, and later served as the summer home of Queen Emma, beloved humanitarian and wife of King Kamehameha IV. The queen willed the land to a trust that she established to support her legacy, the state’s largest private nonprofit hospital known today as The Queen’s Medical Center.

In 1955, The Queen Emma Foundation agreed to lease the land to tiki bar inventor Donn “The Beachcomber” Beach, who had proposed to create a mercantile community showcasing the various cultures of Hawai‘i. The $1.5 million International Market Place opened for business in 1957. The marketplace became a prime Waikiki attraction bustling with bargain hunters, diners and revelers. Over the course of its 56-year run, the International Market Place was home to some of the best people watching on the island and a nightclub scene crawling with some of the biggest entertainers of the era—Don Ho, Martin Denny and Ed Kenney. Through it all, the 60-foot banyan tree towering over the Kalakaua Avenue entrance stood a revered living mascot.

Over time, the shiny, new marketplace lost its luster. Opinions vary on the cause of its demise—lack of upkeep, high merchant turnover, decreasing sales—but when the center was officially shut down at the end of 2013, the plan was to rebrand it as an upscale retail, dining and entertainment complex. The project was spearheaded by retail developer Taubman and San Francisco-based real estate investment firm Coastwood Capital Group in conjunction with Queen Emma Land Company. Over the two-and-a-half-year development process, international firm WCIT Architecture, Hawaiian cultural consultants and a local design team have been collaborating in hopes of turning out a state-of-the-art facility polished by rich cultural experience.

Scheduled for a grand opening this August, the new International Market Place will host around 75 retailers, including Hawai‘i’s first Saks Fifth Avenue, and 10 gourmet restaurants like the Michelin-starred dim sum teahouse Yauatcha. While the overhauled marketplace will feature an elegant, contemporary aesthetic, the scene within will be rich with historical references. With the goal of infusing the shopping center with a Hawaiian sense of place, the design team focused on honoring Queen Emma and her bold efforts to perpetuate Hawaiian culture. Their mission was to create a dynamic place of discovery, entertainment and education in a spectacular setting that feels luxurious yet familiar.

Ron Loch, vice president of planning and design for Taubman, says that from day one, the aim has been to create an environment with a natural feel and flow comprised of cultural and place-based elements unique to Hawai‘i. “The Hawaiian phrase e komo mai, ‘come and belong,’ was our guiding mantra,” Loch says. “Design and history go hand in hand and we wanted the finished property to welcome everyone while creatively honoring generations past. A lot of people have a strong emotional connection to this place, with fond memories of a first date or first concert, and we wanted to honor those ties.”

The new International Market Place is infused with hundreds of allusions to Hawai‘i’s land and people. Glass, stone, wood and metal surfaces were rendered with creative twists inspired by traditional colors, designs and textures. Patterns inspired by native Hawaiian kapa fabric frame the storefronts. Quotes from Queen Emma are transcribed onto the glass walls of the elevators. Ornate water features celebrate the importance of wai ‘ola, or life-giving water, and a variety of indigenous and endemic plants are incorporated into the shopping center’s verdant landscaping. Interpretive plaques tell the stories of all the living things co-mingling in various spaces.

Like its predecessor, the new marketplace is an open-air center, but now has three levels. The first two floors are devoted to retail shops; the third level is a grand lanai lined with world-class eateries that include Chef Michael Mina’s Stripsteak and The Street, Eating House 1849 by Chef Roy Yamaguchi, Flour & Barley, Goma Tei and Kona Grill. The sign from the original International Market Place is on display and retractable patio roofs let patrons dine under the stars. Rising from the entrance on Kalakaua Avenue up to the grand lanai is the shopping center’s most dramatic feature—an 80-foot beacon comprised of 13 gas lanterns fused into an enormous chandelier of fire to symbolize the welcoming spirit of aloha.

The shopping center plaza is divided into three puka, or courts. The Banyan Court was constructed around the infamous banyan growing at the center of the property. In a throwback to the treehouse that once housed a radio-broadcasting studio during the market’s golden age, a new treehouse sits tucked within the banyan’s massive aerial roots and branches.

The Queen’s Court is situated in the heart of the shopping center against a lush backdrop of monkeypod trees, coconut palms and other native flora. A large sculpture commemorates Queen Emma, King Kamehameha IV and their son, Prince Albert. Plaques inscribed with poems, songs and intimate details from her life are located throughout the courtyard. Beside a large central stage designed for music, dance and other cultural performances, a tranquil pool alludes to the ancient navigational practice of gazing into the water to read the night sky.

In the Mauka Court, a striking water feature symbolizes rain washing down from the mountains. Local landscape architects replicated an ancient stream flowing from mauka to makai; the replica can be seen peeking though the floors. A five-level parking structure lines Kuhio Avenue above Mauka Court.

The six-acre site also integrates a variety of sustainability measures to reduce its carbon footprint, including light-colored roofs to resist heat gain, high-efficiency cooling, trickle irrigation, drought-tolerant plants, LED lighting and a recycling program. The center’s smart monitoring system works to manage and conserve energy, and electric car-charging stations and bike parking cater to the eco-conscious traveler.

The new International Market Place is an urban oasis in the making. A destination in itself, the shopping center is poised to reaffirm Hawai‘i’s firm grasp in the global tourism market. The marketplace serves as a passageway between Kalakaua Avenue and Kuhio Avenue, so shopping and dining traffic will likely serve as a catalyst for growth, benefitting local business and hotels within walking distance and beyond. The build has already created approximately 1,000 jobs during the construction phase and is expected to generate around 2,500 permanent positions in retail, service and operations. More importantly, the center’s projected sales numbers will provide a new and sustainable income source to continue Queen Emma’s legacy of making health care accessible through The Queen’s Medical Center.

Just as the century-old banyan tree lives on as a steadfast symbol of the strength and endurance of the Hawaiian people, the reinvented International Market Place is a sight to be seen and a thoughtful tribute to Hawaiian history. Whether you fall in love or long for the International Market Place of old, the center’s debut in August will make one thing clear—this is not just another shopping center, but a 21st-century retail, dining and cultural experience that honors Hawai‘i’s roots. Loyal fans of the original may find themselves pleasantly surprised to discover an unparalleled meeting place for the past and present.

Queen Emma’s banyan—an iconic symbol of the market and once home to a radio broadcast studio perched in a treehouse—thrives amidst the construction of the new International Market Place.

Load More Posts

Phillip Hasha, principal and co-founder Redmont Group

Craig Washofsky, vice president Servco Home & Appliance Distribution

Informed office design

Four Seasons Resort Lanai

ADU Housing Solution

Mike Fairall, Principal and Project Manager Mokulua High Performance Builder

Bryce Sprecher, President and CEO Summa International

Bali Aga Lifestyle

Workplace Wellness

International Market Place 2.0

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