2025 Design Award Winners

AIA Honolulu is pleased to announce the winners of the 67th Annual Design Awards, recognizing architectural design excellence for 2025. This is Hawaii’s oldest design competition — held annually since 1958 — recognizing the year’s best in architectural projects.

View 2025 AIA Honolulu Design Awards Booklet HERE

All winners and entrants are featured in our special Design Awards insert included in the September issue of the Hawaii Business Magazine.

AIA Honolulu has maintained an excellent partnership with aio Media Group, publisher of Hawaii Business Magazine. This alliance positions our members within a core readership of business and professional leaders as well as potential private clients.

The following exemplary projects and architects were recognized as Design Award winners from the distinguished entrants.

View the Past Winners Since 1958

Congratulations to the 2025 Design Awards Recipients!

Award of Excellence &
USGBC HAWAI'I SUSTAINABILITY AWARD

Kona Village (Commercial/Industrial)

Firms: Walker Warner; Delawie (Architect of Record)

Additional Design Firms: Nicole Hollis (Interior Designer); VITA Planning & Landscape Architecture (Planning & Landscape)
Client: Kennedy Wilson, Operator: Rosewood Hotels & Resorts
Contractors: Nordic PCL Construction, Inc.; Ali'i Builders; Goodfellow Brothers
Project Location: Kailua-Kona, Hawai’i Island, Hawai’i
Photo Credits: Douglas Friedman Photography

Energy

Resort is home to the largest privately owned microgrid in Hawaii, capable of fully operating on renewable energy and solar power
Approximately 8,000 solar panels create enough power to run day-to-day operations and to generate a full day's backup
Resort has two generators that run off sustainable biodiesel sourced from an on-island refinery
Layout was planned in accordance with the traditional winds of the area to maximize natural breezeways and reduce need for air conditional

Water Efficiency

A reverse osmosis and wastewater treatment plant produces enough water a day for irrigation, with the majority of water returning to the surrounding environment
Storm water is routed to dry wells for on-site percolation
Drought-resistant landscaping uses predominantly native plants

Award of Excellence &

Community Impact Award &

The Mayor's Choice Award

Pūhāwaiulu Processing Facility (Commercial/Industrial)

Firm: Ama A/E

Additional Design Firms: Collaborative Studio LLC (site analysis and pre-design)
Client: MA`O Organic Farms (dba Waianae Re-Development Corporation)
Contractor: Diede Construction LLC
Project Location: Waianae, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi
Photo Credits: Ama A/E

The Pūhāwaiulu Processing Facility is a modest and economical building appropriate for a non-profit farm organization focused primarily on youth and people development. Native Hawaiian values central to the farm are represented in the building's connectedness to land and natural resources, through systems of conservation and sustainability. Elements of water, earth, and sky are reflected in building components that perform functionally.

Award of Merit &

People's Choice Award

Daniel Kahikina Akaka VA Clinic (Institutional)

Firm: Ferraro Choi And Associates Ltd

Client: Hunt Companies Hawaii
Contractor: Nan, Inc.
Project Location: Kapolei, O‘ahu, Hawai‘i
Photo Credits: Anton Kisselgoff

West O‘ahu is home to 30% of the Pacific’s 55,000 veterans. For the first time,
comprehensive healthcare and veteran’s services are offered under one roof
at the Daniel K. Akaka VA Clinic - a fully accessible building located right in their
community.

We believe that providing an outstanding healthcare facility for local veterans
begins with honoring the site of the new clinic. The project is located in Kalaeloa,
within the ahupua‘a of Honouliuli in the ‘Ewa moku of O‘ahu.

Familiarization with the land began by meeting with kūpuna to hear the place’s
history, reading traditional mo‘olelo and walking the site.

Design Inspirations:

Colors, tones and textures drawn from the areas’ geography - coral rock
and significant plants and trees.
Contrast of cool, shaded exterior walkways and bright, naturally daylit
spaces.
Connection to nature - Gardens that weave through exterior pathways and
adjoin waiting areas.
Details that speak to the craftmanship and the worthiness of those served.
Respect shown for individuality and personal agency through providing a
choice of various public spaces in which to wait or work.

Award of Merit

Kailua House (Residential)

Firm: Mork-Ulnes Architects

Additional Design Firms: Fujita Netski Architecture (Local Design Consultant); Terremoto, Alain Peauroi and Story Wiggins (Landscape Architects)
Client: Bonnie and Anton Andryeyev
Contractor: Concept 2
Project Location: Kailua, O’ahu, Hawai‘i
Photo Credits: Joe Fletcher; Mariko Reed

Just off Kailua Beach on O’ahu’s windward coast, Kailua House turns inward to a lush garden, with peekaboo views of the Pacific and Mokulua Islands. A simple two-story structure connects to a lanai designed for cross breezes and outdoor living. Its green roof absorbs heat and rain, while dense plantings create a protected jungle refuge. Four volumes under the lanai hold an office, kitchen, bath, and tea room, centered around a pool. Inside, large glazed walls connect the home to the landscape, blurring the line between house and nature.

Award of Merit

Yohei Sushi KAHALA (Interior Architecture)

Firm: Wander X Wonder

Client: Pueomao, Inc.
Contractor: Dave Foster Builders, Inc.
Project Location: Honolulu, O’ahu, Hawai’i
Photo Credits: Akira Kumagai

YOHEI SUSHI blends traditional Japanese aesthetics with contemporary design to create a calm, refined dining experience inspired by wabi-sabi and shibui principles. The program includes open seating, intimate booths, private rooms, and a chef’s counter—each designed to support varied dining styles while maintaining a cohesive flow.

Warm wood, textured stone, and soft fabrics create a tactile, inviting atmosphere. Curved wooden slats echo traditional kumiko latticework, adding rhythm and visual harmony. Lighting is carefully crafted: Wire-mesh pendants cast delicate shadows, while discreet LED lighting highlights architectural details without distraction.

Subtle cultural motifs honoring the client’s Hiroshima heritage are integrated throughout, deepening the space’s narrative.

YOHEI SUSHI achieves a seamless balance of function, atmosphere, and cultural storytelling—delivering a hospitality environment that is both meaningful and elegant.

Honorable Mention

1060 Bishop (Residential)

Firm: AHL

Client: WKF, Inc.
Contractor: J. Kadowaki, Inc.
Project Location: Honolulu, O‘ahu, Hawai‘i
Photo Credits: Adam Taylor Photography

1060 Bishop is a conversion of the original 1953 GASCO office building into affordable rental apartments in the heart of downtown Honolulu. Initially an open office layout, the transition to residential use required strategic interventions to meet program requirements while preserving the building’s core structure.

The existing ribbon window system determined the placement of new apartment walls, allowing for a range of unit sizes to accommodate single professionals, couples, and families, with minimal disruption to the façade.

The original office design was limited to one plumbing core near the elevators, leading to numerous concrete slab penetrations for individual apartment services.

A mezzanine-level community space was also designed to serve as an extension of each unit—supporting remote work, study, and social gathering. Though not yet constructed, it remains a future opportunity to enhance livability and connection among residents.

Developed under the City and County of Honolulu’s Bill 7 ordinance, the calculation for new construction would have limited the project to just 35 units. However, given the opportunities presented by the existing building, the project team was able to design for 52 units in total. This led to an expansion of the ordinance to include adaptive reuse projects and support increased unit counts.

Honorable Mention

Cliff Hut (Residential)

Firm: Roy K. Yamamoto Architect, AIA, Inc. (Architect of Record); Johnston Marklee (Design Architect)

Client: Chan Luu
Contractor: Hanalei CDM
Project Location: Kīlauea, Kaua‘i, Hawai‘i
Photo Credits: Nicholas Hofstede (Johnston Marklee); Chan Luu

Cliff Hut is a 625-square-foot prototype for small-footprint living on Kauaʻi’s North Shore. Designed as a home for one or two people, the structure hovers lightly above a ridge and is organized around a square interior plan with a surrounding lanai on all sides. The design emphasizes connection to nature and efficiency, integrating passive ventilation and natural lighting through a pyramidal roof and central skylight that brings diffuse daylight into the heart of the home.

Tall wood columns support both the interior and lanai, extending living space outward and framing views makai to the north and mauka to the south. The four-square layout defines functional living zones at each corner of the home, each connected to the wraparound lanai. The roof form references local vernacular and ties visually to the nearby Hut House, while remaining cost-effective and easy to construct.

A companion outbuilding to the east, used for vehicles and agriculture, shares the structural logic and roof form of the main house with subtle variation. Together, the buildings demonstrate a thoughtful, place-based approach to modest, climate-responsive living in Hawaiʻi.

Honorable Mention

EJ King High School (Institutional)

Firm: G70

Client: Department of Defense Education Activity / USACE
Contractor: Nippo Corporation
Project Location: Commander Fleet Activities, Sasebo Japan
Photo Credits: Naoomi Kurozumi

The E.J. King High School project in Sasebo, Japan, replaced and renovated the existing school to provide modern academic facilities for 275 students in grades 7-12. The project involved demolishing an existing building to create a new parking lot and constructing a new building with various educational and administrative spaces. The new facilities feature 21st-century design elements, sustainable materials, and vibrant learning environments to meet Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) criteria.

Honorable Mention

Hale Lē‘ahi (Residential)

Firm: Peter Vincent Architects

Additional Design Firm: Surfacedesign (Landscape Architect)
Contractor: Mokulua High Performance Builders
Project Location: Honolulu, O‘ahu, Hawai‘i
Photo Credits: Adam Taylor Photography

University of Hawaii Maui College - Heona Art Center (Unbuilt)

Firm: G70

Commissioned Work to be Built
Client: University of Hawaii Community Colleges
Project location: Kahului, Maui, Hawai‘i
Rendering: ICON CG

The University of Hawaii Maui College, Heona Art Center is the renovation of a 7,000 sf Physical Education Building into modern adaptable studios for the Department of Fine Arts.

Built in 1970, it was a single story cmu bunker that included student locker rooms, toilets/showers, offices and storage. Acquired in the early aughts, the Art Department has been utilizing it in its original condition, including housing kilns in the existing shower room. This modernization aspires to transcend its intended use and become a campus destination through the integration of uses between Heona and its site.

Continuing as the primary home for Drawing/Painting and Ceramics, a detached pavilion will be constructed for the relocation of the gas/electric kilns and the main electrical panels. This move allows the introduction of a Fine Arts Gallery, a photography darkroom, catering counters and all gender toilets.

Light filled and naturally ventilated, perimeter cmu walls are replaced with continuous full height glass, mixing the interior with both warm and cool daylight. 50% of all glazing will be operable allowing Heona to breathe as tradewinds filter through the building from Kahului Harbor. Supplemental air movement is promoted through ceiling fans while natural convection occurs through passive exhaust vents in the light towers.

Marrying the built and natural environments, Heona introduces a complementary visual language that honors the campus’ architectural vocabulary. Centered above is a bouquet of light and color appearing to emerge out of the landscape, bending and pivoting while pouring sunlight into the gallery below. On Day One student made ceramic tiles will wrap the light towers in turquoise and teal colorways complementing the campus’ green colored roofs and the landscape. Concrete walls will periodically receive similar ceramic tiles documenting classes that pass through its program, allowing the building to gracefully mature and evolve through the hands of its students.

Sitting quietly in the background for over half a century, Heona has become a ‘creator space’ for the visual arts and seeks to strengthen its integration into the land and climate of Kahului. It aspires to become a place of gathering, a place of creativity and a place of joy for students of the Fine Arts and the greater UH Maui College community.

Honorable Mention

Victoria Place and Victoria Ward Park (Residential)

Firm: SCB

Client: Howard Hughes
Contractor: Hawaiian Dredging Construction Company
Project Location: Honolulu, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi
Photo Credits: Courtesy of Ward Village

Victoria Place is a 750,000-square-foot, 40-story residential tower between Downtown Honolulu and Waikīkī. The building and Victoria Ward Park offer breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean and the Koʻolau Mountains. Both projects are part of the Ward Village Masterplan, one of the largest LEED ND Platinum Certified projects globally and support community-oriented living in Honolulu by celebrating local culture, promoting harmony with the landscape, and fostering connectivity.

Inspired by the architecture of Honolulu's midcentury kamaʻāina clubs, the tower’s design embraces Hawaii's tradition of gracious hospitality and outdoor living. A singular welcoming experience from Victoria Ward Park to the building promotes the blending of indoor and outdoor spaces with open pathways, a material palette evocative of the native landscape, and overlapping finishes. The result is a harmonious, immersive environment that is uniquely Hawaiian.

Victoria Place enhances wellness, connectivity, and walkability by integrating with the park and providing access to the 120-acre Ala Moana Beach Park from a pedestrian bridge. Victoria Ward Park will offer residents open spaces for events, outdoor cinema, yoga, music, and hula performances.

As the centerpiece of this vibrant community, Victoria Place and Victoria Ward Park celebrate the island's natural beauty and its cultural heritage.

Honorable Mention

World Language Center (Institutional)

Firm: Dean Sakamoto Architects

Client: Niu Valley Middle School, Hawaiʻi State Department of Education
Contractors: S&M Sakamoto, Inc. (Phase 1); Close Construction, Inc. (Phase 2)
Project location: Honolulu, O‘ahu, Hawai‘i
Photo credits: Andrea Brizzi Photography

"The World Language Center (WLC) is a new 21st Century School facility designed to enhance the existing campus’ functionality and set a new standard for the Hawai’i State Department of Education’s (DOE) school construction projects. The most unique aspect of this building is the integration of its natural and learning environments. All Classrooms are passively ventilated and have a variety of instructional spaces both within and without. Overall, the project’s design was informed by a series of planning workshops facilitated by the architect and attended by select community members, DOE Facilities administrators, Niu Valley Middle School (NVMS) staff, and students.

The WLC is situated to provide a gathering place between the school’s cafetorium (a hybrid of cafeteria and auditorium) and a community playﬁeld while enhancing NVMS' innovative language curriculum. It includes 4 classrooms, faculty restrooms, an electrical/data room, gang restrooms, and native plant gardens.

Hawai‘i Energy Award for Excellence in Energy-Efficient Design

Kūpono Hale (Residential)

Firm: Hawaii Off Grid Architecture & Engineering

Project location: Makawao, Maui, Hawai‘i
Photo credits: Travis Rowan Photography

Kupono Hale is a 996 sq ft, 2-bed/2-bath off-grid residence in Makawao, Maui, designed for complete energy and water self-sufficiency while creating an architectural form materially connected to its natural surroundings. Program requirements included comfortable family living, extensive lanais (820 sq ft covered, 833 sq ft uncovered) for indoor-outdoor life, and full integration of off-grid systems, including EV charging support.

A key achievement is the distinctive parabolic roof of glulam beams and local Cook Pine decking. Its form and rotated ridge beam capture the prevailing winds enhancing natural ventilation via clerestories and helps to optimize the ocean and mountain views. Walls of Insulated Composite Concrete Forms (ICCF) from recycled styrofoam, a thermal mass concrete slab, Marvin fiberglass windows/doors, and strategic overhangs are integrated for passive climate control and light diffusion. This holistic integration ensures the home's visual uniqueness directly serves its high-performance, off-grid goals.

Student Design Awards Recipients

The Student Design Awards were created to honor student achievements in the design studio and provide a forum for student design excellence to be celebrated beyond the academic setting.

Award of Excellence

Keiki Kaiāulu (Undergraduate)

Student: Victoria Pangelinan

School: University of Hawaii at Manoa School of Architecture

Keiki Kaiāulu is a mixed-use development designed for families, featuring a children’s storefront, three floors of family-oriented apartments, and a top-floor daycare with infant, toddler, and preschool rooms. The daycare’s rooftop play area ensures safety from street traffic while allowing children to play freely without disturbing residents. Its elevated location enhances privacy and security, while access to fresh air benefits infants’ health.

The building’s playful form reflects its programs while blending with the surrounding context. Ample windows, screens, and openings allow for natural ventilation, while surrounding trees provide shade, enhancing comfort in Hawaii’s warm climate.

Design for Integration is central to Keiki Kaiāulu’s concept. Rather than isolating uses, the design brings together residential, commercial, and childcare programs into a unified and human-centered structure. Vertical stacking is used intentionally—placing the most active public zone (retail) at street level, followed by private residences, and culminating in the rooftop daycare. This arrangement balances function and flow, enhances safety and privacy of residents and children, and optimizes access to light and air. The building’s massing, circulation, and form all express and support this layered integration, creating a cohesive experience that is both functional and joyful.

Design for Equitable Communities also guided the development of Keiki Kaiāulu. The project provides affordable, family-oriented housing with built-in support systems like childcare and safe outdoor play—essentials lacking in its current urban location. By integrating these services into one site, the design reduces daily burdens on working parents, promotes walkability, and fosters community interaction. The project invites diverse users and strengthens social ties by creating shared spaces like the community terrace and lounge, where neighbors can gather, connect, and support one another.

Keiki Kaiāulu aims to elevate everyday life for families through inclusive, integrated, and climate-responsive design.

Honorable Mention

Kanewai Swimming Center (Undergraduate)

Student: Yu An Ma

School: University of Hawaii at Manoa School of Architecture

The Kānewai Park, located in Honolulu, Hawai‘i, is the site of a proposed Olympic-size swimming pool, located near the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and several other institutions. The vision for the new Kānewai Park is not only to serve as a space for recreation, but also to create a vibrant and inclusive environment that welcomes residents, visitors, and students. It aims to foster community and provide meaningful social opportunities for a generation often described as isolated.

The project includes a variety of facilities such as basketball courts, tennis courts, a playground, and a kiddie pool, all designed to encourage physical activity and play. On the ground floor, a gathering area features a food court offering fresh meals and beverages, which visitors can enjoy indoors or as a picnic outdoors.

The building's design emphasizes accessibility and openness. A clearly visible and easily accessible parking area is located along Dole Street, allowing for smooth arrival. The entrance design invites users into the park, while landscaped and thoughtfully organized outdoor pathways provide a calm and clear route through the site. These elements also help mitigate noise from the busy Dole Street, creating a quieter, more serene atmosphere that enhances the overall experience for the users. The building design also emphasizes accessibility, aiming to create a user-friendly experience. On the ground floor, the boys’ and girls’ changing rooms are located closest to the kiddie pool and can be easily accessed by following the designated pathway. Nearby, restrooms are provided for general visitors. On the third floor, including changing rooms and restrooms for athletes, are positioned on the same side of the building as the wet areas to enhance circulation. When accessing the third floor, visitors and athletes are intuitively guided to separate zones based on function. Athletes move to the left, toward the wet area and pool facilities, while visitors are directed to the right, toward the spectator seating and dry areas. This spatial organization supports efficient movement, privacy, and comfort for all users.

Kānewai Park swimming center demonstrates a clear commitment to integrating the site, circulation, landscape, and user experience. By emphasizing accessibility from Dole Street, buffering urban noise through thoughtful landscaping, and organizing movement intuitively across all levels of the building, the project creates a connection between built form and natural context. More than just a recreational facility, it is envisioned as a welcoming and inclusive public space that encourages interaction, supports athletic excellence, and fosters a sense of community in the neighborhood.

Honorable Mention

Wā Kō‘ie‘ie (Undergraduate)

Student: Byrne Meheula Williams

School: University of Hawaii at Manoa School of Architecture

Wā Kōʻieʻie—a name meaning “a time of rapid movement”—reimagines the Hawaiʻi Public Archives as a dynamic vessel of cultural memory, inspired by the ocean currents that shape the islands. Its flowing, sculptural façade provides shading and identity, while a separate mass timber archive structure preserves the sacred integrity of the records within. Surrounding flexible civic spaces support community gathering and education, adapting to evolving needs.

Elevated on a raised earth platform, the building symbolizes a “peak” of cultural knowledge and resilience, protecting against environmental risks. Public circulation paths offer framed views into the archives, fostering reflection and respect. Guided by Design for Integration, Wā Kōʻieʻie weaves cultural narrative, materiality, and environmental performance into an immersive experience—inviting shared stewardship and connection across Hawaiʻi’s past, present, and future.

People's Choice Award

Takeya Mass Timber Complex, Honolulu Community College (Undergraduate)

Student: Michael Griffin

School:University of Hawaii at Manoa School of Architecture

In Kalihi’s historic timber warehouse district, the Takeya Mass Timber Complex honors legacy through a connected village for students, blending architecture with care. Its centerpiece gym recalls old harbor warehouses with exposed timber beams and a curtain wall bathing the space in natural light, creating a serene yet powerful atmosphere. Along Dillingham Boulevard, student services offer accessible, dignified support, while a timber bridge links to a 15-story residence with study spaces, housing, and a daycare—embracing learners and their families.

Guided by Design for Ecosystems, Economy, and Well-Being, the complex integrates native courtyards, prefabricated timber and concrete, and abundant natural light to foster harmony between people, place, and climate. Quiet and unassuming, it

2025 Design Awards Jury

Juror selection is based upon locating impartial individuals who represent high levels of achievement, design quality and professional integrity. Every attempt is made to create a balanced panel that will provide fair judgment to all entries.

2025 AIA Professional Jurors!

Sylvia P. Kwan, FAIA, LEED AP, NCARB, NOMA ( AIA San Francisco)
Principal, Kwan Henmi Architecture
Ho Kyung Lee, AIA (AIA Honolulu)
Faculty, University of Hawai’i at Manoa School of Architecture
Purnima McCutcheon, AIA (AIA Honolulu)
Principal & Owner, Studio Create | Architecture & Design
Stephen Van Dyck, AIA, LEED AP (AIA Seattle)
Partner, LMN Architects
Adam Woltag, AIA (AIA San Francisco)
Design Partner, WRNS Studio

2025 Student Award Jurors!

Mayumi Hara Dao, AIA (AIA Honolulu)
Principal, Mayumi Hara Dao Architect, LLC
Mark de Reus, AIA (AIA Honolulu)
Founding Partner, de Reus Architects
Todd J. Hassler, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP (AIA Honolulu)
Partner, Peter Vincent Architects

Members of the design awards committee whose firms have submitted in that year may not be present and/or may not participate during any aspect of jury deliberations.