CLIENT

The Puako Bays’ Client bought the property to build a home to use intermittently throughout the year for family vacations and, when not occupied by them, it would be available as a vacation rental space. This innovative engineer-minded client had several unique requests that made for a fun, interactive space for anyone who visits: secret passageways, suspended bridges, in-door rock climbing, and a living plant wall (to list some). The fun continues outdoors with a full-size volleyball court, tennis court, and infinity pool. For the visual experience, importance was placed on openness to the expansive views and blending the indoor/outdoor sense of space. As a request all bedroom suites are designed to take full advantage of the ocean view with its own indoor/outdoor tropical bathing experience. Within the estate, a complementing guest house with two separate suites provides extra space for those vacationing as a group.

SITE

The project site is located at the Northwestern coast of the Big Island of Hawaii and offers expansive views of the Pacific Ocean, Puako Bay, and peaks of Mauna Kea volcano. This slightly sloped site offers its own private bay with obligatory coastal restrictions. Areas of building placement ended up having unstable soil and had to be re-compacted for stabilization. With having drainage swells running along the site and management of building water runoff, there was great thought put into having a dry well placed on the site to prevent any contaminated water from entering the bay. Lastly, orientation of this home was critical for taking full advantage of the available views on site.

ENVIRONMENT

Puako Bay, as one might expect, has a tropical environment and being on the leeward side of the Big Island, the weather here is generally exceptional: sunny and dry. This bay offers enjoyable temperature year-round with sun in the morning and overcast afternoons with possibilities of occasional down pours. Having sun year-round, brought the material and screen choices to the forefront of the design. Materials include: Basalt wall and floor surfaces as it originates from the island itself, Sinker Cypress wood for its natural resistance to bugs, Stucco and bonderized metal fascias for their longevity in this type of environment. Naturally, the home is oriented toward the ocean but in-turn a majority of the spaces are west-facing with outdoor lanais extending from all suites, the outdoor living room, and the kitchen. Lanai areas have hidden electric drop-down screens set into the soffit to soften sun exposure and block out insects during the evening.