Location: Honolulu, Hawaii
Client: Kamehameha Schools & Forest City
Johnson Fain was selected by the partnership of Forest City and Kamehameha Schools to develop a master plan for a new 29-acre multi-block area adjacent to Downtown Honolulu. The vision for the Kaka’ako District is to create a twenty-first century urban village that will act as a pivotal catalyst in the evolution of urban culture and innovation within the rich cityscape of Honolulu. The District’s location makes it ideally positioned to connect downtown Honolulu and Waikiki. Kaka’ako is poised not only to fill the void in the existing urban fabric, but to differentiate itself as a progressive and creative neighborhood offering a vibrant urban island lifestyle.
The proposed mixed-use development plan proposes 8 blocks of four to five story buildings that define the streetwall, wrapped around multi-level parking structures that support each respective block. Taller residential structures, ranging from 12 to 34 stories in height, will step up along Ala Moana Boulevard, and back toward Halekauwila Street. Pedestrian traffic and pedestrian-friendly retail uses will be focused on Auahi Street, forming a vibrant pedestrian corridor at the heart of the neighborhood. Development along this street, as with the other side streets that are more predominantly residential, will be punctuated with small courtyards or intimate pocket parks as surprise features for pedestrians to discover. Keawe and Cooke Streets will become green ‘mauka-makai’ street connectors across the neighborhood. A unique marketplace and loku square will anchor the area culturally and act as its symbolic heart at the intersection of Auahi and Cooke Streets.