Anaha

Combining history, context, and culture, the Anaha tower is an extraordinary example of contemporary architectural place-making. The condominium begins the implementation of Ward Village®, which is largest Platinum Certified LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) masterplan in the country.

Designed by Solomon CordwellBuenz (SCB) in partnership with Honolulu-based Benjamin Woo Architects, Anaha is the second residential condominium tower to be completed within the award-winning 60-acre master-planned community transforming Honolulu’s urban core.

Located in the vibrant Kaka’ako district of Oahu, the 40-story, 857,000-square-foot tower creates 311 condominium homes that will help transform the previously industrial and retail focused district into a 24-hour mixed use community.

Anaha means “reflection of light” in Hawaiian. The tower’s undulating form was inspired by the island’s artistic tradition of abstracting waves. Through a sequence of shifted, interlocking, and softly curved floor plates and its high-performance glass curtain wall, the façade appears to be ever-changing in the light, like a wave shimmering in the sun, making the tower a distinctive and dynamic addition to the coast line.

The orientation of the tower’s long axis is placed ‘Mauka-Makai’, or mountain to ocean, which preserves coastal views from inland vantage points. The tower is brought cleanly down to the street to mark the residential entrance.  The podium retail and townhomes activate Kamakee Street. Retail spaces, geared toward local artisans, are arranged along a shaded pedestrian promenade that connects Auahi and Queen Streets and feature operable facades to connect directly and stimulate street life.

Between the tower and podium geometries, a tranquil water feature is framed by one the country’s largest verdant ‘living walls’, which contains a blend of 8,000 indigenous tropical plants and passes through the lobby façade, connecting outside and in. Perched 80 feet above Auahi Street, a glass-bottomed, saltwater pool cantilevers 15 feet off the edge of the seventh floor amenity deck creating a memorable spectacle.

The design for Anaha employs numerous sustainable strategies and materials to create a building that is both environmentally responsive and focused on resident comfort. Since conventional faceted glazing could not convey the design intent and sinuous contours of the facade, the design team turned to large-format, solar-efficient radiused glass to meet both the technical performance and desired aesthetic. Juliet balconies allow the façade to open up, taking advantage of warm ocean breezes and allowing for an indoor/outdoor living experience for residents. Locally sourced materials also contain recycled content to the greatest degree possible and were selected to reduce or eliminate volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Kitchen appliances and plumbing fixtures and fittings are energy- and water-conserving models.

Material Used:

1. CW manufacturer and installer: AGA Architectural Glass & Aluminum

2. Glass: Guardian Glass, SNR 43 on Crystal Gray

3. Metal panels on CW: PPG Duranar coating, Silverstorm and Driftwood Mica

4. Wood ceilings: 9 Wood 2500 series “T&G” splay, Western Hemlock

 5. Pools and water features:  Pacific Aqua Group

Drawing respectful inspiration from the uniforms worn by the first responders trained there, blue and gray panels clad the 65,000-square-foot building’s façade. 

It’s not easy to walk by Anaha without a touch of neck strain.

The new 38-story, $400 million residential tower in the Kaka’ako district of Oahu is a visual wonder, forcing passersby to look skyward. 

Reason number one is the sinewy, undulating, cantilevered massing that the architectural design team at Solomon Cordwell Buenz (SCB) imagined. A second one might be a rooftop lap pool that juts a dazzling 15 feet into Hawaiian airspace, 75 feet above the plaza below. It’s not easy gazing 7 stories straight up.

“For a swimmer, it’s the closest thing to flying. Ocean ahead, nearly 80 feet between you and the plaza below,” says senior designer and project architect Francesco Mozzati, AIA, of SCB. 

Sensory Delight

Fly, indeed. It’s but one of the sensory adventures Anaha invites all to experience. The very form of Anaha “is reminiscent of the play between the crests and troughs of a calm ocean wave,” observes Mozzati’s SCB colleague, Strachan Forgan, RIBA, LEED AP, principal.

Mozzati credits the owner of the 318-unit, LEED Silver-certified tower with “an incredible job of delivering this project.” The architect says it’s not often when the aesthetic vision is so comprehensively embraced by the owner. That integrity of intent is apparent throughout the structure, from the curvaceous glass curtainwall and projected pool to the one-acre amenity deck and Hawaii’s largest living wall – a 1,200 square feet lobby display of 8,000 species of tropical plants. 

Coastal Tough

Helping bring refinement and style to the sweeping expanse is color. “Once the glass for the curtainwall was established, we started looking to the different coating on the metals that would enhance the visual composition,” explains Mozzati.

The architect says the primary color is Fluropon Silverstone, a gray tone that works well with the glass. The design team also specified an accent color called Fluropon Driftwood, used on the podium and the projected pool’s supporting elements. “We considered another coating provider, but eventually we went with the Fluropon 70% PVDF coating from Sherwin-Williams Coil Coatings,” Mozzati says. “Sherwin-Williams was very responsive in terms of providing the samples we needed. They were very collaborative.” Fluropon 70% PVDF coating systems for aluminum extrusions are field proven for durability, resistance to color fade and industry compliance, a major consideration in the harsh maritime environment of coastal Hawaii.

Signature Achievement

For Mozzati, the reception to Anaha (meaning “reflection of light”) has been the most humbling experience of his career. The property is nearly leased-up, the owner is delighted, and the project won the 2018 Multifamily Executive Awards, Project of the Year - High-Rise. What do you do for an encore? He’s working on it: a 42-story sister tower to Anaha.