This 165,000sf mixed-use affordable housing development for artists in the heart of Kaka`ako received a warm welcome into a neighborhood largely defined by transition and full of creativity. Historically this area was home to early salt ponds, fishponds, fishing villages, a lively immigrant community, light industrial and commercial uses, and more recently has become a local arts district and housing development hub. Affordable rental units in a nine story structure with five levels of studio lofts, a double height level of townhouses with nineteen foot ceilings, and 7,000 sf of street level commercial space – home to a few local culture and arts, non-profit organizations. Affordable rental rates allow quality housing to become accessible for individuals and families earning thirty to sixty percent of the Area Median Income. The project was supported by a variety of local and state funding sources as well as housing tax credits, permitting and zoning exemptions. Units are arranged on two street frontages, creating a protected exterior courtyard for the residents with 10,000 sf of green space. Twelve rain water cisterns provide storm water catchment for more than fifty percent of the project footprint, feeding planter beds available to each resident. Andrew Neuman and Kevin Miyamura served as Project Architect and Design Principal. Architect of Record – Urban Works, Inc. Photographs by Andrew Richard Hara.
