design | Kua Bay: Embraces Hawaii, Gracefully

Hawaii Island, better known by its nickname "the Big Island," is the youngest and largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, and it's home to active volcanoes. Checking the local weather this winter season, it's 78°F with 55% humidity and winds at 4 m/s. Those three simple numbers alone convey the island's temperate climate. In this earthly paradise, a family retreat has been built. Its name: Kua Bay Residence.  

Designed by San Francisco-based Walker Warner Architects, this family retreat sits in the Kailua-Kona area on the Big Island's western coast. The site's location is particularly meaningful. The home faces the mountains on one side and the ocean on the other, simultaneously embracing Hawaii's distinctive concepts of mauka (toward the mountains) and makai (toward the sea). The architects made full use of these site conditions to create an elegant, multi-layered experience of connection with nature. 

The home's private driveway on the mountain side threads between existing volcanic rock formations 15 feet wide. This minimizes the home's presence from the main road while shielding it from neighboring views. Inside, volcanic rock and native grasses continue the exterior atmosphere, leading to a small courtyard that serves as an entry vestibule, along with a garage and guest hale entrance. (In Hawaiian, "hale" means house or building.) The unique sunken structure here results from nestling the building into the lava-formed terrain.

The guest hale faces the mountains, offering perfect views of the volcanic landscape's raw beauty. The architects wrapped its courtyard entrance in brown Corten pickets to create an even more secluded and intimate feeling. Inside the bedroom, volcanic rock placed on the outdoor terrace sets the mood and provides a cave-like experience. A water feature was created on the terrace using volcanic rock. In this peaceful atmosphere where only natural elements emerge, guests can even enjoy a private bath.

"A nuanced response to topography. This house is filled with thoughtful transitional details that move between nature and artifact, interior and exterior, heavy and light." — 2019 AIA Honolulu Design Awards jury

 

Beyond the brown Corten steel panels—standing like walls and reminiscent of installation artist Richard Serra's work—the family's perfect and private paradise finally begins.

A carpet of low, densely laid green grass and tree-lined paths create a forest-like walk. Beyond them stands the main hale. Wanting architecture that would blend elegantly with the environment, the architects built this home as a low horizontal structure that flows along the ocean horizon. The result is a building that extends in a straight line, bringing a sense of calm just by looking at it. You must climb stairs to reach the building—a deliberate choice that makes the experience more dramatic by suddenly revealing the panoramic ocean view when you reach the top. This sweeping openness facing the Pacific was the main reason the owners chose this location.

Inside the main hale, which stretches in a straight line, the kitchen, dining room, living room, and bedrooms are arranged in sequence. Floor-to-ceiling pocket glass doors throughout the building mean you can enjoy stunning ocean views from any space. Pocket wood screens installed above them filter sunlight gently without blocking the view. The rest of the interior and exterior features simple, honest materials like basalt, Alaska yellow cedar, and steel, all custom fabricated.

"While the floor-to-ceiling sliding doors open dramatically to the view, the house doesn't rely solely on that stunning vista. Like the guest bedroom with its volcanic rock water feature, there are quiet moments here, unexpected pockets of serene beauty." — Nicole Hollis, principal of NICOLEHOLLIS Interior Design