Shaped by a Century

The Ku‘u Home team is looking forward to the 68th Annual American Institute of Architects Honolulu (AIA) Design Awards Gala tonight, July 24, at Hawai‘i Theater. 

Each year, this event celebrates hardworking and talented architects and project teams who beautifully push local residential and commercial design forward. It’s especially exciting to see the innovative ways award-winning homes embrace technology, sustainability and detailed construction.

2026 marks AIA Hawai‘i’s 100^th anniversary. A cool Instagram series titled “100 Projects, 100 Years” looks back at notable projects honored by AIA in the islands over the past century. We caught up with 2026 AIA Honolulu President Lance Hirai, AIA, WELL AP, ALEP for a Q&A on how history and modernity inform local residential architecture today.

Also spotlighted below are some of the award-winning homes featured so far in the Instagram series — vintage photos of island living always give us the feels. Click on the photos to learn more about each residence.

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Ku‘u Home: What inspired the “100 Projects, 100 Years” series?

Lance Hirai: As AIA Hawaiʻi celebrates its 100th anniversary, we wanted to tell the story of architecture through the buildings that have shaped our islands. “100 Projects, 100 Years” highlights a century of AIA Hawaiʻi and AIA Honolulu Design Award-winning projects, showcasing the lasting impact thoughtful design has had on our communities.

While our centennial celebration recognizes the many significant milestones of our organization, this series celebrates the work of our members. Each featured project represents a moment in Hawaiʻi’s architectural history and reflects the creativity, innovation and stewardship of the architects who designed it. Together, these projects illustrate how good design responds to place, culture, climate, and the evolving needs of the people who live here.

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KH: What can Ku‘u Home readers learn about home design in Hawai‘i from the residential projects highlighted in the series?

LH: One of the biggest takeaways is that there isn’t a single “Hawaiʻi style” of home. The featured projects span decades and vary widely in size, location and architectural expression, yet they share common principles that remain relevant today.

Readers will see homes designed to embrace Hawaiʻi’s climate through natural ventilation, daylighting, indoor-outdoor living, and thoughtful orientation to the sun and trade winds. They’ll also notice a strong emphasis on connecting people to the landscape, whether through carefully framed views, courtyards, lanais or the use of locally appropriate materials.

The projects also demonstrate that great residential architecture isn’t defined by square footage or luxury. The most successful homes are those that thoughtfully respond to their site, support the lives of the people who inhabit them, and create a lasting sense of place.

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KH: In what ways has residential architecture changed in the islands over the years? What has remained timeless?

LH: Residential architecture in Hawaiʻi has continually evolved alongside changes in technology, building codes, environmental awareness and the way families live. Today’s homes often place greater emphasis on resilience, energy-efficiency, sustainability, aging-in-place, and accommodating flexible lifestyles such as working from home or multigenerational living.

At the same time, many of the qualities that have long defined exceptional residential architecture in Hawaiʻi remain unchanged. The best homes continue to celebrate our climate by inviting fresh air and natural light inside, strengthening the relationship between indoor and outdoor spaces, and responding thoughtfully to their surroundings rather than imposing upon them.

Perhaps the most timeless lesson from the projects featured in the campaign is that good architecture is never about following trends. It’s about creating homes that are enduring, livable, and deeply connected to Hawaiʻi’s unique environment and culture — qualities that have defined award-winning residential design here for generations. •