KALAKAUA COMMUNITY
Schofield Army Barracks, Hawaii
It’s hard to be a vocal critic about golf in Hawaii—home to some of the world’s most picturesque and
challenging courses. However, Actus Lend Lease (d.b.a. Army Hawaii Family Housing) did just that. For the Military Housing Privatization contract at the U.S. Army’s Schofield Barracks, the Nashville, Tenn.-based developer built over the base links in hopes of delivering a better—and greener—military community.
The result is a hole-in-one project that allowed Army Hawaii Family Housing (AHFH) to forgo acquiring and developing adjacent land parcels in one of the most resource-starved areas of the United States. Kalakaua Community—phase one of the 7,894-unit redevelopment that will eventually feature the world’s largest residential photovoltaic solar installation—also features wireless smart meter technology and has four units that have achieved the LEED Gold certifi cation from the U.S. Green Building Council.
Additional environmentally friendly features of Kalakaua include compact fluorescent lighting, low-e glazing on windows, radiant barrier construction, low-flow 1.6-gallon toilets, recyclable fiber cement siding, and energy-efficient kitchen appliances. Upon completion of the Schofield project, direct energy cost savings alone are expected to be between $3.8 million and $6.65 million per year.
That type of savings attached to sustainability is attracting global interest, including visits from the Japanese ministry of defense and a government delegation from South Korea. The best interest, though, is coming from residents, says AHFH project director Claire Ridding- Johnston. “You can build the greenest and most efficient house in the whole world, but if resident behaviors do not support that, then you are never going to get there,” Ridding-Johnston says.
To that end, AHFH has launched the SYNERGY (Save Your Nation’s Energy) program to further educate military residents on energy conservation and recycling. It’s that type of education that increases awareness and allows a transition away from resource-heavy amenities such as golf courses. “We were pretty happy to have been able to do that,” Ridding-Johnston says. “But the pain of having to have a golf course taken away is obviously outweighed by the outcome and the environmental benefit to the community.”
[ fast facts ]
■ Builder/Developer: Actus Lend Lease, d.b.a. Army Hawaii Family Housing
■ Architect: Town & Home
■ Timeline: Grand opening in June 2006; completion in 2016
■ Units: 637
■ Unit mix: Three-, four-, and five-bedroom single- and double-story homes
■ Rents: N/A (based on current military housing allowance)
■ Occupancy: 97 percent
■ Development cost: $161 million
—Chris Wood
