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Hawaiian Thatch Hale

Hualalai Resort is located in Hawaii's semiarid climate that receives very little rainfall.

Hawaii's tradewinds blow from the east and northeast over 75% of the time.

Modern Hawaii Home; open porch, wide eaves, vented roof and large open doors.

The landscaping around your home can help direct the cool tradewinds into your home.

The homes at Hualalai carry on an architectural tradition with deep roots in this island place and island lifestyle. Since the time when primary shelter was the traditional Hawaiian thatch hale, structures in the Islands have taken advantage of the climate and setting. A lifestyle that blurs the division between indoors and outdoors means the natural elements play a larger role. As you design your home, it pays to keep in mind what those elements are, how they can be utilized and planned for, and what will help to optimize and harmonize your living space.

Elemental considerations: wind, rain, landscape

Those large mountains also affect the rain patterns of the island, grabbing moisture as clouds snag on the northeast-facing uplands, leaving a sprinkling of rain and plenty of sunshine for the leeward areas.

The fact that Hawai‘i lies in the middle of a vast ocean also plays a part in its climate. Wind traveling from any direction must cross at least 2,400 miles before reaching the Islands. Over that span, cold arctic air has a chance to warm up while warm air traveling from the tropics cools down. In the ocean, the North Equatorial Current acts as the water equivalent of the tradewinds, bringing cool water from the northeast Pacific. This flow helps maintain steady temperatures in Hawai‘i throughout the year.

Hawai‘i Island's leeward coast landscape is shaped by lava flows. The most recent volcanic activity in the area dates to the early 1800s. The remains of flows provide a striking black body against the blues of the ocean and greens of plant life. Fields of lava rock alternate with oases where native plants were spared from the destruction of adjacent flows or where they have taken root since new land was laid down.

Architecture and the environment

When missionaries arrived in 1820 they brought with them a different attitude toward shelter and the natural elements. Their New England-style wooden homes featured small windows and short roof overhangs which were better suited to winter in Massachusetts. Many did not make use of local materials but were built instead from lumber shipped from Boston. The missionary life was focused on the mind over the body, intellectual life over physical comfort, and the activities of the hearth rather than a life lead outdoors.

Over time, architecture in the Islands became an amalgam of elements from Hawaiian, European and American traditions. Up into the 1890s, during the monarchy period, Hawaiian ali‘i incorporated European designs while using and adapting local materials as well as imported woods, marble and other materials. ‘Iolani Palace in Honolulu and Hulihe‘e Palace in Kona are examples from this era.

During Hawaii's Territorial period - 1893-1941 - a new architecture blossomed that melded the best of Asian and European influences with an aloha lifestyle. Territorial architecture drew on Mediterranean and Mission revival styles because they addressed similar climate issues. Adaptations to the Hawaiian setting included use of large openings to catch tradewinds, wide eaves to provide shade and rain protection, broad lanai or porches, double-pitched hipped roofs, Asian design motifs like round moon doors or shoji screens, and a loose relationship between indoor and outdoor spaces.

Today the best elements of the Territorial period - Hawaii's "golden age" architecturally speaking - are experiencing a renaissance because they make so much sense. Positioning homes so they catch the tradewinds, allowing air to flow through numerous and well-placed windows and doors, and using roof overhangs to provide shade for natural cooling makes ecological and economic sense and simply makes a home space more comfortable for the inhabitants. Plants can be another cooling agent. Greenery near the house moderates the sun and adds to a sense of calm. The broad selection of native varieties available for landscaping are well-adapted to local conditions and generally require less maintenance than introduced species.

As in ancient times, Hawai‘i today remains an ideal place for outdoor living. An open style architecture invites the outdoors in by incorporating garden spaces, using visual links to the outside, and situating wide lanai to operate like outdoor space protected by a roof. The natural world is welcomed in and daily human life flows easily between indoor and outdoor.