Hi'ilani
The Hi'ilani Eco House Project
The Hi'ilani House
This site is a chronicle of the Hi'ilani Eco House project, located on the Big Island of Hawai'i.
All design decisions for the Hi'ilani House are made in the context of creating an environmentally sustainable future for all. In sharing our experience of creating this place, we intend to encourage and actively help others who share the same vision.
The Hi'ilani Eco House is an expression of "Carbon Neutral Living Architecture." All energy, water, and cooling and ventilation requirements are provided by the architecture of the house itself.
The house is fully off the grid, with a 10kw solar photovoltaic installation, and is located atop a knoll on the site with sweeping ocean views. The roofs are oriented in such a manner that the solar panels face optimum exposure.
The magnificent design for the Hi'ilani House was created by Robert Mechielsen of Studio RMA. The design will incorporate the latest materials and techniques to ensure optimal environmental integration.
The Hi'ilani house is designed with SCIP technology, and the inverted roofs act as the water catchment system.
Natural cooling and ventilation systems are provided by the positioning of the roofs relative to the trade winds, using Studio RMA's proven system to cool houses in the Pacific using negative air pressure.
The house will be built to comply with the LEED for Homes certification process. This takes into account many factors, including the building's energy efficiency, use of ecologically responsible building techniques and sustainable materials, and much more.
The wonderful team of people that has assembled to bring this beautiful creation into being are pioneers of environmental design. On this web site, you will get to meet the team, follow the progress of the Hi'ilani house project, and gain additional information and valuable insight into the techniques used. It is our sincere hope that this information is useful to you.
The following paragraph comes from the final page of the Hawai'i 2050 Sustainability Task Force Issue Book Summary. This is an eloquent description of the context in which we intend to move forward.
There is no authority that can guide a citizen toward a sustainable future. Rather, it is the citizen who must serve as the guide, showing the way to others by personal example and action. Sustainability is not a government program. It is here, it is now, and it involves everyone.
The Latest ... [Sept. 6, 2008]
Things are moving along at an ever-increasing pace. Over the summer, we completed the engineering and architectural specifications, and submitted the plans for the permit process in late July. All indications are that the permit will be granted within the next days, and then we are officially into the construction phase!
Another recent development is that we have made a decision that the house will be 100% carbon neutral in its operation. This means that ALL energy needs of the house will be derived from renewable sources. We had previously planned to use propane for cooking, but we are now looking to see how to expand our renewable systems (solar and/or wind) to accommodate all energy needs. We will be looking at some new approaches to accomplish this, so stay tuned!
Mike Krochina, of Krochina Engineering in Kailua-Kona, has been instrumental in developing the engineering specifications for the house. Mike will also be functioning as our contractor during the upcoming construction. It has been a joy working with Mike on this project so far, and we are thrilled that he will be our point man for the next phase.
Feel free to comment on any of the Blog entries and ask your own questions. To comment, you need to register - just click the Register link at the lower right of the Blog page.
Aloha!