While most of the world was engrossed with adjusting to living with conditions brought on by the pandemic, the Nordic PCL Construction team inconspicuously plowed ahead with the work to restore Kona Village, A Rosewood Resort on the Kona Coast. The resurrected resort would be a modernized version of an iconic ancient Hawaiian village that would draw upon the rich cultural history of the area for their guests to experience.
In collaboration with the other project stakeholders, the Nordic PCL Construction team reconstructed the resort damaged by the 2011 tsunami generated by the earthquake in Tahoku, Japan. Five new restaurants and 150 thatched roof bungalows along with complementing amenities would be rebuilt to provide guests with tropical comfort while experiencing old Hawaii when Kona Village opened in 2023. Using exotic materials and wood species, the team meticulously restored the original island style of Kona Village, working with the natural landscape and restoring the resort with innovative, sustainable elements, including a spa powered 100% by solar energy.
“The award recognizes the hard work and commitment by our project team to get the job done on time, on budget, and to the satisfaction of the client.”
Glen Kaneshige
President, Nordic PCL Construction
The judges of the 2024 GCA Build Hawaii Awards convincingly awarded Nordic PCL Construction’s entry of Kona Village, A Rosewood Resort, the Award of Excellence in the category of Building Construction of $25 million & above, and ultimately the prestigious Grand Award (The Grand Award is the "best of the best," voted by the judges from among all the Award of Excellence winners). For the Nordic PCL Construction team, the Grand Award represents a badge of endurance and accomplishment to be worn as industry recognition for excellence.
“We were thrilled and honored when Kona Village won the Grand Award. It was especially meaningful and satisfying for those employees who worked on Kona Village and overcame the challenges of building in a remote location during a pandemic,” said Nordic PCL Construction President Glen Kaneshige. “The award recognizes the hard work and commitment by our project team to get the job done on time, on budget, and to the satisfaction of the client.”
The Nordic PCL Construction team (with GCA 2024 President Michael Young, far right) at the GCA 2024 Build Hawaii Awards.
“Kona Village was a very challenging project and would be up there as a 10 on a scale of one to 10 in terms of difficulty. The remote location combined with the need to import much of the labor force from Oahu during the pandemic when there were restrictive, constantly evolving travel protocols, made building Kona Village a challenge for our team,” said Drew Gourley, Construction Manager with Nordic PCL Construction. “In addition, we had to manage supply chain disruptions resulting from the pandemic, all while being culturally sensitive to the archaeological findings.”
“It was evident very early that the obstacles that arose during construction could only be overcome through the collaboration among the construction team that included our subcontractors and our client—Kennedy Wilson—and their design professionals to ensure success,” said Gourley, reflecting on the project.
The most challenging aspect was the terrain on which they were building.
“Kona Village covers 81 acres of diverse geologic formations created by prehistoric lava flows that were carefully incorporated with the buildings and landscaping to provide the feel of a shoreline village. The large area with extensive underground infrastructure work that had to be installed into a coral and basalt subgrade turned the site into a jigsaw puzzle for access. Identifying and protecting sensitive archaeological features also further complicated the site logistics,” Gourley explained. “The existing grades and contours of the landscape were preserved and enhanced with the addition of over 1,500 palm trees.”
To be environmentally responsible, the existing wood structures were disassembled so that the existing grades would not be disturbed, and the salvaged materials could be recovered for reuse elsewhere.
During preconstruction, the Nordic PCL Construction team suggested installing micropiles under the foundation to minimize excavating into a high-water table. The team placed concrete into some of the foundations through the tremie process of placing concrete under water to minimize dewatering efforts.
The Kona Village, A Rosewood Resort project, winner of the GCA 2024 Grand Award
“Any project that is sustainable and conveys a Hawaiian sense a place while serving a need for the local population and exceeding the expectations of all project stakeholders in the delivery would be a ‘dream project’ for us,” Kaneshige said. “We remind ourselves that nobody can build a project by themselves and that there is a great satisfaction with working in an industry where it is noble to work with your hands in producing a tangible product that will benefit many future generations.”
For the full list of winners and photos from the GCA 2024 Build Hawaii Awards, click here.
Project photos courtesy of Nordic PCL Construction, Inc.
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Mahalo!