Hale Mau’u
A sprawling, expansive home, Hale Mau’u from Walker Warner settles seamlessly into the vast landscape of its setting, celebrating the relationship between material refinement and the natural world.
Nestled among towering grasses, Hale Mau’u presents as a structure intent on not disturbing the landscape it inhabits. The residence sits in harmony with the landscape, appearing to lightly touch the land while being anchored to its surroundings through materiality. A private, secluded sanctuary among the lush foliage, the home is in constant conversation with the natural environment.
With three individual sections, the layout of the home is distinctive. Long, linear structures border a central courtyard, all connected by a floating wooden boardwalk. Inspired by the location, the make-up is intended to read as a pathway between the nearby mountains and ocean below. Moving across the property provides the feeling of walking through treetops; the variation in the heights and volumes of plantings lend the home a subtle feeling of elevation.
The boundary between the outdoors and the open-plan living room is defined by a statement sliding door made entirely from horizontally placed timber planks. When fully opened, the view expands and the outside is welcomed in. The central courtyard sits between the main house and the adjoining wing – another room to venture into, albeit without walls or a roof.
Inside, the guiding principle is light. Each room continues the motif of timber plank doorways, further establishing that connection and melding between interior and exterior. Light, simple materials and a restrained colour palette amplify the ever-shifting hues of the Hawaiian sunlight to create an atmosphere that evolves throughout the day.
Outside, the subtle overhang of the roof provides protection from the elements, while they’re varying depths add texture and dimensionality to the single-storey structure. As the day ends, the home never truly seals out the outdoors. The connection between home and landscape remains strong as soft light seeps through the closed timber doors, bathing the surrounds in the soft glow of the home: a solitary lantern in the green landscape. With Hale Mau’u, Walker Warner has created a home that – while modest in appearance and immersed in its surroundings – conceals a quiet sophistication. It’s a design that elegantly unfolds, providing the occupants with a tranquil and meditative home.
Architecture by Walker Warner. Interior design by Catherine Kwong. Build by Metzler Contracting. Landscape design by David Y. Tamura Associates.
