The project consists of 2 phases: 1) a new 15,200 square feet multi story high school classroom building, and 2) a renovation and expansion of the existing library and new senior pavilion. The new building consolidates science, art, and PE activities. The first level consists of 4 science laboratories and a prep office. The second level contains girls and boys locker / shower facilities, athletic support facilities and a large multi-purpose double classroom. The third level is dedicated to art with a general art room, digital art room, and supporting spaces. There also is an outdoor art deck, courtyard, and elevated walkway and view platform. The library expansion project totals 8,400 square feet in the existing Fleming Building. The existing structural members were strengthened, the previous lanai space was finished with a signature window façade and interior finishes, HVAC, and lighting. The senior courtyard provides a gathering space under a shade structure as well as on top on the green roof. The entire project has been certified LEED—Gold.

During the pre-construction phase, RSI’s team met regularly with the design team, school staff, and other stakeholders to analyze design issues, flesh out unique site requirements, and agree on expectations. Careful coordination helped to expedite permitting, and construction, and a collaborative effort to provide VE solutions was valuable to keep the project within budget. A major concern was the effects construction would have on the busy and congested high school campus. RSI revised barricade plans, phasing, noisy work, and laydown areas to minimize the visual and noise nuisance. Construction procedures, scheduling and phasing plans were developed to minimize impact and ensure safety and well-being of the students, staff, and visitors. Additional offsite parking was utilized to minimize impact to the limited onsite parking.

This project required the complete renovation of the 80-year old Kawananakoa Middle School Auditorium. The 14,000 square-feet building now holds a larger concert stage, updated highly technical theatrical lights & sound, new air-conditioning system, new auditorium seating, fixtures, windows, finishes, and new vinyl plank siding to mimic the original redwood siding. The concert hall seats 623 people, and the new “black box” lab-style theater seats 100. The project includes new second floor concrete mezzanine, control room, elevator, and scenic shop. RSI gutted the entire interior of the existing theater including the existing concrete slab-on-grade leaving the exterior and roofing intact. Extensive and careful excavation and site work was done within the existing framing for new structural footings, concrete SOG, risers, and mezzanine. Careful coordination was needed to rough-in all of the MEP, AV, and theatrical components.

The Pacific Buddhist Academy (PBA) project consists of a new 2-story, 12,000 SF CMU and steel building along Lusitana Street. This Design-Build Project took nearly 4 years for the initial concept and was the combined efforts of the Ralph S. Inouye, RIM Architects, and PBA. The project was accomplished through consistent communication between RSI, the architect, client, and affiliated parties, including the Honpa Hongwanji Hawaii Betsuin Temple and PBA’s partner, Hongwanji Mission School (HMS).

The building is situated on a steep hill, on which the back of the building appears to be three stories tall. At the front of the building is a concrete amphitheater and a garden featuring both native and introduced species of plants, with landscaping wrapping around the sides. Master craftsmen were brought in to work on the gold-leafed Buddhist shrine and the traditional Japanese tea room, which has a sunken hearth built into the floor. Moreover, tradition and technological innovation come together in the building’s multipurpose room. In addition to housing the altar, the room features a foldable wall, which also functions as a white board, enabling the space to accommodate the need for classrooms as the school continues to grow. The room’s surround sound system and advanced lighting system are intended to be used for PBA performances. The tall glass windows near the entrance can also be folded to allow easy access to the room from the outside. For educational purposes, the designers called for an open ceiling to allow students to observe the inner workings of the building, while maintaining an aesthetically pleasing look.

To make the most out of the educational opportunity, RSI took on a student from PBA as an intern. Aspiring to be an engineer, this experience gave her the chance to attain hands on experience, learn different aspects of the industry, and gain insight into what it means to be an engineer. For her, it has been one of the highlights of her high school experience, and she says she is very grateful for the chance to see her school being built from the ground up.

The project involved a complete renovation of the 70-year-old Roosevelt High School Auditorium, reconstructing it up to modern standards, yet keeping the exterior structure intact due to its classification as a “historic” building. The new backstage building extension was added to house dressing rooms, classrooms, restrooms, and a rehearsal studio. It was constructed to match the existing finishes and replicates all the original decorative millwork, mouldings, windows and trims.

The new facility accommodates over 700 guests and is equipped with a state-of-the art concert shell & acoustical system resulting in an awe-inspiring experience for performers and audiences alike. The project won an Award of Excellence in the 2008 GCA Build Hawaii awards.

The First Hawaiian Bank, Manoa Branch project consisted of renovating an existing 3 story building and adding new 2 story wing to house First Hawaiian Bank’s Manoa branch as well as its leased office space. The new building consists of a combined reinforced concrete and steel structure with a metal roof, metal soffit panels and plaster siding. This new structure was attached to a 3 story existing CMU building, and the new space encompassed approximately 15,000 square feet. Other features included a 3 story elevator, 2 on grade parking areas, a 1 ½ story entry curtain wall, and site and building retaining walls. Interior elements included an open branch space with a suspended wood ceiling, an ATM room, 2 teller pods, offices, conference rooms, restrooms, a break room, and a vault.

The project site is nestled in an existing residential neighborhood. Thus, one of the challenges was demolishing existing homes and a wing of the existing building before building a new commercial building that fit within Manoa’s residential community. An additional challenge was coordinating with 2 mobile carriers to move the existing equipment housed on the existing building and site and phase the installation of new equipment while keeping the carriers in service. RSI helped to complete the project within the client’s budget by assisting in a significant value engineering exercise at the beginning of the project and adopting lean construction principles to execute the project on schedule. As part of the project delivery, RSI performed a 3D laser scan of the existing building and created a 3D Building Information Model (BIM). The model was used to perform clash detection sessions with the design team and subcontractors to coordinate MEP systems within the tight ceiling spaces before any conflicts arose in the field.

This project includes the renovation of an aging 2-story, 11,220 square foot building to turn it into the flagship branch of the Honolulu Federal Credit Union. Ushijima Architects’ use of stone, wood, and glass gives this “jewel” of Moiliili a fresh and modern look. The interior design incorporates “teller pods” instead of traditional teller lines to give credit union members a more personal banking experience.

Substantial demolition of the existing exterior CMU and concrete stairwells, second floor walkway, and interior precast concrete tees and slabs were required and completed safely to install a new elevator shaft, stairwell, exterior windows, and awnings. Exterior improvements include new EIFS and porcelain tile cladding, dual glazed windows, aluminum trellis and sunshades, and silicon roofing. Interior improvements include all new drywall, acoustical, gyp, and wood slate ceilings, decorative acoustical wall paneling, solid surface millwork, glass partition walls and doors, luxury vinyl, carpet, ceramic and stone floorings, electrical, lighting, communication, fire alarm, security and AC systems for new restrooms, break room/kitchen, meeting spaces, vault, and executive offices. A polycarbonate skylight provides natural light to a central aluminum and glass staircase and creates a focal point and connection between the 1st and 2nd floors.

RSI and our subcontractor team worked in partnership with the architect and owner to provide early budget pricing, VE ideas, and constructability reviews. This helped maintain the project construction budget.

The Kapolei Village Center sits on 3.94 acres bordered by Kapolei Parkway, Wakea, Kuou, and Alohikea Streets. At the time of the project's completion, a 36,000 square foot Foodland Supermarket anchored the development of an additional 22,000 square feet of commercial space spread over five additional buildings. RSI worked diligently with Group 70 International and the owners to provide an acceptable design as well as a budget to move the project into construction.

With sudden changes in the economic environment, the entire team needed to work together to develop an extensive list of value-engineering ideas to provide the necessary savings to make the project financial viable while still maintaining the necessary design elements to gain approval of the City. RSI worked closely with Group 70’s team and provided timely pricing information to create a list of ideas that fulfilled the overall goal of budget and design.

Under the State’s Emergency Proclamation to build more affordable housing, Ralph S. Inouye Co., Ltd. (RSI) was selected by the City & Country to assist Group 70 International (G70) in the conversion of an existing school into a 42-unit rental complex. The building complex contains one 2-story building and one 3-story building. In order to fast track, the project design occurred concurrently with construction. This project was unique, as input came not only from the owners, but also the surrounding community. Being so close to neighboring houses and apartments, any complaints with noise or dust were addressed immediately.

Construction included a full gut and renovation of the approximately 20,000 square feet of space. Demolition included hazardous material abatement of some asbestos containing material. One, two, and three bedroom units were equipped with new electrical, plumbing, and fire sprinkler system. Interior work included new drywall, painting, windows, kitchen appliances, shower, and toilet accessories, as well as a laundry facility and 15 parking stalls, four of which are ADA compliant. Exterior work included concrete spall repairs, new guardrails, sun shades, a pedestrian traffic coating, and utilities feeding the building.

RSI provided G70 with constructability reviews, value engineering ideas, cost estimating at different stages, and schedule feedback. By closely monitoring the overall schedule and constantly communicating with the design team, items that would normally cause delays were identified early on in the design phase, allowing for the expediting of long lead items which lead to the project’s on-time completion. Initial community concerns with the housing ceased once the finished product was revealed, with no complaints from the users or surrounding community.

Under the state’s Emergency Proclamation to build more affordable housing, Ralph S. Inouye was selected by the City & Country to assist Group 70 International (G70) for the conversion of an existing abandoned dormitory into a 33-unit dormitory/SRO Housing complex to address the City’s need for low-income housing. The building complex contains a one 4-story 9,800SF building adjacent to McCully District Park. In order to maintain budget and fast track scheduling, RSI worked with G70 and the City to provide cost estimating, a constructability review, and VE ideas during pre-construction. RSI selected MEP subcontractors early on to work in collaboration with the design team to streamline the design, address long-lead material procurement, and control cost. Being in close proximity to neighboring houses and apartments, any complaints with noise or dust were addressed immediately.

Construction included a complete gut and renovation of the 4-story 9,800 SF building. Demolition included hazardous material abatement and a complete removal and replacement of the existing roofing system. Single and multiple occupant style dormitory units were equipped sinks and refrigerators, as well as a completely new electrical, plumbing, and fire sprinkler system. A new chairlift was installed on the exterior to provide access to ADA units on the second floor. Interior work included new drywall, painting, windows, luxury vinyl plank flooring, ceiling systems, and doors and hardware. The project also included laundry facilities, common restroom/showers, common kitchen and community spaces, offices, and storage. Exterior work included concrete spall repairs, new guardrails, sun shades, a pedestrian traffic coating, and utilities feeding the building. Improvements also included new site fencing, painting, railings, landscape and picnic spaces, and a decorative mural wall.

The project consisted of a 3.2 acre housing development in Waianae, Oahu for Housing Solutions, a local developer that provides affordable housing. 50 units consisting of 2 bedroom and studio apartments, along with a recreations center, playground area, laundry facility, and management offices, were constructed. Work consisted of concrete slab-on-grade, wood framed construction with wood exterior siding and asphalt shingle roofing. Finishes included, stained concrete floors, VCT, Carpet, ceramic tile, painting, plastic laminated cabinets, light fixtures, and doors and vinyl windows.

Housing Solutions utilizes government grants, private donations, and financing to develop projects. RSI worked with Housing Solutions to develop workable cashflow schedules, VE solutions, and overall project management to deliver the development on time and within budget, exceeding all quality expectations.

The Kapolei Regional Park Skate Facility is a 7,000 square foot park with three of Hawaii’s first fully enclosed concrete bowls with Penrose pool coping. The park also consists of approximately 2,000 square feet of “street” element such as grinder blocks, steps, ledges, and banks.

Ralph S. Inouye Co., Ltd. took a unique approach to this design-build project by hosting design workshops where the general public and skating community were invited and participated in shaping the design of the park. This approach fostered a sense of ownership by all participants, evident in every weekend in which the park is filled with skaters of all ages and ability.

The Animal Encounter Discovery Center at the Honolulu Zoo quadrupled the size of the Keiki Zoo and has many one-of-a-kind exhibits. The 1.5 acre site was cleared and utility infrastructure was installed. The project included a unique fiberglass koi tank with a crawl-thru log and pop-up, interactive water wheel, goat interactive display, guinea pig display, and goose pond. A new entry building, story-telling garden, chicken, horse, cow, and llama sheds were designed and constructed with an old-Hawaiian style theme.

During the pre-construction phase, RSI’s team met regularly with the design team, zoo staff, and city project managers to analyze design issues, flesh out unique zoo requirements, and agree on expectations. Careful coordination helped to expedite permitting and construction while minimizing change orders and delays. The special needs of the animals and zoo also were discussed and considered during these team meetings. Construction procedures, scheduling, and phasing plans were developed to minimize impact and ensure the safety and well-being of the animals, staff, and visitors. Zoo staff enjoyed hands-on input throughout the entire project, which helped RSI create designs and finishes best suited for the animals and general public. Due to the diligent work of the entire team during the pre-construction phase, the project was completed 10 months ahead of schedule and under budget. The zoo staff expressed satisfaction with the exhibits and enlarged areas for the animals, and the is now the most visited section of the zoo.