HCDA/HTDC Entrepreneurs Sandbox

In partnership with the Hawaii Community Development Authority (HCDA), the Hawaii Technology Development Corporation (HTDC) planned to establish new facilities on “Lot C” in the Kakaako Makai District. HCDA and HTDC commissioned Ferraro Choi to develop designs at both the urban and building scale.

The Master Plan provides planning guidelines to transform the existing 5.5 acre surface parking lot into a mixed-use innovation district linked with the adjacent John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii Cancer Center, and the Kakaako Waterfront Park. This will offer residents and visitors a central location with convenient access to and from the Honolulu International Airport, urban Honolulu, and Waikiki. The Innovation Block will:

• foster public and private community development
• encourage collaboration and innovation between research, commercial, education, and high tech enterprises
• incorporate public recreational uses, pedestrian access, and public parking

Two new LEED Silver-equivalent buildings within the Innovation Block will further expand HTDC’s initiatives:

• The Entrepreneur’s Sandbox will offer budding entrepreneurs collaborative and flexible work places.
• The Kewalo Incubation Center will provide start-up companies with leased office and lab spaces with in-house business mentorship programs and networking opportunities.