In the first phase of this project, WKM was chosen to be part of the design/build team selected from a competition for the State of Hawaii to construct the Hawaii Convention Center, along with improvements to the adjacent Ala Wai Promenade. After working as a subconsultant to the General Contractor Nordic/PCL Joint Venture and the architects Loschky Marquardt & Nesholm and Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo on the Hawaii Convention Center-- WKM became the Prime Consultant for the improvements to the Ala Wai Promenade.

Designed by WKM Principal Juli M. Kimura Walters, the promenade features four custom-made, earth-tone hardscape colors, created with the assistance of the manufacturer of the interlocking concrete brick pavers. Valued at $1.2 million, this first phase of construction created a promenade approximately 795 feet long and 65 feet wide. The promenade consists of an upper and lower terrace, separated by a 3-foot high by 2-foot wide retaining wall. The pavers for the upper terrace were laid in a Hawaiian tapa (dyed bark cloth) pattern.

The site is a historical location, and is protected under the State Department of Land and Natural Resources. A double row of existing Banyan Trees is protected by the Exceptional Trees Program. A continuous canopy of the Banyan Trees serves as the main focus of the promenade, while bands of cascading Purple Bougainvillea provide color along the canal edge. A Hibiscus hedge provides screening from the adjacent properties. Open Zoysia "El Toro" lawn areas provide for passive recreation and picnicking. Torch and Red Gingers, planted along the base of the convention center, soften the massive basalt rock wall.

Drinking fountains, trash receptacles, bike racks, antique-like light fixtures, bollards and tiki torch mounts grace the lower terrace walkway. Recycled plastic park benches-- constructed of high density polyethylene lumber with a powdercoat finish colored like weathered redwood-- were specified for the site. Sand-colored, concrete trash receptacles complement the black, powder-coated bicycle racks. The second phase of the promenade-- of which WKM was the Prime Consultant to the City and County of Honolulu-- basically continued from the Hawaii Convention Center along the canal and connected to the Ala Moana Boulevard. Federally funded through ISTEA monies, this connection to the boulevard included a new stair and an ADA-accessible walkway. The Grand Stairs, leading down from the central concourse of the Hawaii Convention Center, open onto the Ala Wai Promenade near Kalakaua Avenue. And, currently under design, the third and final phase will extend the promenade another 830 feet in length by 65 feet in width.

According to WKM Project Manager Irvin T. Higashi, ASLA, "The most challenging aspect of this project was preparing the construction documents for the second phase of the promenade. So many government and private agencies were involved in the review and approval process during the design and construction of the project, that it became quite a challenge to finalize all of the details." Ranging from local agencies like the Department of Parks & Recreation to the state agencies like the Department of Land and Natural Resources to the Federal Highway Administration, a total of ten agencies had to approve the final design and construction documents.

After many years of careful design and construction, the Ala Wai Promenade serves as a visual and functional pedestrian connection between the convention center, the boulevard and the historically precious Ala Wai Canal. WKM has chosen to showcase a tapestry of paving colors and textures in traditional Hawaiian patterns-- providing the elegant-- and successful-- groundwork for a canopy of historically protected trees. lasn