HAWAII

As the oldest island in Hawaii, Kauai comes with its own extraordinary beauty and also its own distinctive issues and challenges.

It’s Our Home

Hawaii is both our second home and place of business for almost 10 years. Our first introduction was as a consultant to help with technical difficulties on a large North Shore estate in 2006. As our role on the project grew to design/build and manage, we quickly met with some of the challenges and the opportunities unique to Kauai. We fell in love with the Island at the same time we realized there was a need for our services here.

A Place of Extremes Requires Thinking Differently

The failures of traditional site design, civil engineering, and project management found on the mainland are even more pronounced here on Kauai, particularly in regards to unexpected changing weather patterns. Procedures become obsolete faster on Kauai. We have witnessed how our radical approach to storm water design has saved our Clients considerable loss and damage to home and property.

Don’t just Control Erosion: Prevent it!

Extreme weather, combined with Kauai’s steep slopes, complicated terrain, and ever-increasing building is exacerbating an already severe problem of soil loss and erosion. Traditional methods to mitigate and control soil loss but are often only partially effective. We are completely preventing soil loss and erosion with use of our organic methods and EssentialSoil technology.

Ecology and Culture

Because of Kauai’s extremely active, small, and integrated ecosystem, design and construction practices upstream are immediately felt downstream and then offshore.  Every environment on Kauai represents a sensitive ecosystem often contributing to local tourism and local culture.

For this and other reasons, there is a growing movement towards restoring soil and fertility as well as native plant and food production.  Utilizing local bulk materials from local vendors we brought our EssentialSoil technology to restore soil fertility, native plant health and organic food production on all of our projects on Kauai.

Benefits to Large Estates and Developments

The benefits to owners of large estates are many.  Lost time, money and aggravation spent in fixing unsightly problems is simply prevented in the first place.  Environmental codes and regulations are not just followed but exceeded which facilitates permitting process.    Pesticide and chemical free gardens and environments promote not just wildlife but the health and welfare of all who use the land.

Challenges Unique to Kauai

Logistical and project management is often a challenge on sites that share a complicated terrain and limited access.  Careful and well-thought-out deployment of equipment and supplies is critical for these projects.  Our approach to logistics is at once extremely efficient and at the same time highly sensitive to its impact on the environment, as well as neighbors and communities.   We stagger, layer, and/or combine and share the mobilization of equipment and supplies depending on the needs of the project to lessen the impact.  More information about our approach to site and project management is found here.

Designing and building a large estate on Kauai is an entirely different dynamic than on the mainland.  Nearly all materials are imported from off island.  Besides the increased costs, project management has to keenly forecast deliveries and potential delays into the schedule. Materials and supplies that are found on the island are often found in a network of very small, informal businesses or families.   Traditional approaches from the mainland are often not welcome here.  Hendrikus Group has developed relationships throughout the island to make resources available and accessible.

As we are personally part of the community of this island our process of site and project management includes respectful procedures for dealing with the community.   While our designs are known for being imaginative and embrace many styles and preferences of our international clientele, they also reflect a sense of place here on the island.