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 Vol. 41 Summer 2007 |
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| For more than 20 years, the Kajima U.S.A. group companies have been participating actively in both construction and real estate development in Hawaii. The landmark projects include the Four Seasons Resort at Hualalai, Kamehameha Schools Hilo Campus, and Moana Pacific condominium building. These achievements would not have been possible without the participation of the Hawaiian Dredging Construction Company (HDCC), a member of the Kajima U.S.A. group companies since 2002. In this issue, we feature an overview of HDCC's rich history and a brief introduction to their latest projects. |
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Riding the Waves of Change As Hawaii's oldest and largest full-service contractor, the 105-year-old HDCC has a wealth of experience and expertise that complements Kajima's abilities worldwide. Established in 1902, the company's early history in this island paradise is rich in fascinating details involving powerful individuals and often dramatic events. At the time, Honolulu was undergoing major change and emerging as a commercial center. Hawaiians were gradually adjusting to Westernization, while commerce was diversifying, after decades of whaling and trading, to include agriculture and shipping-related business. On Waikiki Beach--which was yet to become world famous--Halekulani Hotel was simply a beachfront home with five bungalow rental units; the gracious Moana Hotel (now the Moana Surfrider Hotel) opened for business; and a young entrepreneur named Walter Dillingham purchased a used dredge and started the Hawaiian Dredging Company. As a natural-born businessman, Dillingham built up his company by using his marketing skills to develop major projects. His first project was to widen the channel to the U.S. Navy's Pearl Harbor. This success was followed by a number of projects in Honolulu Harbor, as well as harbor and waterfront work on the outer islands of Kauai, Maui, Molokai and Hawaii. By 1920, the company had expanded into general contracting. |
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Reclamation Boosts Economy HDCC grew in tandem with Hawaii's economy. Much of Honolulu's swampy shoreline was reclaimed by the company, and eventually almost 5,000 acres (2,024 hectares) of new land were created that includes much of Waikiki, Ala Moana, Kaka'ako and downtown Honolulu. The company built much of Hawaii's infrastructure and, as Honolulu became increasingly sophisticated, the change was reflected in its buildings. For example, during the 1920s, the architecture of many buildings was in the Mediterranean or Spanish mission styles, which seemed appropriate for Hawaii's climate. Buildings constructed at the time include the Federal Building and U.S. Post Office (1919), the Honolulu Academy of Arts Building (1929) and the Dillingham Transportation Building (1929). |
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Waving the Flag for Tourists In the 1950s, tourism became an increasingly important part of Hawaii's economy as travel by commercial aircraft became affordable and, later, commonplace. In 1959, when Hawaii became the 50th U.S. state, HDCC had become the state's largest full-service general contractor. It went on to build some of Hawaii's most impressive projects, including the world's largest shopping center, the Ala Moana Shopping Center (1959); the 50,000- seat Aloha Stadium (1975); and Honolulu International Airport's reef runway (1976). During the 1980s and early 1990s, conditions were right in Hawaii for the huge injections of overseas investment including that by Japan. HDCC constructed many of the hotels, office buildings and condominiums, as well as world-class resorts. The business connection between Kajima and HDCC commenced in the early 1980s, when HDCC built the downtown Honolulu Central Pacific Bank office building, in which Kajima had an ownership interest and for which it served as construction manager. The second successful project involving both companies was a branch office building for Central Pacific Bank. Since then, a very positive, trusting and mutually beneficial relationship has evolved over the years. In the mid-1990s, Kajima developed and owned a five-star resort hotel, the Four Seasons Resort at Hualalai on the Big Island, Hawaii. This Four Seasons Resort was developed into the finest hotel in Hawaii and is considered one of the world's top 25 resort hotels. Kajima selected HDCC to build this flagship hotel. |
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Business Groundswell Continues HDCC's successes have continued since, featuring such major projects as the 300-acre (120-hectare) campus for Kamehameha Schools in Hilo, Hawaii, which Kajima U.S.A. and HDCC teamed up to build in 2000, as well as the joint-venture construction project for the University of Hawaii Medical School in Honolulu, which was completed in 2005. Another recent achievement is Moana Pacific, HDCC's newest condominium building. A dominant feature of Honolulu's skyline, it has two glass-enclosed 48-story elliptical towers, each containing 349 units and three luxury penthouses. The towers afford residents spectacular views of the ocean, Honolulu, and the nearby Ko'olau Mountains, and also has a long list of amenities such as tennis courts, lap and swimming pools, a spa, a sixth-floor garden terrace with lawns, and even a movie theater in each tower. |
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| Another impressive achievement is the completion of an In-Vessel Bio-Conversion Facility built for the city and county of Honolulu. Together with a team of contractors, design professionals, equipment manufacturers and facility operators, HDCC was responsible for designing, building and operating a facility that would process wastewater sludge and convert it to organic fertilizer suitable for general use in landscaping. The project is unique in Hawaii, and includes elaborate, state-of-the-art processing equipment. We look forward to presenting more information about Hawaiian Dredging Construction Company's latest projects and achievements in future issues of News & Notes. |
 Vol. 41 Summer 2007
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