12 DIGS.NET | 7.5.2019
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P R O F I L E | O L S O N K U N D I G
H AWA I I A N SPI R IT
Overlooking legendar y Slaughterhouse Beach, this family retreat
blends with its majestic environment.
W R I T T E N B Y K A R I N E M O N I É
I
n this region of Maui—the second largest in
the Hawaiian Islands—winds can be gentle or
fierce, depending on the season. Taking this
into account, the Olson Kundig team strategically
positioned this 4,500-square-foot home.
Built on a rocky bluff above the Pacific Ocean,
the house offers a unique panorama. "e 18-acre
site had been neglected and taken over by invasive
plant species," says Olson Kundig Principal/
Owner Tom Kundig. "An important goal for
the project was to heal the site by returning the
majority of the landscape to native plants." In
addition to the exceptional natural environment,
historic surfing huts also inspired Olson Kundig.
e three similar and connected buildings that
form the house were designed to gently follow the