Molokai Sea Ranch

Papohaku, Molokai, HI
2003
14,500 s.f.
Molokai Sea Ranch is located on the widest and longest white sand beach in Hawaii, 3-mile long Papohaku Beach. The program includes a Main Camp: main house with a series of guest suites and detached barn/studio and a West Camp: guest house and a second barn with studio. Our challenge was to provide open comfortable spaces that can be enjoyed without feeling the impact of the heavy winds that blow regularly in the area. We strategically located the main barn as a windbreak to make the outdoor spaces relatively tranquil along the main house. An open barn pavilion with 60-foot long lanai serves as the communal gathering space for the main house. A wall of glass doors pocket away during the day as the social space flows from the living room to the lanai. Connected to the communal space by a service spine, the master and guest suites are treated as separate pavilions, each with private lanai and oriented toward a separate view. We used the building mass to buffer the winds and create a tranquil environment on the lanai community space. Spacious open living/dining/kitchen spaces flow to covered lanais that overlook the beach.