Honolulu architecture firm, AHL, has been awarded the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) 2018 U.S. Design and Development Gold Award for its design of Velocity Honolulu.
The Gold Award is the highest level of recognition in the retail store design category of the ICSC National Design and Development Awards competition recently held in Phoenix.
The design of this 226,113 square foot unique luxury auto showroom and community gathering space located at the corner of Kapiolani Boulevard and Ward Avenue, which opened in May, now moves on to the ICSC’s Global Design & Development Awards competition that recognizes the real estate industry’s most outstanding examples of retail design worldwide.
In selecting Velocity Honolulu for the Gold Award, the judges concurred that situated on a highly trafficked urban corner, its all-glass exterior, showcasing glamorous luxury vehicles on its third-story glass floor, makes this building stand out, particularly in the evenings when lighting dramatizes its beauty. The third-story glass floor displays up to eight vehicles directly on the glass, letting car aficionados see the expertly designed and handcrafted autos from all angles. This LEED-certified facility discretely houses a 33-service bay maintenance center above the showrooms.
Conceptually more museum than dealership, Velocity's 10-foot-wide central staircase entices visitors to the floors above. Identical angled floor openings create continual visual interest, volume, and allow daylight and expanding heights and sight lines. The ground floor café allows spillover tables into the piazza while the second-level restaurant, framed to provide an exclusive identity, is connected to the cafe by staircase and elevator.
Velocity is part of the revitalization and modernization of Honolulu creating a walkable community, near to housing options, public transportation, entertainment, schools, restaurants, shops, exercise, sports, personal care and employment opportunities.
