Kona Village, A Rosewood Resort
Honoring the Past and Building the Future with a Sustainable, Resilient Resort
Kona Village, A Rosewood Resort is much more than a resort – it’s a symbol of Hawai’ian hospitality, a sacred land and nature preserve, and a model guide for sustainable and resilient development.
The original Kona Village was an iconic resort located along 81 acres of the Hawai’ian coastline. It operated from 1965 until 2011, when a tsunami caused massive damage, leaving the property empty for more than a decade. The luxurious, tranquil resort was re-opened in 2023, marking a long-awaited and significant milestone.
The project was designed and built according to the Hawai’ian concepts of Ho’okipa (hospitality), Moana (ocean), Ho’omau (resiliency) and Ohana (family). The design team and developer brought together a collective of local artists, craftsmen, engineers, and cultural and community leaders to reimagine the property in a way that highlighted its natural beauty and honored its historical roots while balancing innovative sustainable features and modern touches.
“Kona is the most incredible project I’ve ever been part of,” says Drew Gourley, Nordic Vestergade Construction’s Director of Preconstruction Services and Construction Manager for the project. “It was an honor to build and I’ll never get tired of talking about it.”
The Preservation of Natural and Cultural Resources
Additional features on the property stand as a testament to the integrated project team’s commitment to honor and safeguard the cultural and natural resources of the area. The Nordic Vestergade Construction team worked with a cultural leadership committee created just for this project to protect artifacts when found and educated team members, subcontractors and vendors on the cultural importance of the project.
All employees underwent Culture Orientation Training prior to working onsite, and work included the preservation of anchialine ponds, lava fields and 18 archaeological sites, one of which has the highest-density collection of Hawai’ian petroglyphs on the islands.
Sustainable Landscaping
Landscaping was a critical-path activity, an approach not often seen in construction. More than 500 existing trees were relocated to temporary nurseries onsite and then reused in the new landscaping. New trees, shrubs and ground cover were grown in local nurseries. More than 1,800 trees were planted onsite, with plantings starting two years prior to project completion to factor in growing time prior to the resort re-opening.
In the end, the project team successfully built 150 guest hales (thatched roof homes), 140,000 square feet of common-area buildings, five restaurants and bars, tennis courts, four pools and a world-class spa and fitness center.
