HIOG - Hawaii Off Grid

We have some Big News! 🏆🏆

Journey Beyond The Grid: The Hawai'i Off-Grid Story has been nominated for two Northern California Emmy Awards, recognizing Director Stephan Böeker for Best Business/Consumer Long Form Content, and Cinematographer & Editor Reece Pottorff for Outstanding Achievement in Editing.

This film was born from a simple belief: that the way we build our homes and communities matters now more than ever. Partnering with and watching Stephan and Reece bring that vision to life was one of the greatest privileges of this work. These nominations are theirs.

If you haven't seen the film yet, it's free on YouTube.
Link in bio.

Honored and humbled.

Hawaii Off Grid Architecture & Engineering has received a Special Mention in the Architizer A+ Awards: Best Sustainability Firm category, and we are so grateful to be recognized alongside some of the most forward-thinking firms in the world.

Sustainability isn't a checkbox for us. It's the reason we exist.

From the moment we put pencil to paper, our goal is net zero, buildings that give back as much as they take, that work with the land rather than against it. That means reaching for materials that do more: Mass Timber, which sequesters carbon while it stands. SurfBlock ICCF, blocks which upcycles surfboard foam waste into walls with R-40 insulation. Materials that tell a story and pull their weight.

It means designing homes that don't need the grid to thrive, with solar, rainwater harvesting, and passive house principles baked in from day one. Homes oriented to catch the trades, shaded from the afternoon sun, breathing naturally the way buildings in Hawaiʻi were always meant to.

We believe the built environment can be part of the solution to the climate crisis, not the cause of it. Every project we take on is a chance to prove that.

Mahalo to for this recognition, and mahalo to every client, collaborator, and community who has trusted us to build differently.

This is just the beginning.

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Happy World Oceans Day!

Here in Hawaiʻi, the ocean isn't a backdrop, it's the foundation. It shapes our climate, feeds our communities, defines our culture, and reminds us every single day why sustainability isn't optional. It's everything.

At Hawaii Off Grid, the ocean is part of why we build the way we build. Off-grid solar. Rainwater collection. Fire-resistant, low-impact materials. Every design decision we make is a vote for the kind of future these waters deserve.

The Pacific doesn't have a voice in your building permit. But we can speak for it, one structure at a time.

Design with aloha. Build for longevity. Protect what sustains us.

Pic: Sebastien Goldberg