Transparent Infinity Pool Hangs Off Condo Tower's Edge

In Honolulu, Anaha at Ward Village offers a first-of-its-kind amenity for Hawaii.By Leah Demirjian

Architecture, interior design, and planning firm Solomon Cordwell Buenz announces the completion of the second residential condominium tower in Honolulu's Ward Village. Dubbed Anaha—which translates to "reflection of light" in Hawaiian—the tower is a residential cornerstone of the Howard Hughes Corp.–developed, cosmopolitan Hawaiian complex.
The tower's most novel feature—a glass-bottomed, saltwater pool—extends 15 feet off the edge of the building's seventh floor. Supported by cantilevers, the 75-foot-long swimming pool is the first of its kind in Hawaii and offers sweeping views of the coast and downtown Honolulu. The pool was conceptualized by Surfacedesign, the project's landscape architects.
The 60-acre master planned community, which is located in the vibrant Kaka’ako district of Oahu, showcases how architectural place-making can transform a city's center into a bustling urban core. The 40-story, 857,000-square-foot Anaha tower creates 311 condominium homes with the hope of transforming a previously industrial and retail-focused district into a thriving mixed-use community.

The tower's undulating architecture—inspired by its coastal location—features a wave motif that lends the project a distinctly island-style feel. Its form is derived from a sequence of shifted, interlocking curved floor plates, and its floor-to-ceiling glass curtain walls provide unobstructed views of the ocean and mountains. Anaha's façade is designed with a green-blue glass cladding meant to mimic the colors and shapes found in the Pacific Ocean.
"The composition is reminiscent of the play between the crests and troughs of a calm ocean wave," said the architects in a press release. "And like a wave, the reflection of light off the façade will constantly alter as the viewpoint and environmental conditions change."

​In addition to the floating infinity pool, the building offers a bevy of luxe amenities, including the largest green living wall in the United States, which contains a blend of 8,000 indigenous tropical plants, as well as a sand volleyball court, a dog run, and a movie theater. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Leah Demirjian
​Leah Demirjian is senior associate editor of design for Custom Home, Builder, and previously, ARCHITECT. She holds a bachelor's degree in writing. Before joining Hanley Wood Media, she worked with an architecture firm in Los Angeles. 

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