The firm’s COO oversees an international portfolio of projects but especially enjoys building sustainable infrastructure for local schools.
In 13 years at G70, an architecture and design firm specializing in sustainable projects, Ryan Char has worked his way up from staff engineer to his new role as chief operating officer. As he steps into his new position at the 54-year-old firm, he is focused on building a brighter, more sustainable future while always keeping in mind how his projects affect people.
Char’s portfolio covers projects in Hawai‘i, Indonesia and Japan. He especially enjoys building sustainable infrastructure for schools, including Hawaii Baptist Academy’s Richard Bento Campus, Campbell High School’s T Building, ‘Iolani School’s Residence Hall and K-1 Complex, and UH Mānoa’s Sinclair Library and Life Sciences building.
After the devastating Maui fires in 2023, Char helped to provide students from Lahainaluna High a bit of normality as they attended some classes on the new Kūlanihāko‘i High School campus in Kīhei, a favorite project of his.
“We try to strive for more than just the LEED [environmental sustainability] certification,” Char says. “It was great to see them having a place to learn.”
He says today’s projects must be designed to account for disaster preparation, including rising sea levels and stormwater management and that projects must do “what’s right for the environment and for our clients. … It’s not an either/or.”
Char says he and his team also focus on the people who live and work around their project sites while integrating with nature.
“We want to be good stewards of our environment, of our community. We want our projects to be respectful of the place and time that they’re in.”
“Ryan Char is one of the most intelligent engineers I have encountered in my 35-year career,” says Charles Kaneshiro, president of G70 and Char’s predecessor as COO. “He stands out as an exceptional communicator, a skilled collaborator and a natural leader. … I have every confidence that he will continue to make outstanding contributions to our community.”
Char is a regular volunteer at Rotary Club of Honolulu Sunrise and supports over 50 individual Rotary clubs in his position as youth service chair for Rotary in Hawaii. He also advocates for STEAM careers and volunteers at several local schools. He says he hopes to encourage young people to choose careers that let them guide Hawai‘i’s future in sustainable ways.
Source: https://www.hawaiibusiness.com/20-for-the-next-20-ryan-char-g70/