The Maui County service center in Kahului was designed by the award-winning design firm G70, which was founded in Honolulu in 1971.
The 62,000-square-foot building was designed to provide a conveniently located center that consolidates selected County services to best serve the needs of the community and each department.
The new facility on Alaʻihi Street houses the Department of Finance’s divisions of Motor Vehicle Registration & Licensing, Treasury, and Real Property Assessment on the ground floor. The second floor is home to the Department of Public Works Development Services Administration, the County Department of Transportation, the Department of Liquor Control, and the Maui County Business Resource Center.
According to the firm, “The overall approach for the design methodology and choice of materials for the project was based on cost efficiency, ease of procurement, buildability and proven effectiveness and maintainability.”
An expansive entry lobby and feature wall located at the heart of the building were designed to create a welcoming environment. The entry lobby spans vertically across two levels with direct views towards ʻĪao Valley and Mauna Kahālāwai. “This is part of the design that forges connections between cultural history (Maui/Hina), geography (Haleakalā/Haleamehina), physical connection adjacency to the Airport connecting to the world and was designed for the people both County and Community,” according to the firm.
The angle of the feature wall is aimed to direct views toward Haleakalā with functional patterns flowing mauka to makai. The individual panels derived from the Koa’e ‘ula bird, fish scales, the kupukupu fern, and Maui Niho extend over the main entrance of the building, capturing the light and play of shadows on the building’s motifs.