Craig Takahata, the head of the Honolulu office for the architecture firm WATG, has left the firm after about 17 years to join Honolulu-based Group 70 International as a principal focusing on that architecture firm’s international expansion, Group 70 said Tuesday.
It’s also a homecoming of sorts for the former vice president and managing director for WATG, who was a designer for Group 70 from 1994 to 1999, working on a variety of resort projects.
Throughout his career, he helped design hotels, resorts and office, residential, retail and master-planning projects, including the Hongqiao Central Business District Mixed-Use project in Shanghai, Raffles Clearwater Bay Resort in China and Kapalua Central Resort on Maui.
Takahata said that after nearly two decades at WATG, he’s ready for this next big challenge, which will include helping Group 70 expand its international practice in areas such as Tahiti, Indonesia, Japan, among others.
PBN has reached out to Takahata for comment Tuesday.