Out of disaster, an idea for housing?

The speed with which the Department of Education is erecting an emergency school for students who might be displaced by the Big Island lava flow is impressive. The cost, though, is high: $9 million for 10 air-conditioned modules big enough to accommodate about 17 classrooms with 500 students and staff. 

The DOE would do the public a real favor by breaking down that total: the cost of the modules themselves, plus the amount required to ship them to the Big Island, install them and wire them with electricity. If expediting the project added substantially to the cost, perhaps modular construction could be a solution to Hawaii’s homeless crisis — if the costs could be lowered.

New life for Ilikai is return to past

After years of turmoil, the Ilikai, built in 1964 by local businessman Chinn Ho as Hawaii’s first condominium, is getting back to its roots. 

About 100 units in the fee-simple building fronting the Ala Wai Boat Harbor in Waikiki have sold in the past year, at prices ranging from $235,000 to $2.1 million.

Demand for a batch of renovated units that just went on the market has exceeded even the seller’s hopes.