In August 2023, at the height of Hawaii’s dry season, a devastating wildfire swept through Lahaina, the historic town on Maui’s western shore that around 11,000 people call home.

But among people in Hawaii there’s a deep connection called “Ohana,” which translates to family — a strong bond among community that can pull people through the most devastating circumstances.  

Although the road to Lahaina’s recovery is long, the path forward is a hopeful one which includes a new temporary housing development called Ka Laʻi Ola. 

Ka Laʻi Ola, which translates to “The Place of Peaceful Recovery,” is a five-year housing program that offers fire survivors a safe, comfortable space to continue to heal and rebuild their lives. It’s a project that Nordic PCL Construction is especially proud to play a role in.

The interim modular community will provide 450 homes to house up to 1,500 Maui residents who were displaced by the fire. The community welcomed its first residents in December 2024.

Funded by the State of Hawaii and various nonprofit partners, and developed by the nonprofit HomeAid Hawaii, Ka Laʻi Ola spans 57 acres in West Lahaina. It features one-, two- and three-bedroom modular units, each equipped with a kitchen, bathroom and living area. These compact modern pods, with expansive glass walls, offer a bright environment for those on the path to recovery.

Through Phase 1 of the Ka Laʻi Ola temporary housing project, Nordic PCL’s scope included installing foundations for 270 temporary module homes as well as designing and building decks, porches, laundry facilities and barbecue areas. 

The job expands as the client’s requirements grow, says Kirk Bailey, general superintendent with Nordic PCL. “We seem to be the pickup crew, which is flattering. They know they can come to us and the job will get done.”

While installing the module foundations, Nordic PCL crews encountered a major problem that had to be resolved before they could secure the foundations in the ground. The State had purchased pre-constructed foundations designed to be installed in medium-dense silty sand. However, the metal foundation pins bent quickly when hammered into the ground at an angle, striking the hard basalt beneath the soil.  

“We had to go back and redesign,” says Bailey, whose knowledge of West Maui’s terrain allowed him to find a solution with his team. He sketched an idea that replaced the pins with drilled-in micropiles that stabilized the foundation. Bailey shared the proposed solution with the State and HomeAid Hawaii and the collaboration resulted in using the original ground frames with new micropiles that are three times the strength of the original pins.

The solution worked, allowing Nordic PCL to get the foundation installation schedule back on track so the modules would be ready for the first families to move in just before Christmas 2024.

While it’s always a win for contractors and clients when construction projects stay on schedule, Bailey says meeting the timeline at Ka Laʻi Ola means so much more. “The real reward is in the face of the children and the face of the occupants,” he says. “Nordic PCL has done many phenomenal projects, but this is a special place for all of us that call Hawaii home.”

Glen Kaneshige, Nordic PCL’s president, lives on Oahu and says he couldn’t fathom what it meant when he heard “Lahaina is gone.”

“I don’t think anybody fully understood the breadth of the damage until the day after. Lahaina was just a flat, pile of ashes. Just devastating,” he remembers.

What wasn’t surprising to him was how Nordic PCL employees joined the emergency response efforts to give in any way they could. 

“As a local business in Hawaii you’ve got to support the community. What we’ve done here on Maui is in line with what we try to do on all the islands,” says Kaneshige.

Many Nordic PCL employees were at the scene of the fire — some even had to evacuate — but for those who could help, Kaneshige says they acted without any expectations from management. 

Kalewa Bancaco, director for HomeAid Hawaii, says many Lahaina families now have a new place to call home. A Maui resident, Bancaco pauses to hold back tears as she talks about the significance of Ka Laʻi Ola’s location. “Being back home in Lahaina is everyone's goal — it’s one of the biggest rewards for them,” she explains. “They’d live in a shoebox if it meant coming home. So yeah, place is very important.”

She says residents are excited to see friends, neighbors and coworkers they’ve been separated from as they come together in this new community. “They can talk about their shared struggles and their shared stories, and I think that's been really healing for the residents.”

Bancaco is proud to help families take their next steps in the recovery. “To give them that [five-year] timeline of stability is huge. It's nice to help and have a solution for them.”

While Kaneshige says it’s going to be a long road to recovery, with some projects just beginning construction, he’s certain Nordic PCL will continue to be part of the rebuild. Nordic PCL is well-known for building high-rises, hotels and multimillion dollar projects, but Kaneshige says the company is exceptionally proud to be part of the disaster recovery in Lahaina and their contribution to the Ka Laʻi Ola housing development.

“We're all part of Ohana, we're all connected,” explains Kaneshige. “When you can help, you do it with no expectation of something being returned. That’s family.”