How do you make 1,000 square feet feel like an island? If you’re architect David Sellers, principal of Hawai’i Off Grid Architecture & Engineering, you make the magic happen with high ceilings and big glass. Sellers recently designed a home in Huelo that not only maximizes space for indoor-outdoor living and frames stunning views, but also shines as an example of sustainable design in a remote location on Maui’s Northeast Shore.
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Small footprint, big doors, boundless space.
“This project is really emblematic and representative of our practice in general, which is ‘small is big.’ And the smaller you are, typically the less carbon footprint you have,” Sellers says. To optimize the home for off-grid living, Sellers designed a unique roof with extended overhangs and a catchment system that keeps rain, sun and heat away from the windows and catches rainwater for potable use. Solar panels with battery backup provide natural off grid energy, and ample timber was used in construction to capture and store carbon dioxide. The Japanese wood-burning technique shou sugi ban was applied to the cedar siding, enhancing the material’s natural pest-repelling and fire-resistant properties.
Large windows and sliding glass doors from Western Window Systems help with cross-ventilation and lighting and protect the home from Hawai’i’s tropical climate. “The windows and doors are really important for keeping the hot air out and being able to handle high moisture and sea spray,” Sellers says. “So that performance package is really crucial.”
Western Window Systems’ multi-slide doors provided the perfect combination of form and function for Sellers. “The bottom-supported sliding panels are pretty much a foolproof design,” he says. “Having the panels disappear into a pocket reduces clutter, and it’s not difficult to open. Even when it’s closed, it’s still beautiful. But to be able to get engrossed in the senses and feel the wind and smell the rain and flowers by having a whole sliding glass wall, that’s really special and is one of the key features of the home.”
Sellers says keeping the house as small as possible was another nod to sustainability. The structure is meant to provide a seamless transition between the indoors and the outdoors, and Sellers’ use of massive glass makes the home feel much larger than it is. “There’s not any time of the year here where you are really forced to be inside. We get tropical storms and things like that, but for the most part, the doors are open, the windows are open, and you’re encouraged to go outside, and you come inside to eat and sleep,” he explains. “One of the purposes of the house is, during your awake hours, you’re encouraged to be in nature, constantly surrounded and reminded. Every time you look around, you’re looking out at a beautiful view.”
Unique roof overhang: shielding from sun, rain, and heat for year-round comfort.
Large windows welcome natural light, brightening every corner of the home.
The owners of the home initially thought that 1,000 square feet would be too small, but Sellers says since they moved in, they’ve expressed it’s exactly what they were looking for. “It has the feel of a much larger house because of the high ceilings and large openings. Huge pocket sliding doors really make the house feel a lot bigger than it actually is,” he says. “You don’t think about how big it is on the interior because it’s so focused on the environment around it.”
For Sellers, the home in Huelo showcases the Off Grid Architecture tenet that sustainability and luxury don’t have to be mutually exclusive. “I think the most important thing for us is to show people that being off grid and being sustainable doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice luxury, quality, enjoyment or experience,” he says. “It’s thoughtful, it’s elegant, and the windows and doors are a huge component of that.”
Two sliding glass doors in the bedroom expand the small footprint, seamlessly bringing the outdoors in and making the space feel much larger.
Architect: Firm of Hawai’i Off Grid Architecture & Engineering
Dealer: Honsador Lumber Maui
Photographer: Travis Rowan Photography + Motion
