Melia Ward Village: Robert A.M. Stern's First Hawai‘i Tower Rises on the Last Front-Row Site

There is no more consequential address left in Ward Village. Melia — the plumeria, the flower most often strung into a lei of welcome — rises on the final front-row parcel of Howard Hughes' 60-acre master plan, between Auahi Street and Ala Moana Boulevard, beside the landmark IBM Building and directly across from Ala Moana Beach Park. It is a position that will not be replicated, because there is nothing behind it left to build.

• 221 residences, 35 stories, market-rate throughout
• Robert A.M. Stern Architects, Champalimaud Design, VITA landscape
• Full in-building amenity suite with lap and family pools
• Last front-row site in Ward Village, across from Ala Moana Beach Park

The Larger of Two Companion Towers

Melia and ‘Ilima were conceived together, joined at grade by a native botanical garden pathway and framing Ka Lei Park between them. At 221 residences across 35 stories, Melia is the larger of the pair and offers the broader range of homes, with a full amenity suite of its own. It is a market-rate offering throughout — no reserved housing units, no income qualification — and it is Howard Hughes' own tower, without the separate club membership structure of its neighbor.

Architecture Composed for a Climate

Melia marks the first Hawai‘i work of Robert A.M. Stern Architects, the practice behind 15 Central Park West. Their approach here is a discipline of proportion and shade — buildings composed for the trade winds rather than imposed on them, drawing from Hawai‘i's own architectural record. Champalimaud Design carries the interiors consistently from the residences through the amenity floors and arrival sequence, and VITA Planning & Landscape Architecture designed the landscape. Orientation is calibrated to Diamond Head and the Pacific.

The Amenity Deck and Ka Lei Park

A full deck above the podium holds a lap pool and separate family pool, barbecue cabanas, pavilions overlooking Ka Lei Park, a fitness center, spa, resident lounges, private event rooms, and guest suites. The most distinctive element on the block, however, is not inside either tower: a green corridor of native plantings running from the IBM Building through to Ka Lei Park, which residents pass through daily on the way to the beach park across the boulevard. It is the rarest amenity in urban Honolulu — ground.

Sales Momentum

Melia opened to extraordinary reception. Howard Hughes reported $1.2 billion in combined sales across Melia and ‘Ilima at launch in September 2025 — the highest volume and pricing ever recorded in Hawai‘i — with Melia 52 percent pre-sold at the time and the pair approximately 60 percent pre-sold by year-end. Melia remains in pre-sales as it advances through planning and permitting. Floor plans, square footages, and pricing are released by individual residence.