Ward Village® Debuts Victoria Ward Park, Honolulu’s Newest Open-Air Gathering Place

Opening Celebrated With One-of-a-Kind Immersive Art Installation “Light Garden, A 1,000-Year Bloom”

HONOLULU – The Howard Hughes Corporation® (NYSE: HHC) announced today that Ward Village®, its award-winning 60-acre master planned community in the heart of Honolulu, continues to redefine urban island living with the debut of its central greenscape, Victoria Ward Park. The park’s opening is marked by the launch of Light Garden, a 1,000-Year Bloom, a one-of-a-kind immersive art installation designed by acclaimed design studio  Symmetry Labs.

Dedicated to the land’s most famous steward — Victoria Ward, whose efforts nearly a century ago first made the area a gathering place — the park hosts an expansive lush lawn in the heart of Ward Village. Prior to the park’s development in 2017, the land served as a commercial and industrial site. Today, it is the home of the largest and most technology-forward art installation to be displayed in Hawaiʻi. Inspired by the Hawaiian flora, Light Garden, a 1,000-Year Bloom features over 25,000 LED lights in more than 2,300 floral 3D sculptures spanning 9,500 square feet, and is Symmetry Labs’ largest-scale work to date.

“Today, former warehouses and concrete give way to an acre and a half of lush grass with native plants and a grove of coconut trees reminiscent of the original Ward Estate,” said Todd Apo, Senior Vice President of Community Development at The Howard Hughes Corporation. “Victoria Ward Park represents the dedication to preserve original elements of Ward’s legacy, a guiding vision to create a modern day haven in urban Honolulu.”  

The opening of Victoria Ward Park is the latest milestone in the development of Ward Village. Since beginning sales in 2014, Ward Village has sold or contracted to sell more than 1,900 homes. Ward Villageis quickly approaching the sellout of its five mixed-use residential towers that are either delivered or under construction-Waiea®, Anaha®, Aeʻo®, Ke Kilohana, and ʻAʻaliʻi, which are transforming the popular shopping and dining district into a vibrant neighborhood that offers ocean views and a thoughtfully curated mix of retail experiences set among walkable, open spaces.  

“Victoria Ward Park is designed to engage the community as the new center of Ward Village,” said Simon Treacy, President, Hawaiʻi of The Howard Hughes Corporation. “Focused on curating a thriving public realm through the development of unique spaces and one-of-a-kind amenities, we invite everyone to the park to relax, play and connect-with each other, the community, and our island beauty.”

Set to sit adjacent to the park is Kōʻula, Ward Village’s new residential tower by famed architect Jeanne Gang, founder of Studio Gang, designed to further engage the community and activate the site with shopping, dining and entertainment. 

The inspiration behind Light Garden, a 1,000-Year Bloom is the reintroduction of nature into Honolulu’s urban core. A 1,000-year bloom describes the unique opportunity to see a flower that is seldom seen in nature. “Millions of people visit Hawaiʻi each year who cannot help but be awestruck by the natural beauty that is a hallmark of the state,” said Alexander Green, Founder, Symmetry Labs. “I was excited and honored by the opportunity to create a work of art designed to elicit the same sense of natural wonder and island enchantment using innovative technology.”

Symmetry Labs’ artwork has been the centerpiece of public displays around the world, including the “Sea of Light” at Seaport District and “Tree of Tenere” at Burning Man. Alexander Green is the subject of an upcoming PBS documentary on innovation in art, “Ineffable,” in collaboration with violin virtuoso Tim Fain, and was invited to deliver a keynote speech at the Cannes Lion Innovation Festival, entitled “Beyond Sound: The Music Experience of the Future.” 

The debut of Victoria Ward Park with Light Garden, a 1,000-Year Bloom demonstrates Ward Village’s commitment to culturally-inspired placemaking and paves the way for the return of the upcoming Honolulu Biennial in March. The Howard Hughes Corporation and Ward Village welcomed nearly 100,000 visitors as title sponsor for the inaugural Honolulu Biennial in 2017, and has once again renewed its commitment as co-title sponsor of the Biennial in 2019.

Light Garden, 1,000-Year Bloom will be on display at Victoria Ward Park launching with a special public preview event on December 14 and 15, after which the park and the installation will officially open to the public on December 21, 2018. The installation will remain open through the end of January 2019. For more details, please visit www.wardlightgarden.com. 

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Click here for interview with Alexander Green, Symmetry Labs.

Click here for interview with Todd Apo, The Howard Hughes Corporation.

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PRESS CONTACTS

Megan Tsuchida
Bennet Group Strategic Communications
808-286-3183
[email protected]

Andrea Galvin
Senior Director, Media Relations, Ward Village
808-426-7724
[email protected]