Hawaiʻi Off Grid starts Maui ‘Bunkhouse’ build as a sustainable, rapid solution for Habitat for Humanity

A lot that once held a home destroyed in the August 2023 Maui wildfires is now the site of something new: the first-ever mass timber home in Habitat for Humanity’s global history.

The Bunkhouse, currently under construction in Lahaina, is designed by Hawaiʻi Off-Grid Architecture + Engineering (HIOG) and will serve as a staff house for volunteers coming to help rebuild the community. David Sellers, AIA, Principal of HIOG and a member of Habitat for Humanity Maui’s Board of Directors, led the design with support from WoodWorks.

The structure uses Veneer Laminated Timber walls and glue laminated timber roof panels, all dimensioned around a four-foot module that allows for termite treatment before installation, efficient shipping to Maui, and rapid on-site assembly. That flat-pack logic is the point. HIOG designed the Bunkhouse as a proof of concept for prefabricated mass timber construction as a tool for building affordable, resilient housing faster and at lower cost.

“For the better part of two decades, we have consistently underbuilt, and that housing crisis is now undermining our ability to rebuild Lahaina with the speed our community deserves,” said Sellers. “This mass timber bunkhouse is proof that recovery doesn’t have to mean rebuilding the same way. We designed it as a system that can be prefabricated and deployed after disasters to build permanent buildings fast. Lahaina is where we prove it.”

“This project demonstrates how mass timber can strengthen post-disaster rebuilding by bringing together speed of construction and sustainability with local architectural character and expertise,” said Jennifer Cove, PE, President and CEO of WoodWorks.  “We are honored to partner with Habitat for Humanity Maui, Hawaiʻi Off Grid, and other local organizations to support education, workforce development, and design initiatives that advance new prototypes for mass timber housing.” 

“Volunteers have always been at the heart of Habitat for Humanity’s work, and the Bunkhouse will allow us to dramatically expand that impact here in Lahaina,” said Matt Bachman, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity Maui. “Every additional volunteer who comes to Maui helps us move another family closer to home. This project creates the infrastructure needed to rebuild faster while strengthening the spirit of community that has carried Lahaina forward since the fires.”

The Bunkhouse is expected to be completed in approximately four months, with a target date of August 2026.

Hawaiʻi Off Grid (HIOG) is Maui’s largest architecture and engineering firm specializing in off-grid water, wastewater, and energy systems. With over 60 years of combined experience and 20 years dedicated to remote, sustainable solutions, HIOG offers expert services tailored to Hawai‘i’s unique environment.

Dedicated to community impact, HIOG commits 30% of its work to community-based projects. The firm has partnered with Family Life Center for affordable housing and disaster relief efforts like ʻOhana Hope Village following the Lahaina Fires. In 2024, Sellers joined the Habitat for Humanity Maui board, furthering HIOG’s role in rebuilding.

HIOG supports Hawai‘i’s future through scholarships and as the preferred Architecture and Engineering firm for Maui and Kaua‘i Departments of Education, collaborating on educational facility improvements and new school designs. Learn more at hawaiioffgrid.com.