The Walter Dods, Jr. RISE Center, a new live-learn-work facility at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, was named Redevelopment of the Year at the 2024 CoStar Impact Hawai‘i awards.

Opening its doors in August 2023, the $70 million RISE Center was the first new student housing facility completed for the University of Hawai‘i in 15 years. The project reimagined the historic Charles Atherton House building, incorporating it into a new entrepreneurship and innovation hub along with constructing two new, six-story student residential halls at the corner of Metcalf Street and University Avenue that accommodate 374 students.

The project was developed through a public-private partnership between Hunt Companies Hawai‘i, the University of Hawai‘i and the University of Hawai‘i Foundation, and was funded entirely by private funds.

RISE was the first P3 for UH and sets a new standard for future developments at the university.

“This large redevelopment will turn out some very well-educated business students for our community,” said Mark Bratton, senior vice president at Colliers International, in a statement.

“To receive a national award for RISE Center is reflective of not only the vision of the University and the University of Hawai’i Foundation, but also the hard work of the many people that had a hand in opening up this project on time,” said Mike Lam, senior vice president at Hunt Companies Hawai‘i and the project lead. “On behalf of Hunt, our project partners, and the UH community, we thank CoStar Group for this honor.”

The CoStar Impact Awards are judged on factors including innovation, challenges overcome and the project’s potential to catalyze economic activity in the market.