MGA Architecture, LLC

04/22/2026

MGA’s beautiful Central Pacific Plaza renovation/reimagining was featured on America ByDesign on CBS this past week. The episode, along with the entire series, is available to stream on their ByDesign TV YouTube channel!

America ByDesign is a fantastic TV series on CBS, part of the global show ByDesign, with the goal of bringing greater visibility to American architecture and showcasing exceptional design principles, projects, and products. They asked Matt Gilbertson to show them around Central Pacific Bank – the “Sexiest bank in Hawaii” – for a feature segment of the show. And they’ve just released a special Producer’s Cut of our segment. Check it out!

“Good design is in the details. In this special Producer’s Cut, we showcase MGA Architecture’s stunning work on the Central Pacific Plaza in Honolulu. From the welcoming ‘Tidepools’ to the seamless integration of technology and hospitality, see the vision behind this landmark project in its entirety.”



https://youtu.be/7X6E5oxgeCs?si=eYrBwHMVxvsizPoD

04/11/2026

We had such a great time at Central Pacific Plaza chatting with the folks from America ByDesign! Check it out this Saturday!

Broadcast: Saturday, April 11th @ 3pm HST on CBS News (NY Livestream)
Stream for free at SHGLiving.com or on the SHG App!

Mahalo to our friends at CPB for so graciously allowing us to roam around with Matt Gilbertson and the camera crew!

Thanks, again, ByDesign and AIA Honolulu for featuring MGA Architecture! Great show! Great team! Great time! 🌈🏢



https://www.instagram.com/reel/DW8iC_WD9Tq/?igsh=a2hsYnlxYWk0cTRv

04/03/2026

Come see the newest Chick-Fil-A (CFA) now open at Kapiolani and Kalākaua across from the Hawaii Convention Center (The old Hard Rock Cafe)!

We at MGA Architecture (www.mgahawaii.com) are especially proud of this one (our 6th for CFA in Hawaii). This project was a very challenging renovation that now preserves a landmark building at a very prominent corner on the way into Waikiki..

Congratulations to everyone at Canaan Builders for another awesome job as the General Contractor!

03/03/2026

As the Daniel Kahikina Akaka State Veterans Home approaches its one-year anniversary, MGA's Miles Phillips made a visit to catch some pics around sunset. Mission accomplished!
✨💛🧡🩷💜✨

12/20/2025

Each Holiday Season, to commemorate the end of another great year, MGA heads to a town/neighborhood/community where we’ve had a recent project, and we take photos of letters from signage and familiar locations nearby. We then use our favorite photos to create a custom limited-edition framed letter art piece spelling out the name of that location.

This year we celebrate historic Wai‘alae. Wai‘alae is a bustling Honolulu neighborhood, home to diverse residences, thriving local businesses, vibrant nightlife, salons and shops, Chaminade University, a golf course, and stunning coastal views.

The name comes from the Wai (waters) frequented by the Hawaiian ‘Alae (mudhen). According to legend, the bird was revered as a deity. In one version, it guarded fire for the gods until the culture hero Maui wrested the secret of fire making from it. In another, the bird, moved by compassion, stole fire from the gods so humanity could stay warm and cook food. Both traditions explain the red frontal shield of the ‘alae as the mark of scorching by fire.

As with each of our annual art pieces, the letters of this year’s limited edition were carefully selected, photographed and assembled by MGA staff from signs around Wai‘alae. Can you identify where each of the letters was taken? Share your guesses in the comments. Let's see if we can identify them all...

Wishing you all a VERY Happy Holidays!!

10/06/2025

What a fun night & great way to kick off Architecture Month! Thank you to all the folks who made MGA Architecture a stop on their 2025 AIA Firm Crawl! Chatting over drinks & pupus, trivia, and Jenga with colleagues and new friends! What more could anyone ask? Special congratulations to our Trivia Contest & Biz Card Drawing winners! Your Framed Letter Art Pieces are ready for you.

10/02/2025

Happy Architecture Month!
Excited for the 2025 AIA Honolulu Firm Crawl this Friday!

MGA will be hosting at our offices at 677 Ala Moana Blvd. Have you ever wondered what goes on inside an architect’s office? Celebrate the First Friday of Architecture Month and visit up to 12 design firms in the central business district of downtown and adjacent areas during this open house.
Many locations include pupu and drinks! Learn more about architectural design, interior design, planning, landscape design and meet the people shaping Hawai‘i’s built environment during this annual tradition.

Come visit MGA's office, meet some of our team, have some pupus, and even play some MGA trivia for fun and prizes! 🌈🏢🍣🍷

Learn more and register at:
https://www.aiahonolulu.org/event/architecture-month-firm-crawl-2/

09/10/2025

Congratulations to Chick-fil-A on the Grand Opening of their newest addition to our growing family of Chick-fil-A projects here in Hawaii, located in the Kapolei Entertainment Center – 890 Kamokila Blvd. The traditional Hawaiian blessing and opening day of this dine-in/dine-out/drive-thru restaurant were a great success!

This marks our 2nd location in Kapolei, joining their first dine-in restaurant on Oahu within Hoomaka Marketplace at 91-5480 Kapolei Parkway. Existing locations of Chick-fil-A in Hawaii include a restaurant in Kahului on Maui, as well as a Drive-Thru location on Beretania, and within the Ala Moana Center on Oahu. So happy Hawaii has welcomed you with such Aloha!

07/22/2025

Thinking about buying, selling, or remodeling a home in Hawaii? Don’t get caught off guard by unpermitted renovations!

In this must-watch interview, Patrick ONeill R PB of Luxury Homes International sits down with renowned Hawaii architect Matt Gilbertson (President of MGA Architecture and host of Design Talk Hawaii) to uncover the truth about building permits—and how they can make or break your real estate deal.

🏚️📋✅👍🏼🌈🏡

Thinking about buying, selling, or remodeling a home in Hawaii? Don’t get caught off guard by unpermitted renovations! In this must-watch interview, Patrick ...

06/30/2025

MGA teammates and colleagues enjoyed a fantastic Sunset & Fireworks cruise Friday evening! Mahalo, Living Ocean Tours for a perfect time!
🌈🌅🎆✨