Design Team
By design, the company is made up of individuals who are talented, bright and hard working, with a passion for what they do as well as for improving the communities in which we live. With this team, we believe we deliver a higher quality of service and design excellence to our clients. We are also invested in the belief that good business practices are essential to the success of our company, and that our reputation is only as good as the quality of our work and the integrity of our actions.
Philip K. White, President
Philip K. White, otherwise known as “Pip,” is president and founder of the company that bears his name. From the beginning, he brought a unique perspective to the practice of architecture with extensive field experience as a builder and as an architect. His experience as a carpenter sharpened his ability to design buildings that make the transition from blueprint to construction in one seamless process.
Born and raised in Hawaii, Pip is a sixth generation kamaaina who has special regard for the local environment and culture both of which inform and influence the way he designs. He specializes in signature commercial and residential projects that combine regional forms with new technologies. His designs communicate a sense of accessibility and sophistication and this is particularly evident in his award-winning residential projects, which link living spaces to the outdoors in a way that reflects the more relaxed aspects of the local lifestyle.
Pip’s experience as an architect includes land planning for a new town, master planning residential communities, and urban super blocks, as well as designing shopping centers, luxury homes, resorts, commercial buildings, a museum, and visitor destinations.
Pip earned a B.A. in geology from Colgate University in New York, and is a member of the American Institute of Architects. He has served on several non-profit boards and currently serves as president of the Asia Pacific Center for Architecture. He is also a board member of the Hawaii Architectural Foundation.
Terine Higa, Vice President
Terine Higa plays an integral role at Philip K. White & Associates overseeing the company’s marketing, finances and human resources.
Terine joined the company in 1994 as an administrative assistant and has since grown her responsibilities to include supervising day-to-day operations as well as all facets of business operations. As vice president, Terine has introduced a new level of financial responsibility and business management to Philip K. White & Associates. She has also nurtured the potential of the design team by implementing training in business fundamentals and project performance metrics to ensure that the team is always at the cutting edge of the design field.
Terine holds both a BBA and executive MBA from the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa.
Laura Ayers, Associate Architect
Laura Ayers joined Philip K. White & Associates in 2001, bringing with her four years of experience with three Chicago architectural firms. While working in Chicago, Laura’s experience included designing student residential halls for DePaul University, urban design for mixed-use projects including low-income housing in the city’s urban core, as well as historic preservation and renovation of the city’s old Palace Theater for the performing arts.
Drawn to Hawaii by her interest in historical architecture and her desire to design buildings that were tied to the local culture, she found her niche at Philip K. White & Associates. Since joining the firm, Laura has taken the lead on a number of projects, including the Kapalua Village Phase 1, a low-rise signature commercial complex at Kapalua Resort on Maui; a private residence at Kukio, the exclusive oceanfront club and residential community on the Kona coast of the Big Island; as well as a number of condominium and home renovations in the Kahala and Diamond Head areas of Oahu.
Laura received her B.S. at Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, and her M.Arch., summa cum laude, from the University of Michigan. Her undergraduate curriculum included a year at the prestigious Ecole d/Architecture La Villette in Paris, France. She is also currently a member of the American Institute of Architects, Honolulu Chapter.