World Savings & Loan Association
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World Savings & Loan Association |
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| Client: World Savings and Loan
Association is a prosperous savings institution based in California. The company has
decided to expand into the Pacific Basin via Hawaii. They are known for selecting famous
architects to design contemporary cutting edge designs for their buildings. However, it is
up to the designer’s discretion as whether or not to follow this pattern or to design
along the lines of historic contextual sensitivity.
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| Site: The site is a corner lot in
Waikiki. Kalakaua Avenue and Kaiulani Avenue are both one-way streets with heavy
pedestrian traffic. The total site area is 9,852 square feet and the topographical contour
of the land is essentially flat. The surrounding buildings include many tall buildings
like the Sheraton Moana Hotel, the Princess Kaiulani Hotel, and the Hyatt Regency Hotel.
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| Code/Program Requirements: The setback
from the property line is 30 feet along Kalakaua Avenue and 20 feet from the Kaiulani
side. The client has specified that no building element shall be above 60 feet in height,
regardless of zoning requirements. In addition to the basic banking and administrative
spaces, such as the general vault, conference room and general office, there is to be an
integrated exhibition space used for travelling or revolving cultural and artistic
exhibits.
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| Design Concept: The concept of the design
for World Savings and Loan is based on the form of mountains. Representing solidity, the
form makes a statement about the company’s firmly established strength and security.
Even though World Savings and Loan is new to Hawaii, the new building should proclaim the
company’s intentions to remain and prosper for a long time. The mountain, with its
origins in the distant past and its end in the unforeseeable future, demonstrates the
company’s timelessness as well. Also, the mountain form is a common icon depicted in
Hawaiian architecture, though not necessarily is the same fashion as it is meant to be
here. The design intention, therefore, is for the building to appear to be one massive, homogeneous object. The shape looks as if it had risen from beneath the earth, still very firmly connected to the ground from which it came. The angled walls and ridgeline of the roof suggests a mountain range. However, due to the use of materials and striking form, the appearance is one of a high-tech, innovative building.
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