Office building in Honolulu, Hawai?i
The
IBM Building
is an office building at 1240 Ala Moana Boulevard in
Honolulu, Hawai?i
. Designed by
Vladimir Ossipoff
, the building opened in 1962 as the Honolulu headquarters for American technology company
IBM
. It is presently owned by
Howard Hughes Corporation
, serving as a sales center for its surrounding
Ward Village
development.
Construction cost
$1.5 million
(equivalent to $15.1 million in 2023). The building was
dedicated
on October 10, 1962, in a ceremony attended by officials including
William F. Quinn
, who was
Governor of Hawaii
at the time. The roughly cube-shaped
massing
of the building is distinguished by the
honeycomb structure
of its concrete
brise soleil
, inspired by
Polynesian culture
and also intended to resemble the
punched cards
used in the computer industry at the time of its construction.
The IBM Building and surrounding area were purchased in 2002 by
General Growth Properties
, and the building was slated for demolition as part of a 2008
redevelopment
plan. Public backlash led to its preservation after the planned development area was purchased by Howard Hughes Corporation, which expressed an intent to maintain the IBM Building's name and general appearance. The development company instead renovated the building to use as an information and sales center for Ward Village. It officially reopened in that capacity in 2014.
History
[
edit
]
Design and construction
[
edit
]
On February 29, 1960, the Hawaii regional manager of
IBM
announced that the technology company would erect a new office building on
Ala Moana Boulevard
. The announcement projected that construction would cost between $800,000 and
$1.5 million
(equivalent to $15.1 million in 2023) and stated that the building would be either 5 or 7 stories tall when completed. It noted that planning would be completed after an architect and IBM representatives arrived from the
contiguous United States
, and that construction was scheduled to finish in March 1961.
[1]
On May 19, 1961, the regional manager stated that the planning process for the building had been finished and that construction would begin the following month. The announcement noted that a "sculptured ribbon-pattern concrete sun screen" would surround the
glass curtain wall
of the
reinforced concrete
building's upper floors, and that the building would contain 61,961 square feet (5,756.4 m
2
) of space.
[2]
The IBM Building was designed by architect
Vladimir Ossipoff
and built by contractor
Hawaiian Dredging & Construction Company
for
Victoria Ward Limited
.
[3]
IBM planned to occupy the bottom two floors and Victoria Ward half of the sixth, while the remaining space would be leased to other tenants
[2]
by IBM.
[4]
Construction of the IBM Building, which began by July 1961, was the first part of a
master plan
for eastern
Kaka?ako
that
Harland Bartholomew and Associates
created for Victoria Ward Limited.
[5]
In October 1961, a 20-year-old construction worker fell from the fifth floor of the building while moving a
sawhorse
from one
scaffold
to another and landed on a pile of
lumber
; he survived, but broke several bones in the fall.
[6]
According to
Engineering News-Record
, construction cost
$1.5 million
(equivalent to $15.1 million in 2023). It was built as part of IBM's
US$18,000,000
(equivalent to about $181,307,000 in 2023) effort to build imaginative offices around the world.
[7]
The magazine praised the cheap construction in an October 1962 article, attributing it to IBM's planning and direction of the process.
[8]
Opening
[
edit
]
The IBM Building opened in 1962 at 1240 Ala Moana Boulevard
[7]
as the Honolulu headquarters for IBM.
[9]
The building was
dedicated
on October 10, 1962, in a ceremony attended by various corporate and military officials as well as members of the public. Then-
Governor of Hawaii
William F. Quinn
attended and spoke at the event, characterizing the building as "a gratifying demonstration of one company's success in years past and faith in the future of the mid-Pacific area".
[10]
Also attending were Rev.
Abraham Akaka
and the president of IBM's Federal Systems Division.
[11]
Though the IBM Building's appearance was initially criticized by Hawaii residents for its perceived austerity and for not fitting into the aesthetic of Hawaii,
[9]
it became more popular over time.
[12]
Its simple design gained various accolades in the architectural community, including a 1964
honorable mention
from the Hawaii chapter of the
American Institute of Architects
.
[9]
Its
landscaping
was recognized with the 1964 Beautification Award from the
Honolulu Chamber of Commerce
.
[7]
Changes in ownership
[
edit
]
In April 2002,
General Growth Properties
(GGP) made a
$250 million
(equivalent to $423 million in 2023)
[13]
bid to acquire Victoria Ward Limited and its 65 acres (26 ha) of properties in Kaka?ako, including the IBM Building. GGP was additionally the owner of
Ala Moana Center
, a major competitor of the Ward developments in Kaka?ako.
[14]
The sale was finalized the following month.
[15]
In 2008, GGP proposed demolishing the IBM Building as part of a
redevelopment plan
, intending to create a new
mixed-use
"urban village" in the area.
[7]
The building was instead preserved due to public backlash.
[12]
Howard Hughes Corporation
purchased the redevelopment area from GGP in 2010. In October 2011, Howard Hughes announced a revised
master plan
for the area; by February 2012, the corporation expressed an intent to maintain the IBM Building's name and general appearance.
[16]
Renovation
[
edit
]
Woods Bagot
and
Ferraro Choi
designed a
renovation
to make the building a sales center for Howard Hughes Corporation,
[12]
as part of the development company's master plan for the surrounding
Ward Village
development.
[9]
Contractors
Jay Kadowaki Inc.
and
Albert C. Kobayashi Inc.
carried out the renovation, and the building officially reopened on January 25, 2014.
[17]
The construction cost $24,000,000
[3]
and won the Display category at
INSIDE Festival
in 2015.
[12]
Howard Hughes built
model units
in the building for several of its nearby
condominiums
. The company also utilized the second, third, sixth, and seventh floors while maintaining an information center on the ground floor.
[18]
The information center was created by completely redesigning the ground floor and replacing walls with windows on all four sides.
Solomon Enos
was commissioned to paint a
mural
in the space,
[3]
and designed an installation depicting Hawaiian goddess
Keaomelemele
.
[19]
The parking lot was replaced with a
courtyard
for outdoor gatherings, including a
water feature
. A cube-like structure was built onto one side of the building and the rooftop
lanai
was extended.
[3]
These changes were criticized by Ossipoff's former partner
Sid Snyder
as "unsympathetic to the architecture of the building" ? Snyder elaborated that he disliked the bright white color and location of the addition ? and were also critiqued by the architect's daughter Valerie Ossipoff.
[3]
Post-renovation
[
edit
]
In 2018, Howard Hughes Corporation announced plans to move
remote workers
into the building and notified tenants on the fourth floor that they would be taking it over when leases expired at the end of that year. These tenants included IBM, which maintained its last remaining offices in the building on that floor.
[18]
Honolulu Civil Beat
observed that it was unclear whether "IBM Building" would remain the official name of the building once it was no longer occupied by IBM; a Howard Hughes executive declined to comment.
[18]
In 2019, IBM vacated the building completely, and the sign reading "IBM" was removed from the roof.
[9]
Architecture
[
edit
]
Front view of the IBM Building
IBM punched card from the early 1970s
The six-story IBM Building, which also has rooftop space referred to as a seventh floor,
[17]
has cuboid
massing
. It has a concrete
brise soleil
with a distinctive
honeycomb structure
. This facade, which was assembled from 1,360 precast pieces of concrete, intended to resemble the
punched cards
which were used in the computer industry at the time of the building's construction. Architect Vladimir Ossipoff also drew inspiration from
Polynesian culture
while designing the facade. The angles of the brise soleil were intended to block sunlight, prevent water from pooling, and discourage pigeon nesting without blocking views from the offices.
[9]
Ossipoff himself described the grille as a key aspect of the building:
[20]
Not only does the systematic, rather repetitious pattern of the concrete grille express the computer-world character of the IBM Corp., but also gives it a sense of belonging in the sun. The deep shadows of the grillwork become as significant a part of the architecture as any part of the structure itself.
The building itself is set back from the road, and Ossipoff used
berms
to make the parking lot less visible.
[7]
Stairways, elevators, and utilities are clustered at the building's center to reduce obstructions of the office space.
[20]
Significance
[
edit
]
The IBM Building has been recognized as a key example of the
tropical modernism
architectural style that was popular at the time of its construction. Vladimir Ossipoff was a key figure in the style's development.
[9]
In 2008, architect and
Yale University
Director of Exhibitions
Dean Sakamoto
described the building as a Honolulu landmark and a marker of the passing of time, comparing it to
Aloha Tower
and the
Hawaii Convention Center
.
[7]
Jeff Nishi
, another architect, characterized it as an example of Ossipoff's versatility as an architect.
[7]
See also
[
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]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"IBM To Occupy New Structure"
.
The Honolulu Advertiser
. March 1, 1960. p. 8.
Archived
from the original on April 15, 2022
. Retrieved
April 15,
2022
– via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
a
b
"$1.5 Million Building Slated On Ala Moana By IBM"
.
The Honolulu Advertiser
. May 20, 1961. p. 12.
Archived
from the original on April 15, 2022
. Retrieved
April 15,
2022
– via Newspapers.com.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Wu, Nina (January 26, 2014).
"Iconic Design: Architect Vladimir Ossipoff's IBM Building has been saved from demolition to play a critical role in Ward Village"
.
Honolulu Star-Advertiser
. pp. F1, F10.
Archived
from the original on March 26, 2022
. Retrieved
March 26,
2022
– via Newspapers.com.
- ^
"Kakaako Gets I.B.M. Building"
.
Honolulu Star-Bulletin
. July 24, 1961. p. 16.
Archived
from the original on April 15, 2022
. Retrieved
April 15,
2022
– via Newspapers.com.
- ^
"Kakaako Story"
.
Honolulu Star-Bulletin
. July 24, 1961. p. 15.
Archived
from the original on April 15, 2022
. Retrieved
April 15,
2022
– via Newspapers.com.
- ^
"Carpenter Fair After 52-Foot Fall"
.
The Honolulu Advertiser
. October 10, 1961. p. 5.
Archived
from the original on April 20, 2022
. Retrieved
April 15,
2022
– via Newspapers.com.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
Wu, Nina (March 2, 2008).
"IBM Building's fate draws preservationists"
.
Honolulu Star-Bulletin
. pp. D6.
Archived
from the original on March 26, 2022
. Retrieved
March 26,
2022
– via Newspapers.com.
- ^
"National Magazine Cites I.B.M.'s New Honolulu Office Building"
.
Honolulu Star-Bulletin
. October 10, 1962. p. 2.
Archived
from the original on April 15, 2022
. Retrieved
April 15,
2022
– via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
MacIntyre, Ken (September 11, 2019).
"A Look into Hawaii's Iconic IBM Building"
.
Atomic Ranch
.
Archived
from the original on May 11, 2021
. Retrieved
March 24,
2022
.
- ^
"IBM Building Is Dedicated"
.
The Honolulu Advertiser
. October 11, 1962. pp. B4.
Archived
from the original on March 26, 2022
. Retrieved
March 26,
2022
– via Newspapers.com.
- ^
"IBM Slates Dedication Of Building"
.
The Honolulu Advertiser
. October 10, 1962. pp. B4.
Archived
from the original on March 26, 2022
. Retrieved
March 26,
2022
– via Newspapers.com.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Hobson, Benedict (February 11, 2016).
"Video: Ward Village Information Center by Woods Bagot"
.
Dezeen
.
Archived
from the original on November 27, 2021
. Retrieved
March 24,
2022
.
- ^
Gomes, Andrew (April 18, 2002).
"A&B: Real estate project also in works"
.
The Honolulu Advertiser
. p. 25.
Archived
from the original on April 20, 2022
. Retrieved
April 15,
2022
– via Newspapers.com.
- ^
Daysog, Rick (April 8, 2002).
"Ala Moana owner to buy Ward"
.
Honolulu Star-Bulletin
. p. 1.
Archived
from the original on April 15, 2022
. Retrieved
April 15,
2022
.
- ^
Gomes, Andrew (September 13, 2002).
"Ward to see big growth"
.
The Honolulu Advertiser
. p. 33.
Archived
from the original on April 15, 2022
. Retrieved
April 15,
2022
.
- ^
Gomes, Andrew (February 1, 2013).
"IBM Building, once fated for razing, to be remodeled"
.
Honolulu Star-Advertiser
. pp. B1, B3.
Archived
from the original on March 26, 2022
. Retrieved
March 26,
2022
– via Newspapers.com.
- ^
a
b
Shimogawa, Duane (January 27, 2014).
"Howard Hughes Corp. unveils Honolulu's redeveloped IBM Building: Slideshow"
.
Pacific Business News
.
Archived
from the original on April 6, 2022
. Retrieved
March 24,
2022
.
- ^
a
b
c
Yerton, Stewart (October 10, 2018).
"Has Kakaako Gotten Too Fancy Even For IBM?"
.
Honolulu Civil Beat
.
Archived
from the original on November 9, 2020
. Retrieved
March 24,
2022
.
- ^
"Corp. Power"
.
HILUXURY - Hawaii Luxury Magazine
. February 4, 2017.
Archived
from the original on April 22, 2021
. Retrieved
April 13,
2022
.
- ^
a
b
Ossipoff, Vladimir
(February 6, 1966).
"Building Designed for the Sun"
.
The Honolulu Advertiser
. pp. A10.
Archived
from the original on March 26, 2022
. Retrieved
March 26,
2022
– via Newspapers.com.
Further reading
[
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]
External links
[
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]
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