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BANK OF HAWAII AGANA BRANCH
Agana, Territory of Guam
Size: 100,000 s.f.
BACKGROUND:
In 1986, the Bank of Hawaii purchased a four-story building with
two sub-floor levels in Agana, Guam. Originally built in 1973, the
building was purchased to house the Bank's primary Micronesian branch,
as well as several non-bank related tenants. As the Bank of Hawaii's
presence grew in Micronesia, so did their facility requirements.
By 1995, the branch had become the hub for all of the Bank's branches
in Micronesia. The Agana facility was now the "headquarters" for
operations, facilities, and branches as far away as Palau, Yap,
and Maruju. Rapid growth, the need for state of the art communication
capabilities, a diversified client base, new building and seismic
codes, and an outdated infrastructure all became pressing issues
for the aging concrete structure.
APPROACH/SOLUTION:
The biggest challenge for this project was its shear magnitude:
too many people with a magnitude of different requirements intertwined
with the dynamics of the Bank's operational requirements. Ferraro
Choi solved a majority of these issues through modularity. For example,
the Bank's space standards were first studied and redefined into
four standard workstation sizes. This became a workable and realistic
model that accommodated a variety of the users' diversified needs,
eliminating the need to reinvent new stations for every job description
or staff change. Other design elements addressing standards and
modularity include pre-wired modular walls and systems furniture
(used also for the teller lines). To allow flexible movement of
workstations, grid pattern locations of VAV (variable air volume
air conditioning) boxes, and continuous indirect lighting system
was used throughout. Work nodes, such as common work areas and conferencing
centers were also increased in number and strategically interspersed
to enhance teamwork and work efficiency. Employee safety was improved
with the addition of a building fire sprinkler and alarm system,
and a building management control system.
Once the program requirements were given definition, the design
process focused next on the Bank's cultural awareness. Discussions
were held with several islanders and their "cultural elders," and
studies pursued into local island literature and legends. The resulting
design palette, finishes, textures, as well as shapes and volumes
found within the space are respectful of the indigenous Chamorro
culture. For example, the volume on the second floor main banking
hall, which was hidden for 20 years with 9' ceilings, provided a
great design opportunity. By exposing the previously hidden volume
and existing architecture, Ferraro Choi created a new grand "banking
hall," that referenced the island theme with an "ocean to sky" sense
of space. Within this hall representing tropical islands in an ocean
setting are six-18' palms in 5' high terracotta pots set on a custom
green lauhala-weaved carpet. Column surrounds within this hall and
a curved elevator lobby wall are representational of native Chamorro
canoe sails. Commissioned to local artist Sol Bidaure, a grand
mural depicting Chamorro lifestyle, history, and legends elegantly
finishes off the space. Outfitted with specialty lighting and sound
systems, the grand banking hall also addresses the Owner's requirements
for an area not only suitable for banking but for large-scale community
functions as well.
Beyond the main banking hall, specific cultural design elements
native to the region continue to flow throughout the project. For
example, brightly-colored textured walls, representational of stone
formations and colors found in the Guam landscape are used at the
entry and throughout the project. The entry tile walls are also
sprinkled with accents of clear glass navigational theme tiles.
Ocean-colored stone flooring is used throughout main banking hall
and common areas. Fabrics representing images and textures consistent
with Chamorro prints and colors, but with modern interpretation
were integrated into the furniture finishes.
CONCLUSION:
In the end, the results more than met everyone's expectations. The
program was met, the construction was completed ahead of schedule
and on budget, and the users and Bank clients have expressed pride
in their newly renovated environment.
For more information on Bank of Hawaii, please visit their website:
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