American architect Jeanne Gang is the founder and principal of Studio Gang. Studio Gang was founded in 1997 that specializes in architecture and urban design and has locations in Chicago, New York, and San Francisco. Gang originally gained notoriety with the Aqua Tower, which at the time of its construction was the highest structure ever built by a woman. If Gang has a hallmark, it is philosophical rather than stylistic: Her architecture is a constant exchange with nature.
K’ula
Studio Gang is taking its talents to Honolulu. Jeanne Gang, the firm’s principal architect, created a 41-story mixed-use skyscraper called K’ula. It was modeled after the native red sugar cane of the island for her company’s first significant project in the Hawaiian Islands. This native design profoundly impacted the building’s idea and shape. To provide the tower’s windows with the best possible ocean views, the studio incorporated the plant’s twisted structure on the facade. The studio employed a wallumn-based structural system to give the facade a wave-like appearance. These wallums help to open up the internal space, act as columns to the inner walls, and offer shade to the terraces. The wallums are vertical fins that protrude from the interiors.
Overview of the Project
K’ula is a portion of a bigger project being built in the Ward Village neighborhood on the south shore of Oahu. The Howard Hughes Corporation is in charge of the 60-acre master plan, which will include a variety of eateries, stores, and tall residential buildings, some of which are already finished. When complete, Ward Village anticipates becoming a LEED Platinum-certified neighborhood with more than 4,500 homes and about one million square feet of retail space. According to Simon Treacy, president of the Howard Hughes Corporation, Hawaii, “K’ula is the anchor, placed on the central plaza of Ward Village.” Treacy predicts that Ward Village will add several new towers during the following ten years.
Gang is thrilled that K’ula will be situated just off the center square of Ward Village, a hub for regional events, the arts, and culture. The central plaza, which will open this month, will energize this area of the complex and prepare it for the arrival of inhabitants. According to Gang, who also adds that a farmers’ market, yoga, and an outdoor movie series will be held in the plaza, “We worked very closely on the overall master plan for the whole development and coordinated with landscape architects and the owner to make spaces that are larger scale civic type spaces and more intimate spaces that are shared. All these things will give it a homelier feeling.”
About the Building
K’ula, which consists of upscale houses above and stores below, is ready to represent the indoor-outdoor lifestyle only achievable in such temperate locations. The interiors of the 565 units in the tower, whose construction will start next year, will be designed by Yabu Pushelberg. They will have one to three bedrooms and be between 300 and 1,500 square feet in size, with a private lanai deck. Additionally, the building’s slight bend guarantees that every apartment has access to the best beach views. According to Gang, “the living spaces subtly peel off from the building’s core towards the coastline to capture mauka-to-makai views, and each home extends outdoors onto spacious lnai that draws fresh air and natural light inside year-round.”
Façade of the Building
The Koula tower’s façade built by Studio Gang displays the distinctive twisting structure of the red sugarcane plant, which enables the windows of the 41-story skyscraper to optimize the ocean view. The tower was built with the intention of bringing Honolulu’s breathtaking scenery and ecology closer to its inhabitants. To make use of the mauka-to-makai vistas, the building’s living quarters are peeled out from its central portion and directed toward the sea. Each apartment in the tower has a lanai that extends outside and brings natural light and fresh air into the interiors all year long. The building’s front is made up of a succession of inset terraces. These terraces are modeled after the lanai, a traditional covered veranda in Hawaii. “The structure is this kind of changing vertical kō‘ula, which is one of the plants that are native to Hawaii,” says Gang. “The way they move and twist is very beautiful, so the vertical columns respond in that way.” The studio Gang also used the shape of l’nai, which are covered verandas typical of Hawaii, as inspiration to create a sequence of inset terraces that climb the building’s exterior.
A plinth on which the tower is built has an elevated walkway carved out of an open oculus that surrounds a stairway leading to the ground level. A parking garage that sides the secondary structure links to the front through an elevated walkway as well. The secondary building houses the amenity deck, and the ground area between the tower and the structure has been planted to give residents greater outdoor space. Radiating wooden slats that are positioned close to the raised structure make up the ceiling installation of the port cochere. The tower’s outdoor foyer fosters a sense of connection with nature. According to the studio gang, an indoor open-air lobby is intended to foster a sense of connection with nature. For the interiors, Studio Gang worked with the Canadian design firm Yabu Pushelberg. Both the sensibility of the tower and the island ecosystem were taken into consideration while designing the interiors of the public areas, including the apartments and a fitness center on the eighth floor.
Citations:
Dezeen. (2022). Studio Gang completes Hawaii skyscraper with sugar cane-informed facade. [online] Available at: https://www.dezeen.com/2022/10/14/studio-gang-hawaii-tower-sugar-cane/#:~:text=Chicago%2Dbased%20Studio%20Gang%20has [Accessed 20 Oct. 2022].
Nast, C. (n.d.). Studio Gang’s Newest Project Is Inspired by Sugar Cane. [online] Architectural Digest. Available at: https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/studio-gang-hawaii-tower-ward-village [Accessed 20 Oct. 2022].
News today. (2022). Studio Gang wraps Hawaii skyscraper in sugar cane-informed facade. [online] Available at: https://usa.firenews.video/design/studio-gang-wraps-hawaii-skyscraper-in-sugar-cane-informed-facade/ [Accessed 20 Oct. 2022].
www.domusweb.it. (n.d.). Studio Gang has completed tower in Hawaii inspired by local sugar cane. [online] Available at: https://www.domusweb.it/en/news/gallery/2022/10/18/studio-gang-completed-a-residential-tower-in-hawaii.html [Accessed 20 Oct. 2022].
www.surfacesreporter.com. (n.d.). Get a Glimpse of Hawaiian Red Sugarcane’s uniquely Textured Curls on this Building’s Facade | Koula Tower. [online] Available at: https://surfacesreporter.com/articles/134516/get-a-glimpse-of-hawaiian-red-sugarcanes-uniquely-textured-curls-on-this-buildings-facade-koula-tower [Accessed 20 Oct. 2022].