IBM Building, Office building in Ward Village, Honolulu, United States
The IBM Building is a six-story office building in Ward Village, Honolulu, with a cube-shaped core structure and an outer skin of concrete honeycomb panels. The perforated facade wraps the entire volume and gives it a regular, uniform rhythm on all sides.
Vladimir Ossipoff designed the building as headquarters for IBM and completed it in 1962, with Governor William F. Quinn presiding over the October dedication ceremony. After several decades, the Howard Hughes Corporation acquired the property and converted it following extensive work into a sales office for Ward Village.
The outer shell carries a pattern that recalls punch cards from early computing machines while also drawing on motifs from Pacific island traditions. This dual reference appears in the geometric arrangement of the concrete elements, which merge both technical and regional design ideas.
The building now serves as an information and sales center for the Ward Village development project and can be visited during regular business hours. The ground floor is directly accessible from the sidewalk and offers an overview of the planned residential projects in the area.
The continuous concrete grille fulfills several functions at once by blocking direct sunlight, preventing water accumulation, and deterring birds from nesting on the facade. This technical solution arose from the need to adapt the building to the tropical climate of Hawaii without relying on mechanical shading.
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