HSBC Bank: Cultural Influence in Architecture - Dissertation Example

?Introduction The word ‘Culture’ comes from the term ‘cultivation’ which implies that one has grown through a particular set of knowledge and or experiences. To be cultured can be understood by perceiving that one is knowledgeable or is refined in the arts. Architecture is usually defined as the manifestation and the expression of a particular culture. It acknowledges and responds to the needs and values of the culture of a society with which it interacts. A selected set of the culture and its aspects are most likely to influence the form of architecture. The study will be focusing on the headquarter building of HSBC Bank (Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation) which is located in Hong Kong. Designed by Sir Norman Foster, the building emerges from the obscurity of the night time beneath to a dynamic new lighting scheme. HSBC is one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organizations with its branches all over the world. Its headquarter building is one of the most significant architecture building of the world. It recently illuminated the building in what is a colorful dress of dynamic lights. This was launched in January 2004 and called as the HSBC illumination which became the integral part of the Victoria Harbour Lighting Plan. As part of the plan the permanent lighting and the special effects makes the building to be one of the most prominent planned building of the country. The HSBC headquarter building is built to preserve the values of the past. The place at which it is constructed is preserved to make sure that the land is still treated as the HSBC property. The structure of the building has been modified to modern terms but the initial roots of the structure were maintained keeping in mind the cultural values of HSBC and Hong Kong at the same time. History The first HSBC building in Hong Kong was Wardley House which was used as the office from 1865 to 1882. It was then demolished in 1886 before it was rebuilt in the same year. The main feature of the constructed building was the division of the structure into two separate buildings. The building which was on the Queen’s Road Central was in the Victorian style with a verandah and an octagonal dome. The arcade which was harmonized with the adjacent buildings was then constructed on the Des Voeux Road. The early settlers in the Hong Kong that came from Britain had a lot of interest in Feng Shui. This is the reason that most of the buildings that were created in Hong Kong at that time were on the philosophies that were there in the concept of Feng Shui. This made the British and the Chinese believe that the ones who had a direct view of the water, whether it is a river, a sea or an ocean, are more likely to prosper compared to the ones that are not build with keeping Feng Shui in mind which is directly linked to the wealth associated with water and what it can add to the construction of the buildings. Keeping this in perspective, the HSBC building was constructed in the area which was wide open view in front of it. It was made sure that there is no other building which blocks the HSBC building’s view of the Victoria Harbour. This benefited the traditionally followed concept of Feng Shui which had the country’s cultural belief associated with it. Thus, the HSBC building is consider having a good Feng Shui. The HSBC building illuminated Hong Kong’s capacity to stun the people who visit the country. Even though it is not the largest skyscraper in the country, or to be more precise, the city, but it is considered to be the most extraordinary building of the country. The location of the building has remained the same at present to where it was initially constructed in 1965, but it has expanded itself in area with the passage of time taking over the space that could be occupied by four more buildings in the surrounding area. Design The design of the building was given by English Architect Norman Foster. Along with stamping the visible symbol of stability and power on the fabric of the urban city, the new HSBC headquarter building was designed to symbolize the post-war global expansion of the bank along with its acquisition. Due to a number of factors that laid restrictions on the artist, the components needed to build the building were made at different countries of the world and later the parts of those finished goods were shipped to Hong Kong to ensure that the artist could hand on to the structure that was decided initially. The Victoria Harbour Lighting Plan was developed in 2004 to set up the permanent steps of the lighting. This makes the HSBC headquarter building one of the most significant architectural buildings of the world. This was also marked due to the culture that was developed among the people of Hong Kong to urbanize and follow the modern ways of life and the developmental infrastructure. The construction of buildings by considering the architecture as a subjective experience can be done. When people visit other countries they are usually not aware of the cultural heritage of the construction of particular buildings or the landscapes they get to see. They just take the constructions for granted and do not have a look at the history associated with the construction of it. The average number of human beings is more likely to visit a place and to go around enjoying the wonderful piece of art which is usually appealing to them and do not really require the understanding of the work done that is associated with the society, the history and the architecture or the artistic development. Therefore, to make them aware of the wonderful work that has been done, it is important to convene a panel of experts to tell them the importance of the structure of the building and why it is a landmark of the country making it so special for everyone. The building was widely publicized for being the most expensive building that was ever constructed in 1986. It proved to be a landmark for which the people in the country were looking for. It was 180 meters long with 47 storeys which was constructed from eight great masts which were strong from its edges that had stacks of internal floors which were suspended like a bridge from huge trusses. This made sure that the construction was good to follow the concept of well constructed buildings in the country. Characteristics The structural steel was left outside of the building to be exposed which gave it the appearance of a skyscraper which was turned inside-out. The interior was filled with glass making sure that it allows the natural light inside the building and also making sure that the interior workings of the bank were exposed to the outside world. The materials used to connote the high technology and the expensive production of the building. The mass, trusses and the cross-braces of the building provided a link to the industrial engineering and architecture. This included the bridges, the oil refineries and the air-craft hangers. The revealed interior mechanics and the flexible interior spaces which are there in the building, HSBC provides a metaphor for functionality and efficiency. The flat grey colour alludes to the ultra-functional industry. This is often described as the ‘battleship grey’ and the color combination with the service cranes on the top of the building are often described by many as ‘like anti-aircraft guns atop a battleship. This is believed to have constituted an unintended illusion in the minds of the people which was similar to the ‘gunboat diplomacy’ of Britain based on the colony on which it was founded at the time of Britain’s invasion. The motive of keeping transparency of the building was to show the people outside the bank that there is no separation of the managers and workers in the same floor. This was an intended work done by the designer to make into effect liberation from the traditional workplace divisions. Along with it, it also opened a new way for the culture of surveillance. The interior can also be seen as a physical manifestation that shifts from a modern society of discipline and to a society of control which was believed to be post-modern. This flexibility is referred as to the manifestation of the effects of global capitalism. It also marks the need to respond quickly to the fluctuations that may arise in the global conditions. Dematerialization within the building also parallels the company’s operations that take place in the increasingly dematerialized world of finance. The interior design is more of an embodiment of the floating exchange rates that are no longer attached with the standard of the gold which is physical in comparison. Lion Statue HSBC had built two bronze from the Shanghai Based British sculpture, W W Wagstafe. The lions were named as Stephen and Stiff. Stephen was the chief manager of HSBC in 1923 and Stitt was the manager of Shanghai at that time. The names themselves became part of the culture of HSBC as to show the respect the current employees still have for them. The people perceive Stephen as the roaring one and Stiff as the one who is quiescent. The employees of the company and the managers still say that the lions show the personality of Stephen and Stiff. These lions became a symbol of veneration and the foci of the excellent Feng Shui that was perceived by the bank. They also became important for the people of the country. Usually, young couples brought their toddlers to stroke the paws and noses of the two lion statues. This was with the hope that it would bring them luck and prosperity in similar way that it had done with the bank. Even when the building was demolished in 1984, the management made sure that no affect was there on the lions and they were temporarily moved. In order to mark the respect of the lions, Stephen and Stitt, the chainman and the senior management of the bank themselves accompanied the move. The temporary placement of the lions along with their current location was done after good consultation with the practitioners of Feng Shui. The HSBC building makes sure that the architecture of the building is good enough to attract anyone and make itself noticeable. The two lion’s statues that are placed on the outside of the building are to mark the stature of the building and the bank which demonstrates power over the other banks that exist. The people who pass by from the front of the building are forced to notice those statues due to its great. Some people still believe that the lions work as the guards for the bank and ensure its quality work with effectiveness, with greater power as compared to other banks in the world. Status The visual image of the bank was also very important and colonial solidly. In the earlier logo, the top of the crest of the building had some of the features from the British Royal coat of arms which included a lion and a unicorn holding a belt. The words written on the unicorn are ‘Hon Y Soit Qui Mal Y Pense’ which means ‘Shame to him who thinks evil’. It was around a royal shield which had a crown on top. The only local reference in the logo was the image of a British clipper along with the Chinese junk in the harbor. The logo seemed to be more of a royal seal rather than a financial corporation of modern times. This came from the British as part of their culture. Money on the other hand has been extremely important for the people of Hong Kong. There is an obsession of making money that is by no means confined to the people who are extremely rich, usually the ones who live on the upper slope of the Victoria Peak and ignore the harbor. It does not even seem have be greater confined with the people of middle class, usually living on the lower slope of the Victoria Peak. There is usually a very frenzy economic activity among the people of Hong Kong of different races and stations. This gives Hong Kong a big reputation of being a money machine. The people believe that this is because of the HSBC bank. The bank is not only popular in the country; it brings in a lot more for the living conditions of the people living in Hong Kong. The people believe that the two lions, Stephen and Stitt, not only guard the bank but also bring money and prosperity to Hong Kong. This is the power of their belief on the overall architecture of the bank. This high banking efficiency not only satisfies the people within the country, it is also a trusted source for the people and other banks abroad. The building of HSBC proves the symbol of efficiency by which it was created and also shows a smooth running process which works like a money machine, which is exactly the way the city. The building symbolizes the good economy of the country as a huge amount of money was invested in the construction of the building and the architecture that is involved which is backed by the cultural beliefs of the people living in Hong Kong. Political Factors of Hong Kong As Foster stated at the time when he designed the HSBC main building structure that it is a unique response to the time and the space, it could not have been built anywhere else in the work because of the culture of the people in Hong Kong. The country is unique because of its geographical location and the concept of Feng Shui was important to make use of most of the practical issues which were related to the HSBC building that was constructed on the stated concept. The country itself is of high rise along with high density. The people living in the country have a mixture of the Chinese and European influences. This makes them more unique as things will be done in a modernized way using two of the most established influences of the world. The way of life is very modernized and fast and the past is forgotten quickly. The HSBC building, however, is constructed in such a way that the past associated with it cannot be forgotten soon. The ability of getting the maximum floor space out of a building and the construction of the building with a remarkable speed in a short span of time is not ignored. People of Hong Kong do take that into consideration. All these considerations were of great importance and were influential profoundly in regard to the wider context. Also the government provided that Feng Shui will be provided to HSBC with a promise as the building is of great significance to the country. This is the reason that even though there is space between water and the HSBC building, nothing is constructed on it to keep the standards of HSBC high as ever. Localism HSBC has made sure that the concept of localism is followed by the building. This is part of Norman Foster’s constructions as it has been noticed with the other works that he did. He made sure that the structure and the design of the building is the same of the surroundings. This enables the building to accompany the environment around which makes it develop the contrast. The national gallery of the building makes it accompany the surrounding. The city hall is constructed in such a way that the orientation of the sun is fully used so as to design it in the concept of the nature. The construction of the building was done by keeping in mind that it is not classical but gothic in its structure and the spatial magic that it provided. The great eastern translucent window of the building along with the soaring proportions of atrium makes the HSBC headquarter building to be described as the Cathedral of Commerce. Similar to the other projects that are already there, Norman made sure that best amount of the place-based innovation could be used like it is done in the other important projects and buildings in the country. Also the ecology of the area has played a significant role when the designing of the HSBC headquarter building was being done by Norman Foster. This could have not been possible if the medieval service towers, the flying braces and the incomplete appearance of the building had not prompted the idea in Foster’s mind. The architecture of the building has been modified to an extent that it matches with the requirement of the urbanized society that exists in the country. However, the architects have made sure that they do not forget the norms and values of the organization itself that were placed by the founders of the building and the early settlers that were there. To make sure of this, the management of HSBC did not move its headquartering building to any other location. They made sure that the location of the building remained the same on which the pillars of the early thoughts were laid by the people responsible for HSBC beforehand. Feng Shui HSBC also made sure that the concept of Feng Shui was maintained as the founders of the constructed their first building with keeping Feng Shui in mind. This was also the belief of the people living in Hong Kong that a good Feng Shui guarantees prosperity for the organization and the building will last for long. The building was expanded and the space taken over for the expansion was enough for four more buildings to be constructed initially. However, the front of the building that faces the sea is kept open and no construction of any other building can take place in that region to maintain the concept of Feng Shui for HSBC. It is also said that the government has guaranteed Feng Shui to the HSBC headquarter building which marks itself as one of the most important structures that have been constructed in the country and becomes a symbol of world-wide recognition for the country. The building serves as an important landmark for the country and people who visit Hong Kong for any reason, specifically tourism, are inclined to have a look at the building that provides such a rich cultural history and great significance of the people who designed it and developed it all over the years and have been still working on it. HSBC believes that through the structure, the headquarter building can be noticed out among all other buildings. This is the reason that they have made the headquarter building so different. The Feng Shui makes sure that even though the building is modified and improved, the thinking of the people who developed the early pillars of the building is preserved and to be improved and worked upon. This shows how important it is to preserve the architecture to ensure that it demonstrates the culture of the society and the country. The same concept is applied for the organizations that preserve the pillars and the thinking of the people of the past so that the cultural heritage of the organization is maintained in the best possible way for the years to come in the future. If the building and its construction is dynamic with the changing environment, it is good to some extent, but the culture that was there initially is completely forgotten and people are in a state of being aliens to the organizations. Apart from all this, the needs of constructing the houses and new buildings usually change with the passage of time. This results in continuous calls for new construction of the buildings to make sure that enough buildings are either created or rebuilt during every era to ensure that the frame along with highlighting the manner in which a society is usually evolved with analogy to its surroundings. Other Mix Cultures Norman Foster was an English architecture which allowed the knowledge of the western countries along with their developed technologies with the phenomenology played an important role in the design of the HSBC building. Foster was good and obsessed with the numbers and liked to make the things perfectly with the accuracy of every inch using the precision and the technology that was available. This was what encouraged Norman Foster in doing the tasks and designing structures that seemed practically impossible. This is what led to the construction of the HSBC building as he was relentless with the designs. This approach also earned him a reputation of greater flexibility by different people. Even though the building’s structure was very difficult to design, Norman made it look easy as he had expertise of doing so. He was also a good manipulator of the budget that would be required, just like he did for the HSBC building, and could get the best materials from the clients. Also the construction of the building was done with people from other countries which make the building next to perfect using different ideas from people indifferent cultures. The partition that is logically hung down from the floor of the building are next to 100 percent demountable and also confirm the source of inspiration from whom the idea was developed. They were made more flat to ensure that it is demountable and were designed by a Japanese member of the Hong Kong based design team of Foster. Similarly, the proportions of the glazed panels representing the Japanese way as it are done in that country. The translucent panels are made of Shoji glass in the executive offices in the top floors to ensure the staff with the required level of privacy. This is to ensure that the matters that are supposed be confidential are done behind doors so that privacy is ensured. The color scheme is usually referred to as the influence of Shibui, meaning sober, used in Japanese. This was when Foster made two trips to Japan at that time and was influenced with the simplicity of the construction and the colors that were used in the country in order to make it even simpler. The architecture’s continued opening to the world that is looking after it is one of the main ways that generates a nexus between the inherently public nature of the human society and the culture of the architecture. This opening usually has an important role in the way the construction of other buildings or the houses take place all around the globe. It is of a useful help to construct all these. Conclusion The history which tells in detail about the civilization is largely a study of human settlements. Whatever happens with the lives of people outside the city and the lives of those within the country, the nomadic people and the communities with diffused populations has been lost over time for most of the parts. This makes the city lack with the great government buildings and also the record keeping centers very common in the areas that are densely populated and on which the knowledge of the history and the important events of the past are based to a higher extent. In terms of the civilization’s growth and development, the structuring of space becomes a very important factor. HSBC building has been made to make sure that it maintains the cultural values that existed in the past and that are preserved in the future. The concept of Feng Shui has been maintained as it was first looked forward to by the founders of HSBC building. The cultural belief that it serves better for the building by the people of Hong Kong is preserved and this is the reason why the people think that HSBC is provide quality services to its customers because the foundations of the building and the concept of business were built according to it and since Feng Shui of the HSBC building is good it is meant that it did well in the past, is doing good at present and will further prosper in future. The architecture of the HSBC building also plays an important role in the development of the individuals of the people in Hong Kong from the time they are born till the time they die. When they are born, the buildings and the surroundings around him make him learn about his environment in more detail and gives him a sense of what culture and what country the individual represents. Before they die, they make sure that the values that were kept for them by their ancestors are preserved for the future generations so that they can adapt and develop themselves by remaining in the same cultural heritage in which they were born. This is important to make sure that everything exists that was developed and the history is preserved. Buildings are particularly very important to the historians as most of them are constructed from the materials that are durable and can last for a longer duration of time. It is also a source through which invaluable information about the past can be attained. A lot of information about the culture that includes the lifestyles, the social structures and the artistic sensibilities are possible to be gauged by architecture. There is a general evolution that is exhibited through the Western religious structures towards more meaningful and more intricate interiors which usually reflect not only the improvements in the technical skills that have been developed for decades now but also the increasing interest in the inner spaces that reflect the spirit of the body of a particular structure. Whether it is the beliefs of the people, the lifestyle they follow or the things they adapt, all can change with the passage of time but what remains is the architecture of a country that promotes its culture to people of other countries and give the separate identity to the country and the people living in that country. Only the natural forces are the ones that can destroy the architecture of the country and even if it does, only the roofs and the bodies of the buildings are destroyed, the roots or the pillars of the buildings remain intact and preserve the architecture of the building. Essentially, architecture is an epiphenomenon which is completely dependent upon the socioeconomic, the political and the technological processes from the various states from which it comes and the transformations that take place. It also provides the functional support for the institutions of the human beings and as the reification of the collective violations that may have happened in the past, the architecture makes sure that the hegemony of the culture is preserved and also makes sure that the continuity of the process of passing the culture from one generation to the other is maintained. The lighting that is developed for the building is to attract more people so that they can recognize the HSBC headquarter building from all other buildings at the night time. The lightings that have been used are enhanced with greater technology, which again tells that by being within the cultural norms and values of HSBC, the back is still able to modify itself with the changes in the environment and the modifications and improvements in technology that has been taking place with the passage of time. A culture of that has been laid down by the HSBC head office building is important in the representation of the people of Hong Kong and differentiates them with other people or other societies with the norms, the values and the beliefs they have. This gives their identity as compared to others in the world the way they are different and hold significant prestige amongst the rest that are there at the same time. This representation of HSBC building through architecture marks the words into full constructed buildings through which they can differentiate themselves from others and something that can be preserved for a longer duration of time or may be forever for the benefit of the society and the work that had been done so effectively and so efficiently by Norman Foster in designing the HSBC building in Hong Kong. The HSBC building makes use of the similar concept that if the culture of the organization is maintained, which is different through other organizations, it will mark HSBC’s identity to the people when they differentiate HSBC from other banks. This thinking is also implied to the architecture that is developed by the HSBC headquarter building. The preserving of the pillars that were constituted in the past, the building that was constructed on the pillars and they way the structure of the building has changed and improved a bit with the passage of time, have all been important aspects of how the bank believes in maintaining its culture through the construction of its building. Therefore, it was important for any HSBC to maintain its culture through the architecture so that it can be preserved for a much longer duration, may be forever. It is a stronger way to maintain the culture compared to the beliefs, the norms and the values considering the fact that they may change with the passage of time and the globalization of the world. Bibliography D.J. Huppatz; Globalizing Corporate Identity in Hong Kong; Journal of Design History Vol.18, No.4; 2005; 369. Malcolm Quantrill; The Other Side of the Moon, or Theory Design in the Context of Nature, Culture and Function; Journal of Architectural Information Vol. 51, No. 2; 1997; 135. 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