A coral reef strengthens and grows into land.
This Hawaiian proverb helped grow and strengthen the idea behind bringing island culture and Aloha spirit to a standout wayfinding project.
When Hilton was reimagining it's signature ballroom and event space at their Hawaiian Village resort on the beach in Waikiki, a team of architects and designers were brought on to bring a singular vision to the Coral Ballroom.
Some questions needed to be answered first...
CREATIVE DIRECTION + PROJECT MANAGEMENT + DESIGN . WAYFINDING + PRODUCTION
What, exactly, is coral?
There was no better way to find the answer than on an island surrounded by reefs, with plenty of researchers willing to share, and some dive gear.
After trying a few different sketches of different species, I found Montipora Foliosa - or Leaf Corral.
In sharing sketches with the other design teams, we all had the same inspiration.
This graphic representation became the foundational part of the final pieces.
How do you show culture without the cliche?
Hawaii, it's people and culture, bring so much love and beauty to life on the island.
And the way the native way of life honours nature is so rare, the concept was to bring as much of that into the design as possible. In trying to bring some island artistry in, I fell in love with how island artists use Koa wood, which grows no where else in the world but the islands of Hawaii.
The pattern of it's grains, figuring and textures are unique to Koa, making it's use even more distinct to the islands. When the wood is treated, the grain takes on a gem like quality in reflecting light, which made it perfect for the highlight room of this grand resort.
the design
When it came to the coral design on the Koa, after having seen local artists work with the wood, I wanted to route the design into signage, rather than use paint or silk screen.
The last element of the design, a stainless steel inlay with the coral graphic screen printed on, was a collaborative idea with the interior architecture firm and materials they were incorporating.
After a few routing tests and trial stains, once the team at Hilton saw it, we were a go.
production
With the help of an amazing crew of craftsmen and dedicated production team, the Koa was all sourced from fallen or reclaimed pieces on island.
The delicate silkscreening on to the metal feature was all done by a local vendor with deep ʻohana roots to the islands of Hawaii.
installation
The precise and delicate installation of each piece had to be done over a series of nights by myself and the amazing Mike Lum, a local artisan and business owner, due to the fact that we were working in an operating hotel.
The largest sign was well over 200 pounds and took a whole evening to hang and adjust.
© KEVIN FERKO