Hawaii Law Enforcement Federal Credit Union (HLEFCU), a.k.a. The Honolulu Police Federal Credit Union, was formed in 1937 to provide the officers’ and employees’ of the Honolulu Police Department with financial services. HLEFCU has more than 15,000 members with assets of over $200M.
In 2019, after 30 years of calling Young Street their home, they have decided to move a few blocks down on South King Street. Ushijima Architects, Inc. (UAI) was selected to provide architectural and interior services for a new 12,000 – 15,000 sq. ft., two-story, office building. UAI was asked to join the Design-Assist Team in conjunction with Ralph S. Inouye to ensure the construction aligned with the construction budget. As a Design-Assist approach, UAI worked closely with the Contractor’s trade partners to provide an efficient, yet contemporary design that also had the ability to provide for growth and expansion.
The new facility house all of the HLEFCU’s main functions / operations of the existing HQs: Executive Offices, Boardroom, Accounting Dept., Marketing Dept., H.R. Dept., Loans / Collections Dept., and Compliance/Quality Control Dept. etc.
One of the challenges aside from construction cost was the limitation of design around an existing building. The parking and warehouse structure was maintained, which was previously built in the 1970’s for King’s Bakery.
The remainder of the structure facing King Street was designed as a new building intended to reflect HLEFCU’s new image. UAI worked with HLEFCU to select finishes, furniture, and imagery that would be associated with their new identity.
Status: Completed in 2021