Eunji Cho

'Bank skyscrapers and Power...' examines exterior and interior design in relation to banks in the 1960s and 1970s, using two case studies of bank buildings in New York: One Chase Manhattan and Citicorp Center in Manhattan, focusing specially on how architectural and interior design were progressed by money in Manhattan given the phenomenal economic growth following the Second World War in the US. 

This dissertation argues that postmodern design reflected the priorities of capitalism in the 1960s and 1970s in Manhattan. There are two central topics in this dissertation. The first is an examination of how skyscraper design is an extreme visual representation of the culture, ambition and people of Manhattan of that era. The second relates to ‘ideal concepts’ for the bank buildings’ exterior and interior design considered in the 1960s and 1970s. 

Addressing this, it is possible to suggest that what could be the ideal concept for the new bank skyscraper today (2019), could also act as a fertiliser for the financial district.