i liked steve holl's building, but nexus did kinda suck...
there is the crazy building covered by green to make a mountain. can't remember his name...
also, the shopping mall by jon jerde is worth a visit, jus for the hell of it. my brother did some gigs there and loves it. i only visited it and thought it was ok. not as good planning as at roppingi, but fun enough.
kurokawa did the fukuoka bank, which he himself gave great imporance to as design that links the past of japan with the modern cuz it has a big interstitial space. i don't buy it and i supsect no one else did either.
probably more, but i can't think of more off top of head.
compared to places like tokyo or kyoto, there isn't as much in fukuoka city in terms of big iconic projects. i myself live in the fukuoka prefecture (since aug) and haven't seen much yet, but i'll at least help by giving the name of that terraced grass coverd building and the shopping mall
grass bldg: ACROS bldg and it's in the area of fukuoka city called Tenjin.
shopping mall: Canal City and it's in the area called Hakata
there's a museum in Dazaifu (another city in the prefecture) that's apparently cool (that's what all of the other ppl tell me when i say i studied architecture in college) but i don't know what it looks like and am not sure if it's worth the train ride out there
I lived there for two years and there's not much. There happens to be a interesting building right in the heart of the love hotel district...a shady but interesting little stretch on along the canal. I learned only after I got back to America that the building was Aldo Rossi's Hotel Il Palazzo. It must function as a love hotel. You can walk it from downtown or you can jump into a cab and say "Rabu Hoteru ni ikitain desu ga..." (I want to go to a love hotel). If you're alone or with someone of your own sex you may get a look, but whatever.
jump - the crazy building was done by emilio ambasz (from some research on ambasz I did):
Fukuoka International Hall
Built in 1990, this building acts as both public and private space. The intention of the hall was to foster good relations with other Asian countries. It appears to do this through not only the winding and nestled spaces of the interior (offices and municipal facilities), but the design features on the exterior. The building itself is reminiscent of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, a terraced structure (similar to the eight terraces in paradise specifically called out in the Koran) with flora on each step and a cascade of water running down from the middle of the building to the bottom. The interior volumes puncture this terracing so that the man-made shapes can be seen through the ziggurat-like configuration of the steps. Situated in the middle of a dense urban area, the building draws the existing ground level park in and up these steps, a veritable oasis in the desert of office buildings: “…for the architect, the matter of reconciling the necessities of profitability with the social needs of the community: commercial and office space if mixed with public and municipal activities….located next to a park in downtown Fukuoka, is typical of Ambasz.” (Domus 738, 38) The Prefectural Hall is as unique and strong as the feeling it tries to emit – goodwill.
see domus 738 (p. 38-41) for more information and some good drawings (details and otherwise)...
I once visited a friend's family in Kumamoto, which is near Fukuoka. They took me to a Tadao Ando building nearby. Sorry, I don't remember what it's called, but it has two glass towers and very Ando-esque ramps and pools. I believe its a museum dedicated to nearby burial mounds.
I have also been to Busan. I didn't see much for amazing architecture there, but you'll want to check out the Busan Tower to get a spectacular view of the city and surrounding area. Also ask around about the famous fish market/sushi (called 'hway' in Korean) district. It's awesome!! You pick the fish out of a tank, they grab it and kill it for you, then you take it to a food stand where they do their magic right before your eyes.
Anyway, have fun. Japan and Korea rock.
Dec 10, 07 1:18 pm ·
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Fukuoka Prefecture? What's there?
Anything noteworthy for an architecture fan within a 3 or 4 hour train ride from Fukuoka City (other than the Nexus World complex)?
Nexus sucked. There's an Isozaki museum out there somewhere. Nice views from the top.
i liked steve holl's building, but nexus did kinda suck...
there is the crazy building covered by green to make a mountain. can't remember his name...
also, the shopping mall by jon jerde is worth a visit, jus for the hell of it. my brother did some gigs there and loves it. i only visited it and thought it was ok. not as good planning as at roppingi, but fun enough.
kurokawa did the fukuoka bank, which he himself gave great imporance to as design that links the past of japan with the modern cuz it has a big interstitial space. i don't buy it and i supsect no one else did either.
probably more, but i can't think of more off top of head.
Hey, it just occured to me, what about Busan, in Korea? Anything interesting there? I could hop over if Fukuoka turns out to be boring.
compared to places like tokyo or kyoto, there isn't as much in fukuoka city in terms of big iconic projects. i myself live in the fukuoka prefecture (since aug) and haven't seen much yet, but i'll at least help by giving the name of that terraced grass coverd building and the shopping mall
grass bldg: ACROS bldg and it's in the area of fukuoka city called Tenjin.
shopping mall: Canal City and it's in the area called Hakata
there's a museum in Dazaifu (another city in the prefecture) that's apparently cool (that's what all of the other ppl tell me when i say i studied architecture in college) but i don't know what it looks like and am not sure if it's worth the train ride out there
Island City. GRIN GRIN by Toyo Ito
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9160678@N06/sets/72157602029968635/detail/
I lived there for two years and there's not much. There happens to be a interesting building right in the heart of the love hotel district...a shady but interesting little stretch on along the canal. I learned only after I got back to America that the building was Aldo Rossi's Hotel Il Palazzo. It must function as a love hotel. You can walk it from downtown or you can jump into a cab and say "Rabu Hoteru ni ikitain desu ga..." (I want to go to a love hotel). If you're alone or with someone of your own sex you may get a look, but whatever.
jump - the crazy building was done by emilio ambasz (from some research on ambasz I did):
Fukuoka International Hall
Built in 1990, this building acts as both public and private space. The intention of the hall was to foster good relations with other Asian countries. It appears to do this through not only the winding and nestled spaces of the interior (offices and municipal facilities), but the design features on the exterior. The building itself is reminiscent of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, a terraced structure (similar to the eight terraces in paradise specifically called out in the Koran) with flora on each step and a cascade of water running down from the middle of the building to the bottom. The interior volumes puncture this terracing so that the man-made shapes can be seen through the ziggurat-like configuration of the steps. Situated in the middle of a dense urban area, the building draws the existing ground level park in and up these steps, a veritable oasis in the desert of office buildings: “…for the architect, the matter of reconciling the necessities of profitability with the social needs of the community: commercial and office space if mixed with public and municipal activities….located next to a park in downtown Fukuoka, is typical of Ambasz.” (Domus 738, 38) The Prefectural Hall is as unique and strong as the feeling it tries to emit – goodwill.
see domus 738 (p. 38-41) for more information and some good drawings (details and otherwise)...
I once visited a friend's family in Kumamoto, which is near Fukuoka. They took me to a Tadao Ando building nearby. Sorry, I don't remember what it's called, but it has two glass towers and very Ando-esque ramps and pools. I believe its a museum dedicated to nearby burial mounds.
I have also been to Busan. I didn't see much for amazing architecture there, but you'll want to check out the Busan Tower to get a spectacular view of the city and surrounding area. Also ask around about the famous fish market/sushi (called 'hway' in Korean) district. It's awesome!! You pick the fish out of a tank, they grab it and kill it for you, then you take it to a food stand where they do their magic right before your eyes.
Anyway, have fun. Japan and Korea rock.
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