Atrium at Seahawk Hotel

 

The atrium at the Seahawk Hotel in Fukuoka is huge.

When the hotel was built in 1995 it was the biggest hotel in Japan so its fitting that the atrium would be so large.

It was designed by the Argentinian-American architect Cesar Pelli.

He also designed the Osaka Museum of History that I posted on previously.

The design of the atrium is said to be based on the shape of a shell.

Movable fabric screens shiled the interior from direct sun....

The highest poit of the atrium is the huge glass wall about 40 meters in height.

Huge palm trees and flowing water are a feature...

The atrium is home to numerous shops and several eateries...

The previous post in this series on the modern architecture of Fukuoka was on the Seahawk Hotel main building.

Seahawk Hotel

The Seahawk Hotel in the Hawkstown area of Fukuoka was originally owned by JAL, the national airline. As part of the company's bankruptcy restructuring they had to sell off all their hotels, so now it is owned by Hilton.

With more than 1,000 rooms, when opened it was the biggest hotel in Japan,

There are 34 floors above ground, rising to a height of 143 meters.

Amazingly, every single guest room has a sea view.

The hotel opened in 1995. It was designed by Cesar Pelli.

At first glance it looks like a generic tower block, but in plan view it is shaped like a sleek yacht with a pointed bow and a flat stern.

There is a huge atrium attached to the building and that looks much more typical Pelli

I will cover it in the next post.

The previous post in this series on some of the striking modern architecture of Fukuoka was on the nearby New Fukuoka Tower.

Osaka Museum of History

 

The Osaka Museum of History is located to the SW of Osaka Castle.

It occupies the top floors of an elliptical tower 83 meters tall.

It was completed in 2001.

It shares an entrance in a shared atrium with the NHK building next door.

Both buildings were constructed at the same time.

It is said to have been designed by Cesar Pelli, though I can find no reference to it on the Pelli Associated website.

Pelli is more well known for his design of the Osaka Museum of Art. I will be posting on oy a little later.

My favorite Pelli building in Japan is the Kurayoshi Park Square in Tottori.

From the Museum of History there are great views across to Osaka Castle.

The previous post in this seriers on maodern architecture of Osaka was on Umeda Sky Building.