Marine Messe Fukuoka

The Marine Messe is located on the waterfront in Hakata, close to the Hakata Port Tower.

It is an exhibition space, conference center, and a sports arena.

It was opened in 1995 and was designed by Nihon Sekkei.

It is the largest indoor multi-purpose facility in the prefecture.

For concerts it can accommodate audiences up to 15,000

The previous post in this series on the modern architecture of Fukuoka was on the nearby Hakata Port Tower 

Hakata Port Tower

This was originally known as the Fukuoka Tower, but was renamed Hakata Port Tower when the new Fukuoka Tower was built.

It was built in 1964 and is 103 meters tall with an observation deck at 73 meters.

It was designed by Tachu Naito who designed many TV towers in Japan including Tokyo Tower.

He also designed the current Tsutenkaku Tower in Osaka.

It's open every day of the year, and entrance to the observation deck with a decent 360 degree view is free.

There are several ferry terminals around the tower for local and long distance ferries as well as cruise ships, so various buses can be used to visit the tower.

Around the tower is Bayside Place with numerous shops and eateries and a free two-storey aquarium tank as well as a popular onsen nearby.

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

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.

Twins Momochi

Twins Momochi is an unusual building located, not surprisingly, in the Momochi district of Fukuoka.

From the street the building(s) look quite unremarkable, however if you venture into the courtyard you will notice something quite strange....

The buildings looks like a single building, but there is a gap of a few centimeters between the East and West wings.

It was built in 1996, but I have been unable to find out who the architect was.

It intrigues me for several reasons,... one, why?.... and secondly, how did they do it?.... it brings to mind the many times I have seen houses in Japanese cities built so close together that there is no gap between them wide enough for a human, let alone a human with tools to repair or even paint the buildings...

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

One wing is home to the Twins Momochi Hotel, and the other is home to offices.

The New Fukuoka Tower

The New Fukuoka Tower stands next to the beach in the Momochi District of Fukuoka City.

Kouhayou is a monumental sculpture by Kyubei Kiyomizu ( 1922-2006) installed on the approach to Fukuoka Tower.

The reason it is called the New Fukuoka Tower is because an older, much smaller tower still stands at Hakata Port.

At 234 meters in height it is the tallest seaside tower in Japan, though the highest observation deck is only at 123 meters.

The final 111 meters of the tower is a TV mast.

The tower has an unusual triangular cross-section.

It was built in 1989 by Nikken Sekkei.

The elevator whisks you to the observation deck in 70 seconds.

The exterior is clad in half-mirrored glass, enabling visitors to see outside as they ride the elevator.

The tower is open from 09:30 to 22:00. Entry is 1,000 yen for adults.

In the evenings the exterior of the tower shows a variety of illumination displays, changing with the seasons and for special events.

Marizon, a pier that extends out from the beach into the sea in front of the tower is home to numerous shops and eateries.

The previous post in this series on the modern architecture of Fukuoka was on Fukuoka City Museum