Music In 2020, the spectacular green architecture of the Asian Crossroads Over the Sea or ACROS is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Situated in the middle of Fukuoka City, Japan, ACROS Fukuoka Prefectural International Hall is the center of international cultural and information exchange and underneath lies over 1 million square feet of multipurpose space. Designed by architect Emilio Ambaz, a pioneer of ecological architecture, the nearly 100,000 square meter ACROS is located adjacent to Tenjin Central Park, the only open green space in the city center.
To the maximum extent possible, the architect wanted to give back to Fukuoka's citizens all the land the building would extract from the city, and the park was transposed onto 15 stepped vegetated terraces. Akros Fukuoka is the most powerful synthesis of urban and park forms. and its very green design reconciled a developer's desire for profitable use of a site with the public's need for open green space. The plan for Fukuoka fulfills both needs in one structure by creating an innovative agro-urban model. The north face presents an elegant urban facade with a formal entrance appropriate to a building On the most prestigious street in Fukuoka's financial district, the south side of Akros extends the existing park through the series of terrace gardens that climb the full height of the building with growing media depth ranging between 12 and 24 inches.
Along the edge of the park, the building steps up floor by floor in a stratification of low landscaped terraces. Each terrace floor contains an array of gardens for meditation, relaxation, and escape from the congestion of the city, while the top terrace becomes a grand belvedere, providing an incomparable view of the Bay of Fukuoka and the surrounding mountains. A stepped series of reflecting pools upon the terraces are connected by upwardly spraying jets of water to create a ladder-like climbing waterfall to mask the ambient noise of the city beyond.
In 2000, a thermal environment measurement survey demonstrated how the building contributes to the reduction of its heat island, energy consumption, and CO2 emission. A 15 degree difference between the interior and exterior temperatures was measured. At its inauguration in 1995, 76 varieties and 37,000 plants were featured. 25 years later, the vegetation has lushly grown and developed into 120 varieties and 50,000 plants. Open to the public, Acros Fuquaca emerges from the park like a lush green mountain or a magical green pyramid rising to the sky.
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