Fukuoka: ACROS

"I detest writing theories, I prefer writing fables." - Emilio Ambasz

Flying from Tokyo, there's a significant change in atmosphere - Fukuoka seems more relaxed and unhurried. It has most of what Tokyo has to offer, but not at all missed: frenzied crowds and fast-paced beeline walks. Our hotel is just a few more hundred meters away - we see this urban mountain in the middle of the city. 

Walking into the grounds of ACROS is stepping into a fairytale. The Sakura gently sways with the breeze while the overcast makes the weather cool enough to grab a coat. It is spring, and the place is alive with wonder. 

Designed by Emilio Ambasz in the 90s, it carries his trademark approach of buildings hidden in or under gardens. The building simulates a mountain using its zones wisely to feature greeneries that have continually expanded throughout the decades. 

While we now live in a time where there is a raised awareness of the concepts of green architecture, sustainability, and biophilia - these practices have been introduced when brutalist architecture was still the norm. In more dense cities, greenies are sprinkled throughout, more as accessories to be placed on the outskirts of architecture. Here, what I see is instead of the garden being a feature, the building is a feature of the garden instead. The effect is sewn into the community, there's a calm and serene atmosphere that we find to be remarkable given that it's the middle of a working day.