Acros Building by Kenta Mabuchi licensed under the terms of CC BY-SA 2.0
Designed by famous Argentinian architect Emilio Ambasz, this strange but little-known structure opened to the public in 1995. Acros, which stands for Asian CrossRoad Over the Sea, is a cultural center and Fukuoka’s most distinctive landmark.
What makes it distinctive is obvious to anyone who so much as glances in its direction: it’s an enormous tiered structure covered almost entirely in lush vegetation. From certain angles it resembles a giant verdant staircase, from others an overgrown Mayan temple. A huge atrium sprouting up through the center bathes the interior in warm, natural sunlight.
This community center includes several important functions: an art gallery, a tourist information center, a conference center and a symphony hall. But of course, that doesn’t include its most important role: a beacon of greenery in the midst of a concrete jungle.
