Fukuoka Twin Dome City

Fukuoka, Japan
40 acres / 16 hectares
1991

This commission to master plan a 16-​hectare (40-​acre) landfill site on the edge of Hakata Bay was the result of an invited international competition. A major challenge of the competition was to integrate the site’s other requirements with a baseball stadium. To meet this challenge, the firm conceived the Fantasy Dome, an entertainment and retail facility. The Fantasy Dome and stadium were intended to each have a compelling image within the greater whole of Twin Dome City.

The Fantasy Dome accommodates a variety of programmatic needs and structural systems. Its form is composed of fragments of a dome surface, each one with its own structure. These fragments are semi-​independent constructions that can be built in phases. Each fragment can be built as a single span structure enclosing a large space, or simply as the curved roof and walls of a multi-​story building supported by regularly spaced columns. In this manner, the design can be adjusted to shelter a variety of programs and functions in a large number of combinations.

A glass enclosed galleria serves as the unifying element in the complex. The galleria arcs through the site, connecting the pedestrian bridge, park, Fantasy Dome, transportation center, baseball stadium and hotel. The 1,052-room hotel is located at the terminus of the galleria. The hotel’s prow-​like form orients rooms to the water and composes with the two curved forms of the Twin Domes, joining them in a unified design.