PROJECT 01Tenjin Business
Center

The Tenjin Business Center, directly connected to Tenjin Station on the Fukuoka City Subway Airport Line, was completed in September 2021. With 19 floors, a total floor area of 61,100.34 sqm and a maximum of 2,367 sqm per floor, it is attracting attention from both Japan and overseas as a world-class office building with a large floor area.

The building's unique exterior, with multiple glass layers in a pixelated structure, became a landmark in the Tenjin area once completed. Inside the building, the corner facing the main street junction has been boldly cut out, creating an open space flooded with natural light. A large-scale seismic isolation structure, 1.5 times more resistant to earthquakes than the new Japanese seismic resistance standard, was adopted to ensure a complete BCP, ensuring that business can continue in the event of earthquakes.

The Tenjin Business Center, with its advanced design and high functionality with state-of-the-art facilities, symbolises the start of the 'Tenjin Big Bang', a large-scale redevelopment project in Fukuoka. Fukuoka Jisho has been actively attracting companies from other cities by implementing the symbolic projects that are driving the 'Tenjin Big Bang' under the mission 'Make Fukuoka More Exciting'.

We considered it necessary to incorporate a global perspective into the project in order to increase Fukuoka's urban strength and to create/concentrate new industries. An international competition was held by five architectural firms from Japan and overseas to explore the full potential of the project. The competition, which brought together knowledge from across national borders and even included the names of global architectural firms, became a frequent topic of conversation in the architectural industry, and the Tenjin Business Center attracted a lot of attention prior to its construction.

The international competition resulted in the selection of the world-renowned architectural office OMA. Their design, which has been recognized in many countries, including "Kunsthal (Netherlands)", "Seattle Central Library (USA)" and "CCTV (China Central Television) (China)", was so innovative and full of promise that a famous architecture magazine published a perspective on the building before its completion. The design of the building, which blends office and public space by cutting the corners of the building, has been highly acclaimed in the industry and has become a recognizable presence, not only in Japan, but across the world.

There were some unforeseen difficulties on the road to completion. The coronavirus spread at a time when underground construction was about one third complete. With the advance of working from home, office buildings' reason for being was brought into question. However, we were convinced that office space was necessary as a 'place for people to come together'. We quickly searched for a way to create offices that could be used safely, and worked in close relation with Kyushu University, domestic air-conditioning manufacturers and others, on evidence-based infection control measures. As well as reviewing the air-conditioning system, the newest equipment was introduced to reduce physical contact. As a result, the Tenjin Business Center at that time was further recognized as the office building with the best infection control measures in the world.

The Tenjin Business Center, which combines design and functionality, has succeeded in attracting the majority of tenant companies from outside the Fukuoka area, and this project is highly evaluated as the first deregulation of "Tenjin Big Bang" that leads to attract business to the area.