Rooftop garden in Fukuoka
Perhaps Japan's most amazing green building is in Fukuoka, southern Japan. It is called ACROS Fukuoka with two very distinct sides: one side looks like a conventional office building with glass walls, but on the other side there is a huge terraced roof that merges with a park. The garden terraces, which reach up to about 60 meters above the ground, contain some 35,000 plants representing 76 species. There is a semicircular atrium and a triangular lobby that provides contrast to the greenery. ACROS has enough space for a symphony hall, offices and shops.
The green roof enables the building’s energy consumption to be much lower than other buildings because the plants keep the inside temperature at a comfortable level.
The design for ACROS Fukuoka proposes a novel solution for a common urban problem: reconciling the developer’s desire for profitable use of a site with the public’s need for open green space, and the planet’s need for greenery.
Comments
Now I have to go to Fukuoka to see it!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fukuoka,_Fukuoka
P, so am I right to assume that you are pretty "cold" when it comes to a round of golf...?
A look at google's satellite imagery of Ibaraki reveals a plethora of golf courses - especially where I live, north of Kashima City proper. Not so obvious at ground level, the view from above is quite shocking.
I learned on Maui how golf courses polluted the ground water with pesticides and herbicides and the nitrogen rich run off of chemical fertilizers creates algae blooms that kill reefs.
I know you are aware of all this, Martin, I'm just putting it down for others who may happen upon this post.