Location: Tenjin, Fukuoka, Japan
Area: 2,137 m²
Year: 2024
Photography: Misae Hiramatsu
Lead Architect: Keiichiro Sako
Design Scope: Architecture, Interior, Landscape
Client: Ascot Corporation

A New Benchmark for Urban Workspaces

Vectors in Fukuoka, a cutting-edge office building designed by Sako Architects, reimagines the future of workplace architecture in Japan’s fast-evolving regional hub. Completed in 2024, the project integrates bioclimatic design, modular steel façades, and urban greenery to achieve energy efficiency and community engagement. Recognized with a DBJ Green Building 4-Star rating, it exemplifies how mid-rise structures can balance environmental performance with aesthetic boldness.

Innovative Façade: Form Meets Function

The building’s most striking feature is its dynamic steel façade—comprising 120 modular panels (9mm thick) with varying depths. These panels respond to:

• Solar angles to reduce HVAC energy use by 4.3%.
• Sightlines to frame views of Hakata Bay.
• Urban context to harmonize with neighboring structures.

By day, the façade casts intricate shadows; by night, embedded LEDs transform it into a luminous grid, creating a landmark presence in Tenjin’s skyline.

Material Intelligence: Why Steel?

Sako Architects prioritized steel over aluminum for its:

• 3x greater rigidity and weather resistance.
• Low thermal expansion, ensuring durability in Fukuoka’s humid climate.
• Hot-dip galvanization and phosphate coating for a matte, low-maintenance finish.

Urban Integration: Beyond the Building

The design actively contributes to its surroundings:

• Street-level pocket park: Enhances pedestrian connectivity.
• Rooftop terraces: Offer panoramic views and communal spaces.
• Disaster resilience: Earthquake-ready structural solutions.

Keiichiro Sako’s Design Philosophy

In an exclusive insight, Sako describes his approach as “theme-driven”ensuring every detail, from materiality to spatial flow, reinforces a cohesive narrative. For Vectors, this meant blending environmental logic with human-centric experiences.

✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight

Vectors in Fukuoka demonstrates how architecture can mediate between sustainability and urban vitality. Sako Architects’ meticulous steel façade and energy-saving strategies set a commendable standard, though the project’s reliance on industrial materials might feel austere to those favoring biophilic warmth. Yet, its true brilliance lies in community integration the rooftop terraces and pocket park transform a corporate space into a civic asset, proving that performance-driven design need not sacrifice human connection. A bold step toward resilient, context-sensitive urbanism.

Brought to you by the ArchUp Editorial Team

Inspiration starts here. Dive deeper into Architecture, Interior Design, Research, Cities, Design, and cutting-edge Projectson ArchUp.