More Green Buildings : Emilio Ambasz

I remembered all about Emilio Ambasz when I saw his hugely influential CASA DE RETIRO ESPIRITUAL at the new MOMA in New York. I love this office building too, for all its' 80's Mirror+ Grass over-the-topness, and its' description as a Symbolically Decisive Building
Fukuoka, Japan, was in need of a new government office building and the only available site was a large two-block park that also happened to be the last remaining green space in the city center. Ambasz was awarded the commission for successfully achieving reconciliation between these two opposing aims: maintaining the green space of the existing park while providing the city of Fukuoka with a multi-use, symbolically decisive building. Under the building's fourteen one-story terraces lie more than one million square feet of space, containing an exhibition hall, museum, 2000-seat proscenium theater, conference facilities, 600,000 square feet of government and private offices, as well as large underground parking and retail spaces.
location: Fukuoka, Japan
client: Dai-ichi Seimei Insurance
cost: $380.0M
area: 1,000,000 sq ft