Fashion Centre in Fukuoka

Concrete construction has a long tradition in Japan. The great earthquake that destroyed much of Tokyo in 1923 had a major influence in this respect. The fashion centre in Fukuoka was originally conceived as a timber building, but in view of fire regulations and other constraints, concrete ultimately proved to be a more suitable material. The development has a prefabricated skeleton-frame structure, consisting of prestressed concrete columns, beams and floor slabs.