Former Kyushu Institute of Design Industrial Acoustics Building: The Other Half of the Pair
The Former Kyushu Institute of Design Industrial Acoustics Building (旧九州芸術工科大学工業音響棟, Kōgyō Onkyō-tō) is a six-storey reinforced concrete school building completed in 1970 on Kyushu University's Ohashi Campus in Minami-ku, Fukuoka City, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on March 13, 2025. The School of Design now calls it Building 1.
With a building area of 813 square meters it is the largest of the five registered buildings. It stands on the south side of the plaza known as the Fry Pan, faces north, and looks straight across the open space at the Environmental Imaging Building. The architect Hisao Koyama (香山壽夫) designed it with the institute's Department of Environmental Design.
Why the Industrial Acoustics Building Was Registered
The Industrial Acoustics Building was listed as a registered building that has become a model of design, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs judged it as half of a pair rather than on its own. It and the Environmental Imaging Building confront each other in the same design, and together with the plaza between them they create what the Agency describes as a grand public space.
For the building itself, the Agency points to how its upper floors step back, giving the exterior a changing profile. The six-storey mass does not loom over the plaza. It pulls away as it rises, so someone standing below feels less of its height. Like its partner, it meets the plaza at second-floor level, and you can walk from the plaza straight into the second floor.
The School of Design's English site says Koyama drew the idea of two symmetrical buildings facing each other across open ground from the Salk Institute by Louis Kahn. The Industrial Acoustics Building is one of those two.
The Name and the View of the Industrial Acoustics Building
The Kyushu Institute of Design opened with four departments: environmental design, industrial design, visual communication design (画像設計) and acoustic design. The two facing buildings split those four words between them, "environmental" and "imaging" for the north block, "industrial" and "acoustics" for the south. The sources consulted do not record which department used which floors, but the paired names alone suggest the two buildings were planned as a matched set.
To see the Former Kyushu Institute of Design Industrial Acoustics Building head-on, stand on the north side of the plaza, in front of the Environmental Imaging Building, and face south. The Agency chose exactly that view, the north face seen from the front, as its main photograph. Once you have traced the setbacks of the upper floors, walk to the middle of the plaza and compare the two blocks. The Environmental Imaging Building faces south into the sun while the Industrial Acoustics Building faces north, so on a clear day the same design appears in light on one side and in shade on the other.
The second floor holds an exhibition gallery, also among the Agency's photographs. The building dates from 1970 and was renovated in 2021.
Visiting the Industrial Acoustics Building
The Industrial Acoustics Building remains a working school building, and entry is limited to students and staff. According to the School of Design's English site, the concrete forms and balconies of the classroom buildings can be viewed from outside.
The gallery inside opens to visitors only during the School of Design's annual open day, which was held in June in 2024, 2025 and 2026. Directions to the campus are on the Former Kyushu Institute of Design page.
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Q&A
- What is the Former Kyushu Institute of Design Industrial Acoustics Building?
- A six-storey reinforced concrete school building of 813 square meters, completed in 1970 on Kyushu University's Ohashi Campus in Fukuoka City. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on March 13, 2025, and is now Building 1 of the School of Design.
- How is the Industrial Acoustics Building related to the Environmental Imaging Building?
- The two face each other across the courtyard plaza in the same design and together form the plaza's main enclosure. The Agency for Cultural Affairs evaluated them as a pair.
- What does the Industrial Acoustics Building look like?
- An exposed-concrete block whose upper floors step back as they rise. It connects to the plaza at second-floor level.
- Where should I stand to see the Industrial Acoustics Building?
- On the north side of the plaza, in front of the Environmental Imaging Building, facing south. The middle of the plaza lets you compare the two facing buildings.
- Can visitors enter the Industrial Acoustics Building?
- Normally no; access is limited to students and staff, though the exterior can be seen from outside. The School of Design's annual open day is the chance to see inside.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Kyushu Institute of Design Industrial Acoustics Building (旧九州芸術工科大学工業音響棟; now School of Design Building 1) |
|---|---|
| Location | 9-1 Shiobara 4-chome, Minami-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) / Registration No. 40-0232 |
| Year Designated | Registered March 13, 2025 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Reinforced concrete, 6 storeys, building area 813 m² |
| Owner | Kyushu University (National University Corporation) |
| Public Access | Interior closed to the public (exterior viewable from outside; annual open day) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: 旧九州芸術工科大学工業音響棟
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00015392
- Cultural Heritage Online: 旧九州芸術工科大学工業音響棟
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/607746
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: 旧九州芸術工科大学環境画像棟
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00015391
- Kyushu University School of Design: About (history, Japanese)
- https://www.design.kyushu-u.ac.jp/about/
- Kyushu University School of Design: List of Ohashi Campus buildings (PDF, Japanese)
- https://www.design.kyushu-u.ac.jp/_cms_dir/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/5c990403912cc6f8ce5491ef65c1fe5b.pdf
- Kyushu University School of Design, Geiko Global: Ohashi Campus Design
- https://www.gg.design.kyushu-u.ac.jp/en/prospective_students/ohashi-campus-design
- Kyushu University School of Design: Open Day (Japanese)
- https://www.design.kyushu-u.ac.jp/open-campus/
Last verified: 2026.09.30
