Former Kyushu Institute of Design Workshop: A Studio Building with a Passage to a Second Courtyard
The Former Kyushu Institute of Design Workshop (旧九州芸術工科大学工作工房, Kōsaku Kōbō) is a reinforced concrete workshop building of three storeys, partly two, 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 the 工作工房棟 (Workshop Building).
It covers 486 square meters and stands at the south-west of the square plaza known as the Fry Pan, facing east. Hisao Koyama (香山壽夫) and the institute's Department of Environmental Design designed it as a place for drawing and woodworking.
Why the Workshop Was Registered
The Workshop was listed as a registered building that has become a model of design. What the Agency for Cultural Affairs highlights is how it links the plaza to the space beyond. The building meets the plaza at second-floor level, and a passage runs underneath its front bridge-corridor, leading people through to a smaller courtyard behind.
The other four buildings act as walls around the plaza. The Former Kyushu Institute of Design Workshop holds one corner too, but it also opens a route out of the enclosure. Its front is symmetrical and lets the eye travel straight through the middle, which the Agency describes as a well-balanced composition. Leaving the enclosed plaza by the passage under the corridor and coming out into a second, smaller courtyard is the spatial idea at the core of this building.
The structure field of the Agency's database reads "three storeys, partly two," while its descriptive text says "three storeys." This page follows the structure field.
What Happens Inside the Workshop
According to the School of Design's facilities guide, the Workshop hosts basic form-making courses, model building, graduation projects and full-scale fabrication for every course. Students learn to handle hand tools and machining equipment here, building a feel for materials and a sculptural way of thinking. Prototypes of experimental apparatus are made in the building as well, and in recent years digital fabrication machines have added rapid-prototyping exercises to the program.
The Agency's photograph shows the general workroom on the ground floor. Built in 1970 for drawing and woodworking, the Workshop is still where students make things by hand and by machine. It was renovated in 2014.
Visiting the Workshop
The Workshop is in daily use, and entry is limited to students and staff. The School of Design's English site notes that the concrete forms of the classroom buildings can be viewed from outside. Stand on the east side of the plaza, in front of the Special Acoustic Facility, and look west to see the symmetrical front and the view through its center.
The workrooms can be seen only during the School of Design's annual open day, and the rooms on show vary by year. The open day 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 Workshop?
- A reinforced concrete workshop of three storeys, partly two, completed in 1970 on Kyushu University's Ohashi Campus in Fukuoka City for drawing and woodworking. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on March 13, 2025.
- What is distinctive about the Workshop's design?
- It connects to the plaza at second-floor level and has a passage under its front corridor leading to a smaller courtyard behind. The symmetrical front lets you see straight through the middle.
- What is the Workshop used for today?
- As the School of Design's workshop for form-making classes, model building, graduation projects and digital fabrication prototyping.
- Where is the best place to view the Workshop?
- From the east side of the plaza, in front of the Special Acoustic Facility, looking west toward the symmetrical front and the passage at its center.
- Can visitors go inside the Workshop?
- Normally no; it 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 Workshop (旧九州芸術工科大学工作工房; now 工作工房棟) |
|---|---|
| Location | 9-1 Shiobara 4-chome, Minami-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) / Registration No. 40-0235 |
| Year Designated | Registered March 13, 2025 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Reinforced concrete, 3 storeys (partly 2), building area 486 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作工房
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00015395
- Cultural Heritage Online: 旧九州芸術工科大学工作工房
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/622529
- Kyushu University School of Design: Education and Research Facilities (Japanese)
- https://www.design.kyushu-u.ac.jp/facilities/
- 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
