Fukuoka, Japan

A master of webs and woven structures of remarkable lightness, the Japanese architect Kengo Kuma has created a spiral-shaped monument called “One Health Carbon Gate” using carbon fibers for the entrance of Chikugo Regional Park in Fukuoka Prefecture.

Using eco-friendly carbon fibers for this monument as a gateway, Kuma aimed to realize the principle of “One Health:” A principle that the health of humans, animals, and the environment are interdependent.

Instead of a massive gate, he installed a light and soft structure that looks like it can fly away, aiming to blend the structure into the environment surrounded by a river and greenery. 

The structure made of braided 15mm thick carbon fiber tubes forms a double helix that wraps into a torus. 

By lifting two sides of the torus, it becomes a double arch like a Möbius loop. 

This distinctive shape was created by repeating single elements consisting of a third of a circle’s circumference. 

Connecting the elements at 29 optimized different angles helped reduce the cost and the construction period.

This flexible gate that allows a breeze to flow through connects the ground and people while harmonizing with the rich and beautiful water, green, and sky in Chikugo region.

Project: One Health Carbon Gate
Architects: Kengo Kuma & Associates
Design Team: Hironori Nagai, Taro Awano, Yukiko Ang, Hisako Tokai, and Hiroyo Yamamoto
Joint Venture Associate Architects: Azusa Sekkei Co., Ltd.
General Contractor: OH-YABU CONSTRUCTION
Structural Engineers: Ejiri Structural Engineers
Illumination: Architainment Inc.
Photographers: Kawasumi-Kobayashi Kenji Photograph Office