Morris Adjmi Architects

Designed in collaboration with Aldo Rossi to be a destination building for the southern port city of Fukuoka, Il Palazzo was one of the first boutique hotels in Japan. Set at the edge of the Naka River, the building’s monumental façade is composed of a series of stacked, amber-colored Iranian travertine columns and chemically aged copper lintels, bridging eastern and western architectural influences.

The hotel sits atop a stepped stone base, which creates a public piazza in front of its main entrance. A restaurant and disco inhabit the primary volume, while four special bars are located within the flanking structures.

The arrangement of Il Palazzo’s primary and secondary structures around the public piazza cultivate the feeling of a town center.

Details