Starbucks Fukuoka by Kengo Kuma
Continuing his fascination with the most rudimentary of building materials – the Kapla-like wooden block – Kengo Kuma has completed what is probably the world’s most idiosyncratic Starbucks Coffee Shop in Fukuoka. The Starbucks is situated on the street that leads to Dazaifu Tenmangu, a shrine dedicated to a Japanese deity. Thus, the architect didn’t want the commercial space to seem detached from its unique setting. Utilizing 6cm square blocks that intersect obliquely, it was his aim to try to mimic branches in a forest so that the Starbucks seemed like it was nestling in the trees.
