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The Sea Hawk Hotel & Resort, Kyushu, Japan, was designed by Cesar Pelli & Associates of New Haven, USA and Takenaka Komuten Co. of Osaka, Japan.

Laminated glass helps Sea Hawk Hotel withstand Japan's typhoon-force winds and earthquakes

The Sea Hawk Hotel & Resort is located on the edge of Fukuoka, facing Hakata Bay, on Kyushu, Japan's southernmost island. It was at Hakata, in 1231 and 1274, that the invading armies of Kublai Khan were twice turned back, the only attempted invasions of Japan. Both of these invasions collapsed when typhoons, nicknames kamikaze, or 'divine wind', destroyed most of the invading fleets. The importance of shipping and fishing in the modern port city of Fukuoka reinforces its symbolic role as a city facing the sea.

Laminated glass was the obvious choice for the Sea Hawk Hotel's atrium since it can withstand typhoon-force winds and earthquakes.

Glass plays a major role in the Sea Hawk Hotel & Resort, which was designed jointly by Cesar Pelli & Associates of New Haven, USA and Takenaka Komuten Co. of Osaka, Japan – not only in the windows offering outstanding views of the bay from each of the hotel's 1052 rooms but in the 40 meter high laminated glass atrium, which nestles at the base of the hotel like a giant cornucopia and which is the nucleus of all the hotel's many functions.

In Japan, large communal functions such as lavish weddings are at the core of the life of a hotel. The high ceilinged, luminous and active space of the Sea Hawk Hotel's laminated glass atrium is occupied by fountains and trees – similar to many urban plazas – making it inviting and comfortable for either private conversation or public festivals. The directional nature of the atrium's form focuses views outward and employs the borrowed views of Hakata Bay to extend the sense of light and space. Along with the fountains and trees, several objects serve as sculptural forms within the atrium, culminating in a 'Treehouse', an elevated platform that guests can climb to see back into the atrium space and out to the views beyond. Laminated glass was the obvious choice for the Sea Hawk Hotel's atrium because, as well as being aesthetically pleasing, it is essential that the large panels of glass used in the project can withstand salt damage and buffeting from the 'kamikaze' winds that defeated Kublai Khan – as well as the earthquakes that the region periodically suffers.

The laminated glass atrium, seen from the street

Even if they should be broken by impact during adverse weather conditions, the fragments of laminated glass panes will stay in place, held by the PVB interlayer; there are no fragments of falling glass to endanger either those in the atrium or passers-by in the street below. If broken, the laminated glass can continue to provide protection from the weather until replacement is effected.

The use of laminated glass in the hotel's atrium also confers other benefits including protection from noise and the absorption of solar UV radiation which can cause the fading of fabrics and upholstery. In addition, the insulating properties of the laminated glass construction means that the interior of the atrium stays cool and pleasant – even on the hottest day.

The laminated glass atrium of the Sea Hawk Hotel & Resort, one of the most impressive of the new resort hotels in the large and bustling city of Fukuoka, creates an escape from the daily routine for city dwellers and ensures that the hotel will provide an international window to the city's future as a rising business center and resort – while providing yet another example of the versatility and functionality of laminated glass.