The Yokohama International Passenger Terminal on Osanbashi Pier is slotted into a line of redevelopments along the waterfront -- a smorgasbord of ambitious architecture ranging from renovated century-old warehouses to the Blade Runner-esque towers of the Minato Mirai 21 complex.
This two-story building resting on massive piles sunk deep into the mud primarily serves as a terminal for visiting cruise ships and ferries traveling down to the Izu Islands, as well as housing a large parking garage on the first floor and a rooftop park and promenade.
Though its functions may be fairly mundane, architects the world over recognize the terminal as one of the two or three most important buildings completed anywhere in the world this year. Coincidentally, its prime rival for international building-of-the-year status is also water-oriented. The Blur Building in Neuchatel was constructed over a lake for the Swiss Expo 2002. It is a pavilion studded with high-pressure water-mist nozzles that create the appearance of a cloud.