Urbanix Co., Ltd., together with KBC Group Holdings, Inc. and KBC Kaihatsu Co., Ltd., will open "FNP | FUKUOKA NORTH PORT" — a co-creation hub built from a renovated second floor of the KBC Kaikan building in the Kita-Tenjin area of Fukuoka — on April 1, 2026.
URBANIX is responsible for the facility's concept, program design, and day-to-day operation, and is also joining as one of the "PORT CREW" tenant companies itself, accelerating the real-world implementation of a new urban design model for solving local challenges. The thinking behind the hub's design is detailed on our Works page.
Background and Concept: A Cycle of 51% Culture, 49% Economy
FNP is an experimental ground where a broadcaster's media resources meet entrepreneurs guided by a "regenerative" philosophy — one aimed at restoring the environment, society, and culture.
As its operating principle, the hub adopts the "51% culture, 49% economy" idea championed by the Gungendo Group of Iwami Ginzan in Shimane Prefecture. Rather than chasing economic rationality alone, it tips the balance one point toward "culture," in pursuit of a genuinely sustainable local economy.
Regenerative Practices Already Under Way
① Space Renewal Through DIY
With cooperation from Kaho Musen Holdings (home center chain Goodday), tenant companies and KBC Group employees built their own office furniture rather than relying on off-the-shelf products. Treating this process itself as the first step of co-creation, the hub will also launch a pilot for a "community-driven DIY project" going forward.
② A Distinctive Co-Creation Model: The "Credit" System
The hub has introduced a system that lets tenant companies pay back part of their rent in skills or services — video production, design, data analysis, and the like. Going beyond a purely monetary landlord–tenant relationship, this exchange of assets is designed to spark new "zero-to-one" ventures.
PORT CREW (Member Companies)
Eight companies with sharp, specialized expertise — spanning creative work, data science, and craft products, URBANIX among them — have come together as the "PORT CREW."
- Residence Crew: Urbanix Co., Ltd. / KAGE Inc. / MEIALUA Inc. / Logian Inc.
- Pass Crew: CARTA Inc. / canvas Inc. / 23 Inc. / highlights Inc.
A Message from Our CEO, Tomokazu Iwabuchi
We designed FNP not as just another shared office, but as an "urban laboratory" for putting new change into practice, in the community and in culture.
Working with the KBC Group, we are building a foundation where challenges become visible and value keeps circulating outward. For URBANIX too, this is a strategic base for accelerating our own business. Together with a broadcaster that sits at the crossroads of information, and with entrepreneurs who share our conviction, we aim to build the "URBANIX model" for solving local challenges — and to grow, from Fukuoka, into an urban design firm that can stand alongside the best in the world.
Facility Overview
- Name: FNP | FUKUOKA NORTH PORT
- Address: 2F KBC Kaikan, 1-1-34 Nagahama, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka, Japan
- Opening date: April 1, 2026
- Operators: KBC Group Holdings, Inc. / KBC Kaihatsu Co., Ltd. / Urbanix Co., Ltd.
Urbanix Co., Ltd.'s head office also relocated into the same facility in April 2026. Our phone number and email address remain unchanged.
Related links
FNP | FUKUOKA NORTH PORT official website ↗
Press release (PR TIMES) ↗