The Artpolis project was launched in Kumamoto (a city in Southern Japan) in 1988 with the objectives that a) human beings to pursue not only material wealth but also spiritual wealth. Construction must hence be focus on design as well as function, and b) make Kumamoto a global center for regarding the construction of well made buildings that can be passed down to succeeding generations and creating an overall high quality living environment.

Participating projects have received many awards from organizations such as the Architectural Institute of Japan for Design and also many national and international awards. Among the 74 participating projects, 67 have been completed as of March, 2006.