Futuristic cityscapes, temples and tea gardens are what you might normally expect to see in Tokyo.

But a group of up-and-coming architects from Japan have instead turned their attention to the Sussex coast and decided to do an oriental take on the King Alfred Leisure Centre, Hove.

Disagreeing with Frank Gehry's contentious vision for the site, they designed their own alternative versions, which include a swimming pool out at sea and a park on top of a roof.

They said Gehry's proposals, which are due to be heard by Brighton and Hove City Council in October, were too high and did not take into account the needs of residents.

The 20 post-graduate students at Regency College in Western Road, Hove, spent three months on the project, surveying 400 people from the area to see what they thought.

They then came up with four different designs, which include homes and public facilities such as a replacement sports centre, library, restaurants, hotels, parks and even a drive-in cinema.

One student used natural pebble materials to complement the beach, designed a buildings with wave-like curves and had a suspended roof styled like sails.

Another scheme involved a sculpture park on the beach and a semi-circular pier which contained a restaurant and swimming pool.

A third featured a park on the roof of a Guggenheimesque building and the last put a multi-storey hotel out over the sea.

Organiser Diana Bundy said: "They all said the twin towers were a bad idea because of the associations.

"They also found that people in Hove didn't want high-rise blocks because their view of the sea would be blocked.

"However, they did want a landmark beachscape which would put Hove on the map.

"Their plans really focused on the environment around the site and tried to make the most of it in their models."

She added: "It has been really interesting to see their ideas and I really want them to be shared further.

"I would love their models to go to the council and I really think Joe public should see them - maybe we could get them in the library or something."

Ayumi Kusakabe, 22, from Osaka, said she had enjoyed the project.

She said: "Gehry's design is nice but the buildings are too high and I think the area needs a new type of building.

"Our surveys showed most people don't use the facilities down at the beach and so they must be made more appealing."

She added: "It is very interesting seeing how different buildings are in this country."