Nakagin Capsule Tower
Tokyo, Japan
Masterpiece of metabolist architecture and the original "capsule building."
THE MID 20TH CENTURY WAS a time of great experimentation in architecture, a time when architects set out to create habitats for the brave new world, tearing all bonds of architectural tradition in the process.
The Nakagin Tower, constructed in 1972 and part of the so-called Metabolist Architecture spearheaded by Kisho Kurokawa, is perhaps the most famous building that sprang out of these social experiments. The building follows the axioms of Metabolist philosophy. It consists of two separate towers which serve as support to 140 prefabricated capsules. Each capsule is one self-contained tiny apartment. The original idea postulated that capsules could be eventually replaced by newer models, keeping living standards in the building constantly up to date. The original target demographic was bachelor salarymen. The capsules were fully furnished in up-to-the-minute fashion, including such amenities as a kitchen stove, a refrigerator, a television set, and a reel-to-reel tape deck.
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