One of Japan’s most striking works of contemporary architecture, the Nakagin Capsule Tower in Tokyo, will be demolished this month, according to the building’s new owners.
The decision ends years of uncertainty surrounding the attractive structure, which once offered a futuristic vision of urban life but has recently fallen into disuse.
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Completed in 1972, the tower comprises 144 factory-built units arranged around two concrete cores. Each 10 square meter “capsule” features a porthole-style window, with appliances and furniture built into the structure of each home.
The building is considered a prime example of Metabolism, an architectural movement that emerged from the ruins of World War II with a radical new vision for Japan’s cities. In addition to embracing technology and mass production, members of the avant-garde group looked to nature for inspiration, with structural components treated as organic cells that could be “plugged in” into a larger whole or later replaced.
The building’s designer, Kisho Kurokawa – one of Metabolism’s youngest adherents – had originally envisioned the Tokyo Tower capsules to be replaced every 25 years. But instead they became dilapidated and outdated, with many of the apartments now empty, used for storage and office space, or rented out to architecture enthusiasts on a short-term basis.
In 2007, the homeowners association voted to sell the tower to a property developer who intended to demolish and replace it. But the company filed for bankruptcy during the 2008 recession, and the fate of the place has been thrown into limbo for years.
The owners again agreed to sell in 2021, and the building was acquired by a group of real estate companies operating under the name Capusule Tower Building (CTB). A spokesman for the joint venture, Takashi Shindo, said the last residents moved in last month, with demolition scheduled to begin on April 12.
Preservationists have long expressed hope that the building can be saved – including Kurokawa, before his death in 2007. Petitions and campaigns call for the structure to be protected as an example of Japan’s architectural heritage.
The organization behind the conservation campaign, the Nakagin Capsule Tower Preservation and Regeneration Project, urged city officials to intervene — and even considered applying for UNESCO protection status. But neither approach has been successful, according to project member Tatsuyuki Maeda, who acquired 15 of the pods between 2010 and the sale of the building last year.
Maeda said efforts to raise the 2 billion to 3 billion yen ($16 million to $24 million) needed to renovate the tower and remove asbestos had been hampered by the Covid-19 pandemic. The project has since shifted focus to raising funds to refurbish and repurpose individual units in the hope that institutions can look to acquire “disconnected” capsules.
Maeda said the project has received about 80 inquiries, with the Pompidou Center in Paris among the museums that have expressed interest in obtaining one, he added. The Saitama Museum of Modern Art, in Japan, already has a unit in its collection.
Kurokawa’s architectural firm, which continued to operate after his death, announced that it intends to preserve the building in a “digital space”.
“We are determined to preserve the capsules even if the building is demolished,” Maeda said. “Dozens of capsules with relatively little aging will be recovered and rehabilitated.
“There is no doubt that the building was famous, but the Capsule Tower also had a certain charm that drew people in. Everyone who stayed there was creative in their own way, and the community that formed was truly fascinating. I’m sad to see him go, but I hope he lives in a new form.”
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