nakaginctb05f by scarletgreen is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Is this the set of the next Blade Runner movie? Not quite! The Nakagin Capsule Tower in Tokyo’s fashionable Ginza district is real but may not be for long!
Nakagin Capsule Tower by Dick Thomas Johnson is licensed under CC BY 2.0
The concept behind this unusual structure comes from an architect named Kisho Kurokawa. He was a major contributor to the Metabolism architectural movement and envisioned the Nakagin Capsule Tower as an ideal living place that would match the accelerating pace of life.
Each unit was designed to be removable! They were attached to the Tower by only 4 high tension bolts. The small apartments (about 13 feet by 8.2 feet, that’s only 107 square feet!) came prefabricated with a bathroom, tv, phone, and radio included. Kurokawa’s plan was for the units to be updated every 25 years and that the building could last for 200 years.
Unfortunately, his vision was not realized. The Tower was never updated after being completed in 1972. In 2007 the residents petitioned to have it demolished and replaced with a modern building.
Surprisingly, this motion caused an outcry in the international architecture community. They felt strongly that the Nakagin Capsule Tower should be preserved due to its historical significance. Although the concept did not catch on, it did inspire other buildings.
The challenge with preservation is that Ginza is one of the most expensive real estate markets in Japan. One square meter is currently valued at about $90,000!
To this day, the fate of the Capsule Tower still hangs in the balance. What do you think its future should be?
For more unique buildings from Japan, check out my posts on the Tower of Winds and Whimsical Houses by Terunobu Fujimori.
