Nakagin Capsule Tower Building

Nakagin Capsule Tower Building

The Nakagin Capsule Tower Building[a] was a mixed-use residential and office tower in Ginza, Tokyo, Japan designed by architect Kisho Kurokawa. Completed in two years from 1970 to 1972, the building was a rare remaining example of Japanese Metabolism (alongside the older Kyoto International Conference Center), an architectural movement emblematic of Japan's postwar cultural resurgence. It was the world's first example of capsule architecture ostensibly built for permanent and practical use.

The building, however, fell into disrepair. Around thirty of the 140 capsules were still in use as apartments by October 2012, while others were used for storage or office space, or simply abandoned and allowed to deteriorate. As recently as August 2017 capsules could still be rented (relatively inexpensively, considering its Ginza locale), although the waiting list was long.

In 2022, demolition of the building was initiated. Attempts to raise funds to save it and campaigns to preserve it as a historic landmark were unsuccessful. The tower was scheduled to be disassembled starting April 12, 2022, with component units repurposed.

Design & Construction

The building was composed of two interconnected concrete towers, respectively eleven and thirteen floors, which housed 140 self-contained prefabricated capsules. Each capsule measured 2.5 m (8.2 ft) by 4.0 m (13.1 ft) with a 1.3 m (4.3 ft) diameter window at one end and functioned as a small living or office space. Capsules could be connected and combined to create larger spaces. Each capsule was connected to one of the two main shafts by only four high-tension bolts and was designed to be replaceable. Although the capsules were designed with mass production in mind, none of the units had been replaced since the original construction.

The capsules were fitted with utilities and interior fittings before being shipped to the building site, where they were attached to the concrete towers. Each capsule was attached independently and cantilevered from the shaft, so that any capsule could be removed easily without affecting the others. The capsules were all-welded lightweight steel-truss boxes clad in galvanized, rib-reinforced steel panels which had been coated with rust-preventative paint and finished with a coat of Kenitex glossy spray after processing.

The architect said that this building reflected that asymmetry is part of the Japanese tradition.

Demolition and update proposals

The capsules could be individually removed or replaced, but at a cost: when demolition was being considered in 2006, it was estimated that renovation would require around 6.2 million yen per capsule. The original concept was that individual capsules would be repaired or replaced every 25 years; but the capsules deteriorated since the repairs were never done..

Opposing slated demolition, Nicolai Ouroussoff, architecture critic for The New York Times, described Nakagin Capsule Tower as "gorgeous architecture; like all great buildings, it is the crystallization of a far-reaching cultural ideal. Its existence also stands as a powerful reminder of paths not taken, of the possibility of worlds shaped by different sets of values."

The demolition of the tower began on April 12, 2022. Some individual capsules may be preserved or recycled

Digital archive

Demolition of the Nakagin Capsule Tower Building began on April 12, 2022. Since the building was regarded as a masterpiece of Metabolist architecture, a project team led by Gluon had launched a 3D digital archiving project to preserve the entire building in 3D data in order to preserve its architectural value. In this project, the entire building was scanned using a combination of laser scan data that accurately measures distances in millimeters and more than 20,000 photographs taken by cameras and drones. Augmented reality of the Nakagin Capsule Tower Building was also unveiled.

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