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Nakagin Capsule Tower to be Demolished

Nakagin Capsule Tower to be Demolished

Nakagin Capsule Tower to be Demolished

Kisho Kurokawa’s famed Nakagin Capsule Tower is set to be demolised according to the NY Times.

A rare built example of Japanese Metabolism, a movement whose fantastic urban visions became emblems of the country’s postwar cultural resurgence, the 1972 Capsule Tower is in a decrepit state. Its residents, tired of living in squalid, cramped conditions, voted two years ago to demolish it and are now searching for a developer to replace it with a bigger, more modern tower. That the building is still standing has more to do with the current financial malaise than with an understanding of its historical worth.

TOUCHPUPPET will be in next week to pay our respects to the building during our Japanese invasion, so stay tuned. More images and video after the jump.

Nakagin Capsule Tower to be Demolished

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27. Jul, 2009

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  • http://nana4design.com/ nana

    Waiting for your photos!!!

  • http://sinrevelar.carbonmade.com Delmy Alvarenga

    what a shame. :(
    i definitely love the concept of the building, but maybe it’s too 70′s by now. It would be great to re-design each capsule according to the 21st century style. but then again financial motivations are the core of everything now a days. shame.

  • http://endlessnessego.blogspot.com Misha

    I don’t understand how people even can come to the agreement to demolish such a thing? Don’t they have any respect for historical value of movements? Imagine what a great location for a film this could be…

  • Daniel Somerville

    As much as I love this building and will be a little sad to see it go, I can easily understand how its residents and owners would want to replace it with something more modern. It’s so specialized; all those incredibly dated fixtures and appliances are built in and hard to replace. The building was ostensibly designed so that each individual capsule could be removed and replaced with an updated model when its owner wanted one–but that assumed that people would be making replacements capsules, which never happened. Honestly, the overall concept was betting on a future that never happened and it left this building stranded. On top of that, each capsule is extremely small, measuring just 7′ x 12′.

    How can you justify saving an apartment building for its (historical) architectural merit, in the heart of one of the most square-footage-hungry cities in the world, when the residents themselves say that the building no longer functions?

    We’ll always have the photos and drawings. :)

    Can you imagine living in this?
    http://www.lewism.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/iso.jpg
    I for one would go crazy.

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