中銀膠囊大樓 Nakagin Capsule Tower
1970-1972 日本, 東京 Tokyo, Japan
Located in the heart of Tokyo, Kurokawa Kisho’s Nakagin Capsule Tower housed 140 self-contained units. The small apartments were designed for short-term stays by people who worked in the urban centre while living in the suburbs, reflecting new trends in how people moved throughout the city. The capsules were marketed as additional office space, secondary residences, or simple sites to recharge near the workplace. The tower was one of the few buildings realised as part of the 1960s Japanese architectural movement known as Metabolism. The name of the movement was a biological metaphor for how architecture could be designed with the ability to evolve, accommodating growth and changing societal needs. Attached to a concrete core service tower, the Nakagin capsules could, in theory, be replaced, which would extend the overall lifespan of the building. However, the building fell into disrepair in the early 2000s.
Despite numerous attempts to save it, it was demolished in 2022. Some capsules were carefully restored and collected by museums around the world, such as Unit A806 at M+.
June 10th, 2025 / M+ / West Kowloon, Hong Kong
