The Nakagin Capsule Tower in Tokyo, designed by architect Kisho Kurokawa and completed in 1972, was an icon of the Japanese Metabolism movement. The building was comprised of movable, connectable, and replaceable capsules, and it epitomised Metabolism’s focus on expandability, flexibility, and adaptability. In his new book on the tower, Evangelos Kotsioris calls it “one of the most discussed and written about modern buildings of the 20th century”.
Each capsule was a tiny, self-contained studio apartment, complete with a built-in entertainment console. A single porthole-style window provided natural light — though not fresh air, as the windows didn’t open. The concept was unique and original, and although no more capsule towers were built, Nakagin continues to influence current architectural trends such as capsule hotels and micro apartments.
Each capsule was a tiny, self-contained studio apartment, complete with a built-in entertainment console. A single porthole-style window provided natural light — though not fresh air, as the windows didn’t open. The concept was unique and original, and although no more capsule towers were built, Nakagin continues to influence current architectural trends such as capsule hotels and micro apartments.
Sadly, exactly fifty years after its construction, the tower was demolished in 2022. By that point, it had fallen into disrepair — its capsules were never replaced, as had been originally envisioned. (When I visited the building in 2016, it was largely unoccupied.) The Museum of Modern Art in New York purchased one of the project’s 140 capsules, which went on display this month as the centrepiece of a year-long exhibition titled The Many Lives of the Nakagin Capsule Tower.
Kotsioris curated that exhibition, and his book Kisho Kurokawa: Nakagin Capsule Tower, published next month, is the first English-language publication on the tower. It’s part of MoMA’s One on One Series, monographs on individual works of art from the museum’s permanent collection. (Project Japan by Rem Koolhaas and Hans Ulrich Obrist, a comprehensive history of Metabolism, is also essential reading.)
Kotsioris curated that exhibition, and his book Kisho Kurokawa: Nakagin Capsule Tower, published next month, is the first English-language publication on the tower. It’s part of MoMA’s One on One Series, monographs on individual works of art from the museum’s permanent collection. (Project Japan by Rem Koolhaas and Hans Ulrich Obrist, a comprehensive history of Metabolism, is also essential reading.)
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