NAKAGIN RESIDENTIAL TOWER IN TOKYO, JAPAN: A FUTURISTIC ARCHITECTURAL CONCEPT OF THE MID-20TH CENTURY AND REALITY

Abstract

The work is devoted to a retrospective analysis of the historical and social conditions of the construction, existence and dismantling of the futuristic Nakagin capsule tower. The Nakagin Capsule Tower was built in 1970-1972 in central Tokyo by architect Kisho Kurokawa and was similar to the modernist building of the Shizuoka Press Center by architect Kenzo Tange. Both buildings appeared as a practical illustration of the concept of architectural metabolism, that is, the possibility of giving architecture the ability of living organisms to grow and renew themselves, adapting to the external environment. Initially, the building was intended for a hotel, but finally it received a mixed function of temporary and permanent accommodation. The structure of the tower consisted of a stationary reinforced concrete vertical core, on which residential capsules were suspended with the possibility of replacement. However, in reality, the Nakagin tower was unable to adapt to changing external conditions. During 50 years of operation, the capsules were never replaced, as the owners could not replace them at once, and the individual replacement was technically difficult. This led to the complete deterioration of the Nakagin Tower and its dismantling in 2022. Attempts to reconstruct the object did not receive adequate attention and sufficient funding. During the dismantling of the building, the public association of Nakagin Capsule Tower Preservation and Restoration Project managed to remove 23 capsules for their further repair with the aim of turning them into separate art objects and exhibition pavilions. Thus, it can be stated that the futuristic idea of the Nakagin residential tower, which was far ahead of its time during construction, did not stand the test of reality. Despite this, this project in many ways laid the foundations of modern concepts of dynamic architecture.