Nakagin Capsule Tower

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You all remember The Fifth Element, think about the home of Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis) and do that with the 70's in mind. While it may be an interesting experience, living in a high tech and optimized space, things will soon begin to be a little cramped. The idea behind these capsules was more related to a hotel than constant living, personally, for a hotel a double bed would of been a better choice.

The idea behind this project is not a bad one, if you link more of these modules together to form a bigger apartment it could be an answer to housing problems around the world. Kind of an International Space Station on Earth so to speak. In case of disasters you only have to change the damaged capsules with new ones.

Two concrete towers are the backbone of the building, the modules being attached to these and access being given by the two elevators housed inside the towers. For a number of years the demolition of this architectural monument was discussed, or, as an alternative, modernizing the capsules. No action was yet taken, but the Nakagin Tower seems destined to be replaced by a more modern high-rise if actions are not taken.

Designed by Kisho Kurokawa, this tower is the most known example of Metabolist architecture. This movement was started in Japan after World War II and emphasized the idea of urban organic growth.

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From AWIL Magazine, issue number 5