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

St. Mary's Cathedral, Tokyo by Kenzo Tange

St. Mary's Cathedral is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tokyo. The original structure of 1899 was a wooden building in the Gothic style that was destroyed during the second world war. Kenzo Tange won the competition for the reconstruction of this church in 1961 and with the assistance of Wilhelm Schlombs, architect to the Archdiocese of Cologne, the building was constructed between April 1936 and December 1964.

The plan is in the form of a cross, nothing extraordinary here, instead, what makes this cathedral a monument of modern architecture are the eight curved walls (or hyperbolic faces) which make the structure truly impressing. The exterior is covered with stainless steal and aluminum frames while the interior is bare concrete. The 60 meter high bell tower is like a sharp needle that seems to disappear into the sky.

The spine of the building consists of a series of skylights.

The cubist baptismal

A Fruit Museum, go figure...

Seriously now, Itsuko Hasegawa is one of the best Japanese modern architects and the one responsible for the great design of the Museum of Fruit from Yamanashi, Japan. The complex was finished in 1995, with the work on the design beginning in 1992. There are three buildings, the Plaza, the Workshop and the Tropical Greenhouse. 

The subject is not the relation human-nature, at least not directly. The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of a museum dedicated to fruits is the respect and the special relationship between us and nature. As we see, the complex is open, it's lightweight, the environment is in a permanent dialogue with the buildings and the visitors, the best example is the Plaza.