The Nagakin Capsule Tower stands in the Ginza district of Tokyo, Japan, one of the most expensive neighborhoods in the city. The building was designed by Kisho Kurokawa based on his concept of "Metabolism", which envisioned architectural structures as organic and able to restructure and grow over time. The tower consists of two reinforced concrete and steel pillars with prefabricated modular capsules attached, housing living and working spaces. While innovative in its modular design, the unique structure has proven difficult to maintain over time due to issues like asbestos, water leaks, and the challenges of repairing exterior capsules.

2. INTRODUCTION
 THE IDEA OF HABITATS CAPSULES.
 DESIGN IDEAS INTERCHANGEABILITY,
RECYCLABILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY IN
ARCHITECTURAL WORKS. ONE OF THE NEIGHBORHOODS MOST ECONOMIC
ACTIVITY OF THE CITY OF TOKYO, JAPAN.
 THE BUILDING WAS DESIGNED ESPECIALLY FOR
THOSE WORKING IN CENTRAL TOKYO BUT LIVING
IN THE SUBURBS.
 THE PROJECT HAD THE FUNCTION OF SERVING AS A
HOTEL BEDROOM OR STUDIO BUILDING.
 THE PROJECT NAGAKIN CAPSULE TOWER CONSISTS
OF TWO TOWERS OR STRUCTURAL CORES OF
ELEVEN, THIRTEEN STORIES HIGH THAT
INCORPORATE THE SERVICES AND FACILITIES; 140
CAPSULES TO 8 DIFFERENT TYPES ARE ATTACHED.
THE SET COMES COMPLETE WITH A GROUND FLOOR
LOCATED A CAFE AND A FIRST FLOOR WHERE
OFFICES ARE LOCATED. UNLIKE TRADITIONAL JAPANESE ARCHITECTURE,
NAGAKIN CAPSULE TOWER IS NOT A FINISHED OR
COMPLETE ARCHITECTURE, IT IS CONSIDERED AS A
BUILDING CHANGING OVER TIME. DESPITE THIS, IT
NOT COMPLETELY IGNORES THE TRADITION,
BECAUSE IN THE SMALL SCALE OF THE DESIGN OF
THE CAPSULES IS THE PROPORTION OF JAPANESE
TATAMI. One possible layout of
a ​4 1⁄2 mat room
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https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/co
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3. The Nagakin Capsule Tower stands at Tokyo, Japan, in the
district of Ginza, one of the most expensive neighborhoods of
the city, as its name, which translates as silver district. This is
a focal point of the city where both the business and
business is concentrated.
 THE NAGAKIN CAPSULE TOWER STANDS AT TOKYO, JAPAN, IN THE DISTRICT OF GINZA, ONE OF THE
MOST EXPENSIVE NEIGHBORHOODS OF THE CITY, AS ITS NAME, WHICH TRANSLATES AS SILVER
DISTRICT. THIS IS A FOCAL POINT OF THE CITY WHERE BUSINESS IS CONCENTRATED.
LOCATION

4.  STRUCTURAL DETAILS:STRUCTURAL
STEEL FRAME PARTLY ENCASED IN CONCRETE
MAX OF 140 CAPSULE UNITS(PREFABRICATED)
11-13 STORIES INCLUDING 1 BASEMEN
 STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS: GENGO MATSUI + ORS
 ELECTRICAL ENGINEERD: ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
PLANNING LABORATORY
 GENERAL CONTRACTOR: TAISEI CORPORATION
 CONSULTANTS: DAIMARU DESIGN & ENGINEERING
DIVISON(CAPSULE MANUFACTURER)
SITE AREA: 442 SQMT
BUILDING AREA: 430 SQMT
TOTAL FLOOR AREA: 3091 SQMT
MATERIAL DETAILS:
 CAPSULE EXTERIOR: STEEL WITH SPRAYED PAINT
FINISH
 CAPSULE INTERIOR: STEEL CAPSULE WITH CLOTH
CEILING & FLOOR CARPET
 TOWERS: STRUCTURAL STEEL FRAME
 LOWER LEVELS: FAIR-FACED REINFORCED
CONCRETE
STASTICS

5. CONCEPT
“HUMAN SOCIETY IS LIKE A VITAL PROCESS, A CONTINUOUS
DEVELOPMENT OF THE ATOM TO THE NEBULA. THE REASON WHY WE
USE THE BIOLOGICAL TERM “METABOLISM” IS THAT WE BELIEVE THAT
DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY SHOULD DENOTE HUMAN VITALITY”
(KISHO KUROKAWA)
 IT WAS A POST-WAR
JAPANESE ARCHITECTURAL MOVEMENT
THAT FUSED IDEAS
ABOUT ARCHITECTURAL MEGASTRUCTURES
WITH THOSE OF ORGANIC BIOLOGICAL
GROWTH
 THE WORD METABOLISM DESCRIBES THE
PROCESS OF MAINTAINING LIVING CELLS.
 THE POST-WAR RECONSTRUCTION OF JAPAN’S
CITIES SPAWNED NEW IDEAS ABOUT THE
FUTURE OF URBAN DESIGN AND PUBLIC
SPACES.
 METABOLIST ARCHITECTS AND DESIGNERS
BELIEVED THAT CITIES AND BUILDINGS ARE
NOT STATIC ENTITIES, BUT ARE EVER
CHANGING ORGANIC WITH A “METABOLISM”.
 POST WAR STRUCTURES OF THE FUTURE ARE
THOUGHT TO HAVE A LIMITED LIFESPAN AND
SHOULD BE DESIGNED AND BUILT TO BE
REPLACED.
 METABOLISM LOOKING SYNTHESIS OF PUBLIC
AND PRIVATE SPACES AND REFLECTED THE
LATTER IN THE FORM OF CAPSULES OF SMALL
SIZE THAT ARE PRODUCED INDUSTRIALLY
 THESE 1960 AVANT-GARDE IDEAS BECAME
METABOLISM
CHARACTERISTICS SEEN IN THIS PROJECT.
 METABOLICALLY DESIGNED ARCHITECTURE IS
BUILT AROUND A SPIN-LIKE INFRASTRUCTURE
WITH PREFABRICATED, REPLACEABLE CELL-LIKE
PART EASILY ATTACHED.
 IT IS BUILT WITH MODULAR UNITS.
 YOU CAN ENABLE A LARGE EXPANSION AND EVEN
“UNLIMITED”
 IT IS A STRUCTURAL FRAMEWORK IN WHICH THEY
CAN BUILD – OR EVEN “PLUG” OR “HOLD”, HAVING
BEEN PREFABRICATED ELSEWHERE – MINOR
STRUCTURAL UNITS (EG, ROOMS, HOUSES AND
SMALL BUILDINGS OF OTHER TYPES.
 IT IS A STRUCTURAL FRAMEWORK TO A MUCH
LONGER SHELF LIFE THAN THE SMALLER UNITS
THAT COULD SUPPORT…
HIS DESIGN WAS
INSPIRED BY A
TRADITIONAL JAPANESE
PUZZLE GAME THAT
PLAYS OFF OF
INTERWOVEN BLOCKS OF
WOOD.

6. CONSTRUCTION

7.  THE CAPSULES WERE DESIGNED AS
PREFABRICATED MODULES DESIGNED SO THAT ALL
CONTAIN THE SAME PARTS, FACTORY ASSEMBLED,
IN ORDER TO TRANSFER THE FINISHED CAPSULES
TO WORK FOR PLACEMENT IN THE BUILDING.
 THE CAPSULES ADHERE TO THE CORES BY FOUR
BOLTS HIGH STRENGTH.
 THE PROCESS OF BUILDING THESE WORKS SIMILAR
TO SHIPPING CONTAINERS, WHERE A BOX-SHAPED
STRUCTURE OF STEEL, AS LIGHT AS POSSIBLE, TO
WHICH ALL OTHER PARTS ARE WELDED.
 THE EXTERIOR OF THE CAPSULES IS COMPOSED OF PANELS OF
GALVANIZED STEEL OF 1 X 2 M 2 X 3 M. THESE MEASURES ARE DUE
TO THE NUMBER REQUIRED FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF ALL
CAPSULES AND THE SMALL SIZE OF THE FACTORIES WHERE THEY
ARE PRODUCED PANELS. THE GALVANIZED STEEL PANELS ALSO
RECEIVED A TREATMENT BASED PAINT AND BRIGHT SPRAY CALLED
KENITEX TO PREVENT THE FORMATION OF RUST AND CORROSION.
 FOR THE FIRE RESISTANCE OF THE BUILDING, THE STRUCTURAL
ELEMENTS WERE COATED WITH A LAYER OF ASBESTOS SPRAY
ABOUT 45 MM THICK. EXTERIOR PANELS ALSO COVERED WITH A
LAYER ABOUT 30 MM THICK OF THE SAME SUBSTANCE.
CAPSULE

8. SPACES
EIGHT TYPES OF
CAPSULES ACCORDING
TO THE POSITION OF
THE WINDOW, THE
ARRANGEMENT OF THE
ENTRANCE AND
PLACEMENT OF
FURNITURE FINISHING
MATERIALS ARE
PROJECTED.
https://wikiarquitectura.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Nakagin-
capsule_28229-500x375.jpg
(photo from Kisho Kurokawa: Metabolism and Symbiosis)
 THE CAPSULES ARE DEVISED AS MODULES
COVERING THE BASIC NEEDS OF A CABIN. THEY
ARE DESIGNED AS AN INEXPENSIVE PIECE THAT
WILL BE BUILT AT THE FACTORY AND
TRANSPORTED TO THE BUILDING SITE TO BE
INSERTED IN SITU, SO IT SHOULD BE EASILY
TRANSPORTABLE AND LIGHTWEIGHT.
 THESE PREFABRICATED CELLS
HAVE DIMENSIONS OF 4 X 2.5 M.

9. FACILITIES
 DUE TO THE EXPECTED LIFETIME OF THE
CAPSULES AND THE POSSIBLE USE OF THESE
CHANGING, THE BUILDING WAS DIVIDED INTO
THREE AREAS: THE STRUCTURAL AXES,
CAPSULES AND EQUIPMENT.
 A LAMINATE OF PREFABRICATED PIPING
SYSTEM WHERE EACH UNIT CONSISTED OF A
SET OF FLAT BARS DIVIDED INTO SIX ZINC
PIPES CONTAINING HOT WATER, COLD WATER
AND DRAINAGE WAS USED. EACH UNIT SERVED
THREE FLOORS.
 THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE ELEVATORS ALSO
MADE FROM PREFABRICATED PARTS AND
THREE-DIMENSIONAL STRUCTURES, WHICH
WAS A QUICK ASSEMBLY, THIS DOES NOT STOP
BEING EFFECTIVE.
 FACILITIES CAPSULES JOINED BY FLEXIBLE
TUBES OF A METER. SOME OPENINGS IN THE
FLOOR OF THE CAPSULES ALLOW ACCESS TO
THESE TUBES FOR CONNECTION, TESTING AND
REPAIR.
 STRUCTURAL JOINTS:
THE BONDS OF THE CAPSULES WITH
STRUCTURAL TOWERS WERE MADE POSSIBLE BY
THE USE OF CRANES. THEY RAISED CAPSULES AND
PLACED AT THE DESIRED HEIGHT TO BE WELDED
TO THE TOWER SITE.
TORRES
 THE TOWERS, BESIDES BEING THE STRUCTURAL
BASIS OF THE PROJECT, ALSO CONTAIN
BUILDING ENTRANCES AND VERTICAL
COMMUNICATION CORES CONTAIN THE
EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES OF THE PROJECT
AND ARE THE HEART THAT IS “PLUGGED”
CAPSULES.
 THE BASE OF THE BUILDING AND THE TOWERS
WERE BUILT WITH A RIGID STRUCTURE OF
STEEL AND REINFORCED CONCRETE, LEAVING
THE LIGHTER CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS
CAPSULES.
ENTRANCE
TORRES
SERVICES

10. •PREVENTION SYSTEMS
 NOT ONLY IT MET THE LEGAL REQUIREMENTS OF
SECURITY IN THE BUILDING, BUT HE WAS ALSO
ENDOWED WITH EXTRA ESCAPE ROUTES IN CASE
OF FIRE.
 THE ADVANTAGE OF HAVING TWO VERTICAL
COMMUNICATION CORES WAS THAT IT INCREASED
THE NUMBER OF ESCAPE ROUTES.
 THE STAIRWAYS WERE JOINED BY SEVERAL POINTS
CREATING FLOORS AND BOTH WERE UNITED AND
FLOORS THAT WERE INDEPENDENT.
•TRANSPORT
 THE EXECUTION ON SITE HAD SEVERAL PROBLEMS
RELATED TO THE TRANSPORT OF THE MATERIAL.
ON THE ONE HAND, BEING A LOCATION IN THE CITY
CENTER, THE TRUCKS COULD ONLY REACH THE SUN
AT CERTAIN TIMES OF DAY.
 THE SITE WAS ALSO REDUCED IN SIZE
CONSIDERING THAT THE WORK HAD TO ARRIVE
AND REMAIN STORED UNTIL ITS USE IN
CONSTRUCTION MANY LARGE PREFABRICATED
ELEMENTS.
 ALL THESE PROBLEMS ARE NOT ENVISAGED BY THE
PROJECT TEAM, MADE ONLY COULD CARRY AND SET
A SPECIFIC NUMBER OF CAPSULES A DAY, SLOWING
SOMEHOW PLACING.
MATERIALS
 STRUCTURAL CORES ARE
CONSTRUCTED OF RIGID STEEL
FRAMES AND CONCRETE. FROM THE
GROUND FLOOR TO THE SECOND
FLOOR IT WAS USED REINFORCED
CONCRETE WHILE THE UPPER FLOORS
LIGHTWEIGHT CONCRETE WAS USED.
 TO USE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE OF THE
STAIRS, PRECAST CONCRETE WAS
USED IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE
TOWERS IN SOILS AND PLANT
ENTRANCES TO THE ELEVATORS.
 THE CAPSULES ARE COMPOSED OF
STEEL BOXES AND FINISHED WITH
GALVANIZED STEEL PANELS
REINFORCED THOSE WHO ARE GIVEN
AN ANTI OXIDE AND A LAYER OF
SPRAY KENITEX.
OTHER DETAILS

11. A
N
A
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Y
S
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S

12. A
N
A
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Y
S
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13. THE UNIQUE DESIGN OF THE BUILDING HAS LED TO SOME
MAINTENANCE ISSUES IN RECENT YEARS.
1. ASBESTOS. TO PROVIDE FIRE PROTECTION FOR THE
THE CAPSULES, SPRAY-ON ASBESTOS (CONTAINING
(CONTAINING 12% AMOSITE) WAS USED INSIDE THE
THE CAPSULES UNDER THE FLOORS, AND BEHIND THE
BEHIND THE CEILING AND WALLS. SPRAY ON ASBESTOS
ASBESTOS WAS BANNED IN 1975. THIS MEANS
ASBESTOS REMOVAL EXPERTS ARE REQUIRED TO
TO REMOVE ASBESTOS AND ANY CAPSULE OWNERS
OWNERS SHOULD BE VERY CAUTIOUS WHEN
CONDUCTING RENOVATIONS AS THIS TYPE OF
ASBESTOS CAN BE EASILY DISPERSED.
2. PERSISTENT WATER LEAKS SINCE THE 1980S WHICH
WHICH HAVE LED TO RUST AND CORROSION.
3. AGEING WATER PIPES. SOME WATER PIPES CANNOT BE
CANNOT BE ACCESSED DUE TO THE DESIGN OF THE
THE CAPSULES.
4. DUE TO CONCERNS ABOUT THE DISPERSAL OF
ASBESTOS, THE CENTRAL AIR-CONDITIONING IS OUT
IS OUT OF SERVICE.
5. THE CENTRAL HOT WATER SYSTEM IS BROKEN AND NO
AND NO HOT WATER CAN BE SUPPLIED TO THE
CAPSULES. A SINGLE PORTABLE SHOWER-UNIT IS
IS LOCATED IN THE BUILDING’S GARAGE FOR
RESIDENTS WHO WANT A HOT SHOWER.
6. THE ROUND WINDOWS IN SOME OF THE CAPSULES
CAPSULES ARE FIXED AND CANNOT BE OPENED
(WINDOWS THAT COULD BE OPENED WERE AN
OPTIONAL EXTRA WHEN THE CAPSULES WERE NEW).
NEW).
7. INSTALLING SCAFFOLDING TO REPAIR THE EXTERIOR
EXTERIOR HAS PROVEN DIFFICULT PRESENT TIME CONDITION

14. • NAKAGIN TOWER BASED OF HIS
SUSTAINABILITY CONCEPT CALLED
“METABOLISM” ENCASING HIS VISION OF AN
ARCHITECTURAL MOVEMENT
REPRESENTATIVE OF ORGANIC GROWTH &
RESTRUCTURING WITHIN BUILDING. • IT IS
EARTHQUAKE-RESISTANT & RECYCLABLE. • IT
USES SPACE WISELY & HAS A SLENDER
DESIGN, WHICH IS BENEFICIAL FOR THE
• ELEGANT AS AN ABSTRACT CONCEPT, AND
BEAUTIFUL IN DESIGN TO OTHER
ARCHITECTS, THE TOWER TURNED OUT TO BE
ALMOST UNBEARABLE TO ITS INHABITANTS.
TINY APARTMENTS, 8 × 12 × 7 FT, THEY WERE
CONSTANTLY CRAMPED, AND THE GIANT
CONCRETE SHELL WAS UGLY AND
DEHUMANIZING. IN ADDITION, MAINTENANCE
COSTS STARTED TO PILE UP, AND THE VALUE
OF REAL-ESTATE IN THE CENTER OF THE
FAMOUS AND EXPENSIVE GINZA DISTRICT
BEGAN TO PLUMMET.
• REPUTED TO BE THE WORLD’S FIRST
STRUCTURE THAT IMPLEMENTED THE
INNOVATIVE IDEA OF CAPSULE
ARCHITECTURE, KISHO
KUROKAWA DESIGNED THE NAKAGIN
CAPSULE TOWER BASED OFF OF HIS
SUSTAINABILITY CONCEPT CALLED
“METABOLISM”, ENCASING HIS VISION OF
AN ARCHITECTURAL MOVEMENT
REPRESENTATIVE OF ORGANIC GROWTH
AND RESTRUCTURING WITHIN
BUILDINGS.
• THE NAKAGIN CAPSULE TOWER IS A “MIXED-
SYSTEM” STRUCTURE, UTILIZING BOTH
TRADITIONAL ARCHITECTURE WITH MODERN
TECHNOLOGY WITHIN ONE ENTITY. IT IS
MADE OF TWO REINFORCED CONCRETE AND
STEEL FRAME PILLARS OF ASYMMETRIC
HEIGHTS, BOTH HOUSING PUBLIC UTILITIES
SUCH AS STAIRS, ELEVATORS, PLUMBING, AND
ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS (KUROKAWA 105).
CRITICS

15. 1.Koolhaas & Obrist (2011), p. 388
2.^ Jump up to:a b c d e f Nicolai Ouroussoff, Architecture: Future Vision Banished to the Past, The New York Times, July 7, 2009, Accessed July 7, 2009.
3.Jump up^ Axel Deroubaix, Our Office in the Nakagin Capsule Tower, EYExplore Life, September 24, 2016, Accessed August 12, 2017.
4.^ Jump up to:a b Watanabe (2001), p. 148-149
5.^ Jump up to:a b Forster, Katie Tokyo’s tiny capsules of architectural flair October 3, 2014Japan Times Retrieved March 15, 2016
6.^ Jump up to:a b Yuki Solomon, Kurokawa’s Capsule Tower To Be Razed, Architectural Record, April 30, 2007, Accessed July 7, 2009.
7.Jump up^ "Miko's apartment building". Heroes Wiki. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
8.Jump up^ Movie Locations for The Wolverine Retrieved March 15, 2016
9.Jump up^ Nakagin Capsule Tower on IMDb
10.Jump up^ Nakagin Capsule Tower on IMDb
11.Jump up^ Nakagin Capsule Tower on IMDb
12.Jump up^ Recurring views of Tokyo’s utopian dream Mar 12, 2016 Japan Times Retrieved March 15, 2016
•Noboru Kawazoe, et al. (1960). Metabolism 1960: The Proposals for a New Urbanism. Bitjsutu Shuppan Sha.
•Kisho Kurokawa (1977). Metabolism in Architecture. Studio Vista. ISBN 978-0-289-70733-3
•Kisho Kurokawa (1992). From Metabolism to Symbiosis. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-85490-119-4
•Thomas Daniell (2008). After the Crash: Architecture in Post-Bubble Japan. Princeton Architectural Press. ISBN 978-1-56898-776-7
External links[edit]
•Kisho Kurokawa portfolio entry