About the Tower Built out of Small Capsules
The Nakagin Capsule Tower located in the city of Ginza, looks more like a bunch of washing machines placed on top of each other, than a residential apartment tower. This tower is built out of 140 condensed capsules, small housing units, designed for single residents, especially individual businessmen.
The tower was built in the beginning of the 70’s and was completed in 1972. It was planned by the Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa, as an apartment and office building. Since the day it was launched it became an example of a groundbreaking building, which offered an alternative solution that seemed well suited for the most crowded metropolis in the world called Tokyo.
The tower, which is mostly made of mass-produced capsules or
cells, is one of the most important and famous buildings in Japan. The capsules were originally intended to be used as individual residential units, or as small offices. In each residential capsule is a shower and toilet, along with a bed, television and telephone. The idea was to allow cheap accommodation in the city, for people who live far away and want to stay in Tokyo for the night.
But vision is one thing and reality is another. Although it
is considered an icon of the Japanese avant-garde movement, this eccentric tower is destined to be destroyed. The reason is that the capsules, which were originally supposed to be replaced every 25 years, were not replaced at all and reached a state of severe neglect, which led the building to its predicament and turned it into a target for demolition
As predicted, the tower was designated for demolition after being purchased by a local investment fund, but instead, the owners of the land announced that they would build a new and prestigious tower.
By the time you get to Tokyo, it might have already happened, and you might not see this ‘washing machine like’ tower, but instead a different, modern one.
