Nakagin Capsule Tower facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Nakagin Capsule Tower |
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| General information | |
| Type | Residential, office |
| Architectural style | Metabolism |
| Location | Tokyo, Japan |
| Coordinates | 35°39′56.20″N 139°45′48.20″E / 35.6656111°N 139.7633889°E |
| Construction started | 1970 |
| Completed | 1972 |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 13 |
| Floor area | 3,091.23 m2 (33,273.7 sq ft) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Kisho Kurokawa |
The Nakagin Capsule Tower (中銀カプセルタワー, Nakagin Kapuseru Tawā) was a very famous building in Tokyo, Japan. It was designed by a Japanese architect named Kisho Kurokawa. This unique building had both small apartments and offices inside. It was located in the area of Shimbashi in Tokyo.
The Nakagin Capsule Tower was special because it was the world's first "modular capsule" building. It's also a great example of an architectural style called Metabolism. This style focused on buildings that could grow and change over time.
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What Made the Tower Special?
The building was made of two main towers. These towers were like the building's backbone. One tower had eleven floors, and the other had thirteen. Inside these towers were the elevators, stairs, and all the pipes for water and electricity.
Attached to these two main towers were 140 separate "capsules." Each capsule was a small apartment or office. They were about 2.3 m (7.5 ft) wide, 3.8 m (12 ft) long, and 2.1 m (6.9 ft) high. Each capsule had one round window.
How the Capsules Were Built
The capsules were made of lightweight steel. They were built in a different place, Shiga Prefecture, and then brought to Tokyo on trucks. Each capsule was connected to the main towers with just four bolts.
This design was very clever. The capsules were not connected to each other. This meant that any capsule could be taken off or put back without disturbing the others.
A Vision for the Future
Kisho Kurokawa, the architect, had a big idea for the Nakagin Capsule Tower. He imagined that the main towers would stay, but the capsules would be temporary. His plan was to replace old capsules with new ones over time.
This would allow the building to change as new technology came out. It also meant that capsules could be updated or swapped as people moved in or out. You could even imagine moving a capsule from one building to another! However, this part of the plan never happened. No new capsules were ever built to replace the old ones.
Why the Tower Was Taken Down
Over the years, the Nakagin Capsule Tower became very old. People who lived there said it had many problems. They mentioned issues like asbestos, which is a material that can be harmful. They also said the building was not repaired well and was falling apart.
Because of these problems, the people who owned the capsules decided to take the building down. Many architects, including Kurokawa himself, wanted to save the building. They believed it was an important example of modern architecture and history. But in the end, the tower was taken down in 2022.
Images for kids
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Replica of a sample room, Nakagin Capsule Tower type
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Overlay the digital content of the Nakagin Capsule Tower Building on the physical world through augmented reality created by the 3D Digital Archive Project.
