Nakagin Capsule Tower

Author: Richard Perkins
Photos/Videos Taken: 2021/07/10・2022/08/14
Address: 8-16-10 Ginza, Chuo-ku,
Tokyo,【104-0061】

This is the 中銀カプセルタワービル (nakagin kapuseru tawa biru), or the Nakagin Capsule Tower. This is a building that was built in the Chūō ward of Tokyo, in an area known as Ginza, and was a revolutionary building that was designed by architect Kisho Kurokawa. Construction was completed in 1972 and was much different from other buildings in the area. The rooms in this building were not all built inside of the same structure but were all constructed inside separate capsules, each one on top of another.

By designing each room in a separate capsule the idea was that if one capsule (for whatever reason) became unusable, rather than repairing it as one would in any other building, one could just replace that capsule with a brand new one. A fantastic idea, but not very practical. The price of each capsule was so expensive that it wasn’t possible to replace any of them. This building ended up costing more money to maintain than expected.

After construction, most of the capsules in the Nakagin Capsule Tower became unusable. Along with hot water becoming unusable in this building, many of the roofs of the capsules collapsed inwards. This is a building that became unfit for anyone to live in. Even so, many loved the Nakagin Capsule Tower, going as far as to buy or rent capsules and renovate them. Those who renovated capsules used them as an office, apartments, etc. It wasn’t much, but through the love that some had for this building, the Nakagin Capsule Tower sprung (slightly) back to life.

Along with capsules being too expensive to replace, the framework of the Nakagin Capsule Tower was so complicated that even just making the necessary repairs to make the building fully livable again was unable to be done. Should this building be left as it is? Or should this building be torn down? This was a topic that was under debate for quite some time. Given the all-around complexity of this building, they decided to tear it down. Thus, the end of an era, a goodbye to the Nakagin Capsule Tower. Seeing (as previously mentioned) that this was one building loved so much that some bought and/or rented rooms in this building and renovated them, and seeing as that many fans enjoyed this building via tours that were given, many people have been expressing their disappointment on the decision to tear down this building. For such a unique building, it really is a disappointment.