wejetset - magazine - LAST CALL FOR NAKAGIN

LAST CALL FOR NAKAGIN

Ahead of the curve is good. But there’s a danger in being too far ahead of the curve. One of our favorite architectural feats, Kisho Kurkawa’s Nakagin Capsule Tower, may be seeing its last days. The New York Times published an interesting article asking, “How old does a building have to be before we appreciate its value? And when does its cultural importance trump practical considerations?”

When we visited the Nakagin a few years ago – it was an impressive building that didn’t seem to get the respect it deserved. As the Times points out, “A rare built example of Japanese Metabolism, a movement whose fantastic urban visions became emblems of the country’s postwar cultural resurgence, the 1972 Capsule Tower is in a decrepit state. Its residents, tired of living in squalid, cramped conditions, voted two years ago to demolish it and are now searching for a developer to replace it with a bigger, more modern tower. That the building is still standing has more to do with the current financial malaise than with an understanding of its historical worth.” Could this be the last days for the Nakagin? We recommend checking it out before it’s too late. You can read the full article here.