Nakagin Capsule Tower
The Plug-In Tower
The Nakagin Capsule Tower is located in a dense
Just The Facts:
business district of the Ginza area of Tokyo,
Architect: Kisho Kurokawa
Japan. Originally, it was conceived of as a hotel
Location: Ginza, Japan
for business men to stay at during the week.
Program: Residential & Office
Today, it consists of 144 rental apartments. The
Construction Schedule: 1970 – 1972
first floor includes a self-service cafe and the sec-
Construction Type: Precast Concrete &
ond floor contains office space.
Prefabricated Capsules
Kisho Kurokawa designed the Nakagin Tower in
Number of Floors: 14
the midst of the metabolist movement of the
Number of Capsules: 144
1960’s. At this time, leading architects envisioned
Dimensions: 8’-0’’W x 13’-0’’L x 8’-0’’H
cities containing flexible and expanding struc-
Vertical Circulation: 2 Elevator Cores & 2
tures. The Nakagin tower was the first fully real-
Staircases
ized structure to develop from this movement.
Horizontal Circulation: Prefab Bridges
The capsules were originally designed to have a
Kitchens: Prefabricated Off-Site
life-span of 25 years, yet they continue to be used
Bathrooms: Prefabricated Off-Site
today. It is highly debated whether the building
Capsule Life-span: 25 years (and still going)
should be torn down due its intended life-span.
Superstructure Life-span: 100 years