Nakagin Capsule Tower

Tokyo
Height
1
To Tip:
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest point of the building, irrespective of material or function of the highest element (i.e., including antennae, flagpoles, signage and other functional-technical equipment).
54 m / 177 ft
2
Architectural:
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the architectural top of the building, including spires, but not including antennae, signage, flag poles or other functional-technical equipment. This measurement is the most widely utilized and is employed to define the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) rankings of the "World's Tallest Buildings."
54 m / 177 ft
  Floors
Above Ground
The number of floors above ground should include the ground floor level and be the number of main floors above ground, including any significant mezzanine floors and major mechanical plant floors. Mechanical mezzanines should not be included if they have a significantly smaller floor area than the major floors below. Similarly, mechanical penthouses or plant rooms protruding above the general roof area should not be counted. Note: CTBUH floor counts may differ from published accounts, as it is common in some regions of the world for certain floor levels not to be included (e.g., the level 4, 14, 24, etc. in Hong Kong).
13
Below Ground
The number of floors below ground should include all major floors located below the ground floor level.
1
1 2 Nakagin Capsule Tower
Height 54 m / 177 ft
Floors 13
Official Name
The current legal building name.

Nakagin Capsule Tower

Type
CTBUH collects data on two major types of tall structures: 'Buildings' and 'Telecommunications / Observation Towers.' A 'Building' is a structure where at least 50% of the height is occupied by usable floor area. A 'Telecommunications / Observation Tower' is a structure where less than 50% of the structure's height is occupied by usable floor area. Only 'Buildings' are eligible for the CTBUH 'Tallest Buildings' lists.

Building

Status
Completed
Architecturally Topped Out
Structurally Topped Out
Under Construction
Proposed
On Hold
Never Completed
Vision
Competition Entry
Canceled
Proposed Renovation
Under Renovation
Renovated
Under Demolition
Demolished

Under Demolition

Completion

1972

Country
The CTBUH follows the United Nations's definition of Country, and thus uses the lists and codes established by that organization.

Japan

City
The CTBUH follows the United Nations's definition of City, and thus uses the lists and codes established by that organization.

Tokyo

Address

8-16-10 Ginza, Chuo-ku

Function
A single-function tall building is defined as one where 85% or more of its usable floor area is dedicated to a single usage. Thus a building with 90% office floor area would be said to be an "office" building, irrespective of other minor functions it may also contain.

A mixed-use tall building contains two or more functions (or uses), where each of the functions occupy a significant proportion of the tower's total space. Support areas such as car parks and mechanical plant space do not constitute mixed-use functions. Functions are denoted on CTBUH "Tallest Building" lists in descending order, e.g., "hotel/office" indicates hotel function above office function.

Serviced Apartments / Office / Retail

Height
Architectural
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the architectural top of the building, including spires, but not including antennae, signage, flag poles or other functional-technical equipment. This measurement is the most widely utilized and is employed to define the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) rankings of the "World's Tallest Buildings."

54 m / 177 ft

To Tip
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest point of the building, irrespective of material or function of the highest element (i.e., including antennae, flagpoles, signage and other functional-technical equipment).
54 m / 177 ft
Floors Above Ground
The number of floors above ground should include the ground floor level and be the number of main floors above ground, including any significant mezzanine floors and major mechanical plant floors. Mechanical mezzanines should not be included if they have a significantly smaller floor area than the major floors below. Similarly, mechanical penthouses or plant rooms protruding above the general roof area should not be counted. Note: CTBUH floor counts may differ from published accounts, as it is common in some regions of the world for certain floor levels not to be included (e.g., the level 4, 14, 24, etc. in Hong Kong).

13

Floors Below Ground
The number of floors below ground should include all major floors located below the ground floor level.

1

# of Apartments
Number of Apartments refers to the total number of residential units (including both rental units and condominiums) contained within a particular building.

140

Tower GFA
Tower GFA refers to the total gross floor area within the tower footprint, not including adjoining podiums, connected buildings or other towers within the development.

3,091 m² / 33,271 ft²

Construction Schedule

1970

Construction Start

1972

Completed

2022

Demolished

Owner/Developer
Nakagin Group
Architect
Design

Usually involved in the front end design, with a "typical" condition being that of a leadership role through either Schematic Design or Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.
Kisho Kurokawa Architects & Associates

Research

28 April 2015

Debating Tall: Should Nakagin Capsule Tower Be Preserved?

Erez Golani Solomon, Waseda University; Christian Dimmer, University of Tokyo

The Nakagin Capsule Tower, designed by Kisho Kurokawa and constructed in 1972, is an emblem of the Metabolism movement. With built-in features such as telephones,...

 

Global News

15 April 2022

Demolition of Capsule Tower Begins in Tokyo

The dismantling of the metabolist Nakagin Capsule Tower in Tokyo has begun, with the interiors of its modular capsule homes already resembling a "demolition site."...

See more

Global News

15 April 2022

Demolition of Capsule Tower Begins in Tokyo

The dismantling of the metabolist Nakagin Capsule Tower in Tokyo has begun, with the interiors of its modular capsule homes already resembling a "demolition site."...

04 April 2022

Tokyo's Historic Metabolism Movement Tower to be Demolished

The futuristic-looking Nakagin Capsule Tower in Tokyo will be demolished in April, 2022 its owners say, after a long battle to save the building and...

27 April 2021

Iconic Tokyo Capsule Tower to be Sold

The iconic Nakagin Capsule Tower building in Ginza is reaching the final stages of its saga as the capsule owners have voted in favor to...

12 August 2019

Iconic Tokyo Tower Could be Saved

Tokyo’s Nakagin Capsule Tower apartment building, a surviving icon of Japan’s Metabolism movement in the 1970s, may soon have a savior from its impending demolition,...