Hotel developers share Nakagin Capsule Towers replacement in Tokyo
Developers shared visuals recently of a new building that will be constructed where Nakagin Capsule Tower used to stand in Tokyos Ginza district. Accor, a global hospitality leader based in France, is behind the project which replaces the the famous Metabolist project from 1970 by Kisho Kurokawa.AN has reached out to Accor for details on the architects working on the forthcoming hotel project. The replacement tower will host the Tokyo flagship of Pullman, a brand hotel. It will contain 145 guest rooms, an all-day dining restaurant, a destination bar, and other amenities, according to a press release. Its modular exterior will have a gold lacquer, standing in stark contrast with the building it replaces.Demolition on Nakagin Capsule Tower started in 2022, and its capsules are now scattered all over the world. One capsule, for instance, is currently on view at Romes MAXXI in an exhibition curated by Diller Scofidio+Renfro.Demolition on the tower began in 2022. (Mark Dytham)Nakagin Capsule Tower was marred by maintenance issues for years after its completion. In 2018, the former owner (Nakagin Integration) had become frustrated with high maintenance costs and sold the land under the building, which it operated as a condominium, to a real estate company. In 2019, realtors floated demolishing the prized building, ushering in public outcries to save it. Those initial demo plans eventually subsided, but the idea to raise the building came up again in 2021. Demolition subsequently began in April 2022 and lasted several months. Afterward, the capsules were shipped to museums, and elsewhere.Kisho Kurokawa & Associates took initiative and relocated several capsules from Nakagin to an off-site location for conservation. In San Francisco, SFMOMA restored one capsule, which is now part of the museums permanent collection, as reported by AN.Another capsule is on display at Japans Museum of Modern Art Saitama. Meanwhile, Centre Pompidou in Paris may acquire another module for its permanent collection.Archivists have created a meticulous digital model of Nakagin Capsule Tower in the event of its reconstruction sometime in the future, albeit at a different location.The new hotel will open in late 2027.