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07 July 2009

Future Vision Banished to the Past: (NYT link) Tokyo's "Capsule Tower" is in disrepair and will probably be torn down. [More:] (Lots more images via Google.) The tower was an attempt to address how people actually use cities, rather than being a showy calling-card for its architect. While not "pretty," it is historically unique, and it's a shame to see it go.
Wow, that's sad, from an architectural history standpoint, but completely understandable from a residential perspective. It seems like a hated building. It's from an era of a sort of authoritarian futurism, rather than a more organic individualism. If the pods had been more configurable ... I dunno. Certainly they were constraining. I'm surprised the article didn't get more emotional response from the residents about why they felt this way, as I would have found that fascinating. What was their relationship with the building, beyond the obvious dysfunctionality?
posted by dhartung 07 July | 11:20
It seems like the tower was doomed from the start by the arrogance of the designers. They designed the apartments so specifically made them so hard to modify that they weren't able to adapt to future use. They are cool looking though.
posted by octothorpe 07 July | 12:21
Yeah, its failures are much of what make it interesting, and also an important piece of architectural history.

We're so used to EVERYTHING being customizable now, it's hard to understand a time when buildings were thought of as a kind of machine, and something that could (and, some thought, should) be as streamlined and standardized as possible.
posted by BoringPostcards 07 July | 12:37
Definitely a sad loss. I'm fascinated with small living spaces (Tumbleweed Houses, etc.). The tower pods reminds me, to some extent, of Ripley's apartment in Aliens 2.
posted by deborah 07 July | 19:20
This is tonight's dinner. || Doctors lecturing about healthcare reform?

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