The capsule hotel in Shinjuku, Tokyo is from that book.

Capsule Hotel "(カプセルホテル) is a popular high-density hotel in Japan, which is famous for its narrow accommodation space like a space capsule. These stacked cells are only enough for one person to sleep and are equipped with corresponding simple living facilities, aiming to provide a convenient and economical place for busy office workers and tired travelers.

However, the origin of the concept of "capsule hotel" can be traced back to a Japanese building built in the 1970s, which is the "Bank of China Capsule Tower" (BOC カプセルタワービービビー).

Ito Kurokawa: In the name of * * *

Kiko Kurokawa 1934 was born in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. His father is a famous architect Kurokawa. At that time, after World War II, Japan was in great need, and architects were one of the most urgently needed talents. Father often brings back some building models, and the whole family discusses how to build them to save costs, be earthquake-resistant, firm and beautiful. Soon, Ito Kurokawa followed his father's footsteps and embarked on the road of architectural design.

1957 graduated from Kyoto university majoring in architecture, and then went to Tokyo university for further study. As a graduate student, I worked in the research room of the famous architect Kenzi Ge Tan, and got the master's degree of 1959. The next year, he made a name for himself, joined the "metabolism" organization and became a member of the center. At the age of 28, he founded Kurokawa Zhangji Urban Design Office. 1964 received a doctorate from the University of Tokyo.

Kurokawa Zhangji makes building models.

In the design activities that lasted for about half a century, Kurokawa won many awards, including the French architecture Oscar Gold Award, which is known as the Nobel Prize in the world architecture, and the highest award in Japanese architecture, the Japanese Academy of Arts Award. His design of the Republic Square in Singapore won the French World Real Estate Association Award, and 1996 was the highest award for world architecture. In 2004, Kuala Lumpur International Airport won the first 2 1 Century Green Building World Award and the Italian "Owner and Architect" Excellence Award.

In recognition of his contribution to architecture, the Chicago Museum of Art permanently named its exhibition hall "Kurokawa Zhangji Gallery". In Pompidou Center, France, the original paintings and paper models of Kurokawa Hiroshi, which embody the concept of metabolic design, are permanently hidden. In addition, the "Kurokawa Chapter Retrospect Exhibition" started at the Japanese Cultural Center in Paris in June 65438+1998 10, and has been exhibited in London RIBA Architectural Center, Chicago Art Museum, Berlin Dede Center, Amsterdam Van Gogh Art Museum and Japan for more than three years. His "China Bank Capsule Tower" and "Sony Tower" are listed in UNESCO's "20th Century Heritage/Important Modern Buildings" list.

Sonita Osaka, 1976

From "metabolism" to "birth"?

1960, 26-year-old Zhang Ji Kurokawa, as the youngest founding member, joined the radical "metabolism" movement, which emphasized: "There are unknown fields in all life, and there are sacred fields beyond our rational understanding in every culture." It is said that architecture should be able to constantly renew itself like a living body, instead of emphasizing the adoption of a unified "international" model. While considering the influence of strong culture, architectural design should respect regional culture and multiculturalism.

1970 osaka world Expo, three buildings designed by Akira Kurokawa, such as the aerial theme pavilion and Toshiba IHI pavilion, and the capsule tower of China Bank in 1972 seemed to be ready to be demolished, which fully demonstrated the possibility of building development, made the rapidly developing city after the war more noisy and became a symbol of the life of the times. To this end, Kurokawa Zhang Ji is regarded as a pioneer in the construction industry.

1970 main body of Toshiba IHI pavilion of osaka world Expo

Then, after nearly 40 years' practice, Mr. Kurokawa constantly improved his thought, experienced the stages of * * * and life, and finally developed into a mature "* * * life" thought. The core content of "* * *" is: * * of different cultures, * * of human and technology, * * of internal and external, * * of part and whole, * * of history and future, * * of rationality and sensibility, and * * of religion and science.

Mr. Kurokawa said: "The humanistic theory that regards human beings as rational creatures that control the whole nature after God is facing a crisis. We should gradually realize that human survival depends on the birth of many life forms on our planet, as do architecture and culture. "

The book "Students' Thoughts" published by 1987 won the Japanese Literature and Art Award and the American AIA Best Architecture Book Award, and was also selected as one of the top ten excellent books in RIBA. It has become an important foundation in the field of architectural design, and it is also Kurokawa's greatest contribution to the field of modern architecture.

Metabolism and * * *, Jovis, 2005.

From "China Bank Cabin" to "International New Art Museum"?

In Kiko Kurokawa's works, the "Capsule Tower of Bank of China" in Tokyo, designed in 1972, occupies a very important position, which is also an important representative work of his early practice of "metabolism" and also shows Mr. Kurokawa's determination to break the shackles of "mechanical architecture" and pursue dynamic and changeable architecture.

Yin Zhong capsule tower

Exterior Detail of Capsule Tower of Bank of China

It can be divided into two parts: building a permanent structure and then inserting it into the living quarters. The latter can be replaced at any time. Kurokawa Zhang Jiyong 140 hexagonal huts are hung on two concrete cylinders, forming an asymmetric separated building. In the well-designed small room, equipped with tape radio, hi-fi, computer and bathroom, there is no extra space. China Bank Capsule Tower has become a monument to that leap era.

When talking about architecture, Kurokawa said: "The central idea of this project is not to seek the superiority of mass production, but to seek the possibility of expressing metabolism in the process of freely arranging a single space."