THE AVANT-GARDE COMMON

 The thesis is an exploration into the avant-garde movements of late mid 20th century.

 The mechanization theories and solutions sought to amalgamate people irrespective of

geographical and economical constrictions breaking all class barriers. It bought about new hope
of a freer world away from the factories were people enjoy more time due to mechanized
production.
Their aim was for more human interaction

 the advent of machine age at the turn of the 20th century prompted technological
advancements while provoking utopian speculations. Constant Nieuwenhuys envisioned his
New Babylon; a city of pleasure, Archigram proposed mass produced instant towns, Superstudio
designed Monolithic blocks uniting continents and the Situationists attempted todissolve all this
urban development. Now as we move from the machine age to the digital & information agewe
need to learn form these chapters of our past to take on the challenges of the current era like
sustainability

 Utopian experiments took a back step during the wars as the major concern shifted to
availability of simple fast and efficient livable space for the causalities. It spurred the
industrialized concepts of prefabrication and standardization. The later groups of architects
carried forward this rational impemetaion of modular elements and used it as the core technical
ideas carring their utopian ideas.

1959 is a special yr the birth of metabolism 1959 book by fred Kaplan 1959 is a very special year, it’s not

only the genesis of Metabolism, it’s as Fred Kaplan shows in his book 1959: The Year Everything

Changed, a year where many things happened, microchips, birth control, the beginning of the space race,

the computer revolution, the rise pop art, free jazz, the new journalism, Castro emerged, Malcolm X,

Motown, the generation gap happening, it’s a very, very long list, everything happened in 1959. And last

but not least Chris Marker did his wonderful Little Planet book about Japan in 1959, the same year

Metabolism emerged in Japan.

In his own aphorism: 'In architecture, a form is a noun, in the industry a verb.'3, as he constantly sought
for a design that both adapts to us, its users or its environment, and can be adapted to meet new needs,
new functions or that can change its composition throughout its lifespan. Through his liberal understanding
of the built environment, he continuously investigated the ability of architecture to adapt to the varying
requirements of our modern day society. We can thus see his work as a guide to understanding how design
can accommodate those changing situations and be adapted to new forms of use, rather than stagnation.
Besides reaching the ultimate structural mobility, Buckminster deemed it possible for a building to be
completely self-sufficient, way before the actual technologies to achieve this were developed.
I live on Earth at present, and I don't know what I am. I know that I am not a category. I am not a
thing — a noun. I seem to be a verb, an evolutionary process —an integral function of the universe. 4-3 Fuller, R. B.
(1938). Nine Chains to the Moon. J. B. Lippincott Company. Philadelphia. p. 41.
4 Fuller, R. B. with Agel, J. and Fiore, Q. (1970). I Seem to be a Verb. Bantam Books

The metabolists left there markas seen over the decades the tokyoobay plan was one of the large urban
solutions in the area and it showed a different model of system approach arther than thye prevalent
zoning method. The system said spatial organization based on citrculation network . after the eco
meltdown there was a eco resdurgence called the bubble economy of 1980s where construction ahain
started in the Tokyo bay area the Tokyo teleport town and yokohana minato mirai are mega projects one
an see the congtinuity from the metabolists idea of technologhiucal optimisn and systems approach of
integrationinfra public space and archiotec.

INFLUENCE OF METABOLISTS

 In the modern times we see architets like rem Koolhaas who was influenced by the
megastructural theories of the metabolists. It can be seen inhis work of as Seattle Central
Library, Villa Dallava and especially CCTV who broke through the traditional pattern of
Skyscrapers, to find the available space in the vertical direction
 The work of metabolist and their reference to natural process relates to syste,m thinking in
biology. Similar to this in the recent times we have seen many contemporary research inthis
sphere taking systems thinking into account with the help of digital and fabrication technology.
In urbanism, ideas of intrinsic self-organising
 patterns have made their way into the works by Jane
 Jacobs, Christopher Alexander and more recently Niko Salingrados, Stephen Marshall and others
 While otherd have also started working with emergent theories which is derived from the study
of biological processes in order to asses how natural patterns and systems can be integrated to
architectural and urban design. Is undeniable though that tech is playing a bigger role in pushing
 the boundaries of sustainability. The thing to learn from the metabolists is their assent towards
change , uncertainty and adaptation along with their persevearence to accomplish their
manisfesto, They probably succeeced because new ways of thinking the city was desperately
needed.
 Probably the current environmental crises is what is needed to knit the community and
aaddress the boiling issue. The manifesto ffom japan looks quite relevant to tadays cises with
rising sea water and rapid urbanization and sustainabiliuty crises at the forefront.

One can see traces of metabolim and how they affected the current crop one certain project is the the
Brazilian office De Furnier &Associates. They won the competition by making a Palermo Cranes.taking
the cranes a as the framework it revitalizes the port. Another is docks the paris which keeps the existing
buildings while creating extensionsto house different activities.

Learnin g from metablisst alienation of the indiv in the megastructure – urban issues to learn form the
collosal size to avoid there mistakesdutch architects mvrdv recently designed the RQ!dovre Skyscraper
in Copenhagen The shape reflects Copenhagen's historical spire,
the single family home and the present day sky scraper.183The
tower comprises of a public plaza with retail and restaurants
on the lower floors, the middle part are offices, with sky
gardens staggered along the south side. Similar to Metabolist
'capsules' and 'move-nets,' the stacked village uses 60 met resThe shape reflects Copenhagen's historical
spire,
the single family home and the present day sky scraper.183The
tower comprises of a public plaza with retail and restaurants
on the lower floors, the middle part are offices, with sky
gardens staggered along the south side. Similar to Metabolist
'capsules' and 'move-nets,' the stacked village uses 60 met res

Atelier bow wow in tokyo created a movement called void metabolism where the architects exploit the
void and see a greater chnge and growth "Metabolists are the most important reference. Our work can
be a critique of Metabolism. The situation is really different ...
now the power and capital of making the city is not
concentrated in one part; it is segregated and dispersed. It is
very important to use this fragmented energy to make the city
and bring the meaningful production of urban space."

It is focusedin the empty spaceinstedt of the megastructural core and capsule sytel m breaking down
barriers that before where created by these colossal structures between pvt and shared public spaces.
The learning they have taken up form the metabolists is their acceptance of change adaotabiliy and
uncertainty

, Void
Metabolist Tsukamoto explains:
nwe cannot make a strategy of the growth of the city just from
a figure·ground understanding. We should focus on the
principles of this growth. .. we can push this logic and principle
and we can push the way to grow the city towards a better
living environment.» 191
Tsukamoto describes how,
"through walking around the reality of everyday life, we can
start to see an urban micro•ecosystem." Describing how maybe this is the reason of metabolistsfailures
their failure in engaging with the immediate context and to find a balancewithin the sporadic networks
of the city.which is sustaining the city itself instead they though that the colossal megastructure would
act as a backbone o all city amenties

Vincent Callebaut's Dragonfly Wing at1d Kevin Schopfer's NOAH

Project. Ropoggi Hill and Maki's Singapore Palytechnique also
inherited some metabolism quality.

Metabolsist inspiriation ANAA, Sou Fujimoto, and BIG are contemporary figures reinterpreting the
formal languages and theory of Metabolism and Group Form. Yet, where the former approaches relied
on rational, connected configurations of the unit, these architects are developing a style where more
scattered, disordered compositions are preferred to induce spatial variation and blur relationships
between interior and exterior. Fundamental to their approach is the freeing of the unit from a rational
grid or network, and the intuitive chaos of the plan. Their new approach evinces incredible social
dynamics and spatial variety of the ‘in-between’, a key concept of both Metabolists like Kisho Kurokawa
and Structuralists like Aldo Van Eyck.

In contrast to this model, contemporary architects such as Sou Fujimoto and SANAA are reviving unit-
based strategies in service of related aims. Sejima and Nishizawa’s Moriyama House (2005), for example,
explores the potential of empty space between self-similar architectural units. Conceived as a communal
house in an urban neighborhood for five renting tenants and one landlord, certain units of smaller scale
contain shared domestic services, while others have a generic treatment that enables flexibility in
occupancy and domestic relationships. (39) The architectural and spatial fluidity of the project matches its
potential for different kinds of occupancies over time. It distinguishes itself from a dualistic Metabolist
scheme by virtue that each of its massing units is structurally the same and separated from each other. In
theory, this would enable frictionless modification or renovation to any single unit. While the difference
in scale and density between the Moriyama co-housing project and a Metabolist tower is significant; as a
comparison of architectural diagrams there is something provocative about the urban framework and
communal ideology Moriyama House (2005) represents.

THE PROFOUND IMPACT O THE METABOLIST CAN BE PROBABLYseen in the japamn of today which boast
the greathest no of viaducts flyovers and tunnesls . it seems as in the metabolisst vision of the complex
veb of interconnected megastructures via flyways have turned into this labrith of multilayered city
platforms weaving inside builings abov streets lvls diff services connected at diff lvls a parking lot above
he building
Learnings success from meaboliss
 what do we learn from the metabolist and theirmanifesto after more than 50 yrs of its launch –.
 Metaboist seems to be the last moment when architecture was a public rather than a private
affair -pKoolhaas and Obrist’s book
The manifesto though influenced by the peers and past masters was a step away from the prevalent
mechanized architecture and was a shift more towards the biodynamic age and ecology. the metabolists
sought to stitch together tradition tech nature and man While taking into account their past and
creatively assuming the future. This is what kurukawa explained as a integrated approach]
 . Koolhaas suggests
that it is only by facing frontally the challenges of
the most urbanised parts of the world that urbanism
can become significant again and reconnect to our
own cultural processes.

Its important to note the relevance of modular unit in those time. It led to minimizing the const waste.
The capsules were reusable made in its entirety of steel. While the skeleton was of steel but the outer
materia had the ada[ptability to be fitted with local and renewable magterials. Capsules designed by
kurukawa for the nagakin were known to be affordable bieleved to be similarly priced to a car . it led to
mass vustomization and quality control.
In terms of techica prowess it bought about a whole lot of new techniques to the forefront
Logics of standardization prefab onsite installation, reducinf construction time but it is also noted that it
was the limitation of technology that led to shortcoming in realizing the ultimate vision of then
metabolists.

Although such rigidness has been overcome by recent developments in cad softwares and advent of
fabrication tools like 3d printing. Making production process more streamlined. Now the digitaly driven
machinery can overcome complex forms and shapes at ow cost hence establishing more variety and not
limiting to standarduization.

The metabolists thinking targets the relationship between the society and the individual.

The Metabolists developed their organic schemes of network cities as a response to actual issues. They
did not envision infill of streets
and new public transportation systems to solve this task, but they worked out entirely new forms of
total organizations that went beyond the existing city. The focus was set on unifying all urban aspects
into one big organism: all sorts of flows were enabled by a basic three-dimensional skeleton of longterm
service structures, which held containers for various functional units of different life-cycles.
These megastructures branched in a hierarchy from large traffic arteries and transportation lanes down
to streets on the pedestrian level. They connected public and commercial facilities with housing, which
was being organized on terraces of artificial land where the inhabitants could build their houses
according to their taste. In this total scheme, everything was regarded as part of a flow, in a constant
process of becoming and declining. Through the reorganization of space the entire landscape of
planning and architecture was meant to change

What we learn from metabolim is that if there is an intelligent state with a clear agenda interested inn
using architects as the driver to create better spaces. Another thing is adaptatoion of the new tech and
media.
Partipication was an importance as seen in how the metaboliust correspondent with the west and
invited them to show their works be it the work of he master tange or the protégé 25 yr olf kurukawa.
To convey an image of modernity japan even ame up with Japanese architecture magazine in englisjh
called japan arcgitectlaunched in 1956 . the success of metaboolist can be seen in all these steps.japan
architect helped to convey the message of the metabolist wide and far.

The esson to be learned here is that a spac should enhance human to humn affair striving for socisl
perfectionwhile tech takinga step back playingthe role of the supportingcast as can be seen the
problem in parametri design today with the greater assertion of tech sometimes

Metsbolists achieved a number of first throughout their portfolio like the expo roof of 1970 which was
considered as the largest singlr structure worldwide first capsule arch
They revolutionalised prefab tech and const. enhancing use of steel and devising new production and
manu skills
Metabolism incessant drive is probably what was needed to tackle tokyos mas urbanism

Resuscitating the metabolist ideas as it is is not ideal however the process is a learning curve where
Japanese use the system of 50 percent past 50 percent future
Diving into their past and traditions to enlighten their future
although its failures has influenced the contemporary architects to build better the highrise cant be
avoided especially in the dense par of asia but should be made sure it shuldnt be so dense as the loss of
indivual isolation and anonymity
the new skyscrapers like the shanghai should incorporate the prefab steel while incorporating social and
ecology.
.

Its imporatt to notice how 6 or 7 archietcts changed the face of japan and its not about the tech prowess
it s more about the imagination like an org like nasa were 4000 ppl seriously entertained fantasy to
make possible the lunar landing the contemporary proffesion has lost the will to work on visionary
elements and tring to achien\ve the immeadiate goals very realistic with very few actors working on
unconventional aims and trying to enginner its implementation. It may take a long time but proff today
is under a strict timeline .with proj goinf for a max of 4 years wich is a typial pred of a poliyicians power

Today take for example a work like iconic – the nakagin deserves the title because of the extensive
research behing it it had a manifesto an idea a certain degree of madness . these were pure ideas
whereas to day the term ‘icon’ is bandied about and applied to things that simply don’t deserve it.- rem

The metabolists work flow involved interactions with the professions travellign to ciam discussions and
staging worksops and events like the expo and wodeco 1960. Similarly they used media and graphic
communicaqtion

The oother important aspect is the rhetoric ploy, betenn the old and the new maintained by the
metaboists 50 modern 50tradition

Learning from metbolists – we are lonely ioperators-rem there is a high degree of competition . the
metabolists stickjed togewtehr imspite of having different views .

Tange organizd the platform in 1960 with the big names invited ike louis khan etc he aunched his pupil so
basically someone likettange who was already quiteprominent provided the platform this is seen in japan

Japan put the construtiion industry to forefront kurukawa was an imp perdonality injapan for 14 yras he
would go every week h e had ashow where he would propagate his idea . He could talk about anything
and he had an audience and with that program he influenced deeply the course that Japan would take. And
doing so he became also perhaps the most prominent person that was able to interview Japanese
politicians, in this case the prime minister, so you see an architect kind of inventing and stepping outside
the identity of architecture
, when we finally came to a bureaucrat who also had been trained by Tange to be an architect, Tange

positioned the bureaucrat in the main bureaucracy of Japan, and in doing so Japanese architecture has a

kind of permanent supply of commissions. What we discovered is that basically the Metabolists were not
only creative people but also their creativity was to some extent sponsored and to some extent even an

extension of the imagination of the state.

the thijng to learn from this small collective is thereurgency to transform the ir country and make it their
project using new tools which was recogniuzably dereived from their ancient roots and traditios while
working in close alliance with the state giving it greater prominence and credibility and throught their
work mobilizing other iondutry and disciplines- it was truly a strong manifesto the likes of which has not
be seen again. The 21st century manifesto is no more seen , architects seems to be skeptical of it.there is
a sense of guarded ness intimaidated of huge revolution probably shocking the existing system iof pvt
interests .

so much so was their effort that rem says -, how is it that it still means something to identify somebody as
a Japanese architect and how it has become completely meaningless to talk about a French architect, an
American architect, or a Belgian architect, or a Dutch architect, and so—that—we were really baffled by
that. We all participate deeply in globalization but somehow some of us have abandoned our national
identity and others seem to still to derive profit from it without disqualifying themselves from that
participation. It’s just my observation, I think if you look at my work, it could be French, it could be
Turkish, but it could never be Japanese. It’s my own. Or it could be Russian, but it could never be
Japanese. Maybe that is that ongoing, continuing connection with tradition. I mean, our countries have
abandoned tradition as a kind of virtue, and I think Japan has obviously resisted doing that in a kind of
very clever precaution, I think, against loss of identity

Ideas in japan werecultivated and transferred to future generation

In a way now no more since everyone is doing independent wok

One of the astmoments where urbanism made a big impact

The pasising on of the tech and knowledge is seen in Japanese arch in the works of wooden houses by
kenzotyange to the more avant garde peoject like the sky house and on to architectsnlike toyo ito and
Sanaa

This continuity in Japanese arch is evident there is a cont bet exterior and interior between their ancient
and advanced material the ties between various gen odf architects and masters and tgheir students

Fabrication tech – in the era of the metabolists the ratrionality of the fabrication determined the forms
and shapes which hasnow changed drfastically with the advent of digital fabrication. Wwhich has led to
mass customizationninstead pof mass production .today we can fabricate unique shapeswithout
compromiinf on efficiency or time.

The current systems has bought u closer to realise the metaboolists projects which they couldn’t but
thatdoest meanthat duplicsting those dedignsd are gonna help us.

Certain features coud beobserved in metabolists schemes and urban solutops – a strong connection to
tradition -they dismissed use of parks streets etc over hyper mechanical forms -use of mass profd
The metabolist embraced the city and did not conider it as a monument biut more as a transitional space
it was a cade of urban impermeanence

Govermen
Japanes govt strived to project an image of technology cars tv industry inorder to increase their foreign
trade
“I believe that the last time the government and architects managed to work together was the period of
the Metabolists. So I was interested in looking at where we are now compared to that time when the
situation was fundamentally different.”
Rem Koolhaas
The combination of utopian imagination and the govt involvement was a crucial spark to their success
the merging of archi and beurocracy . like rem says that the public sector is the one with vision which we
haven’t had for a lng time now . comparing to yhe utopian idea in uk of archigram they were never
realized while the industrial culture of asia blvd in them and made them possible.

Due to their much more comprehensive ties with thebeurocracy economics .the archigram saw the

capsule as a means of liberation frim the societal m=norms and political org the Japanese capsule was a

mena to fix the social relationship in the overall framework

government role govt put up special agendas for the building companies to thrive . for the govt the
construction industry was one of the primary role in the development of its gnp there main aim was that
of th growth of modern industria tech by importing knowledge from offshore and extensive growth of the
cities. They put together some advance studies for future cities - rem Koolhaas book
during this push the construvtion industry accounyted for 30 per of the total gross expenditure of japan
hence being one of the foundation of japans econoimjc boost and bwing the primary industry

they were the direct simulius in research projects in advanced building systems And urban soliutions by
appointing the metabolist to undertake studies and holding design competitions

Metabolism was the ast time where a creative sector and the the state joint hands to form a kind of pubic

sector – together sculpting the future . the tange ab so to say was truy an amalgamation f artists architects

beurocrats and intelectuals

now the client is no onger public its private whatwe need iback is the vigour of the sate activism. The
market economy iosnow the sole arbiter of almost every value which has left architecture separated
architecture from an important agenda of the public good and helps serving the pvt agenda and interests
here we need to again blv in another kind of cxcreqtiviy It was a kind of creative beurocraacy which went
hand in hand with imagination-

rem says that this was probably last moment when these two ere working together because it is
impossible to find any other movement or collective working together with the state such coherenceis
difficult to capture . probably it had to do with ecology as glimpsed in projects like Asada’s Childrenland
or Otaka’s project for the Tokyo Bay,-- the extreme challenges of sustainability and ecology and that has
made it more relevant now we are not etting any better
Effect of the state imaginative state

The third case is of a recent projects and of new emerging architect, Alejandro Aravena as a winner of
architecture’s top prize, the Pritzker, at the relatively young age of 48. He tackles many fronts, from
guaranteeing very concrete, down-to-earth living standards to interpreting and fulfilling human desires,
from respecting the single individual to taking care of the common good, from efficiently hosting daily
activities to expanding the frontiers of civilization. As in his speech as a curator for Venice Architecture
Biennale 2016, under the title Reporting from the Front, he emphasized the role of the architect as
being challenged to serve greater social and humanitarian needs [14], and true to its words his project,
such as the Quinta – Monroy (Figure 5), where the architects together with the government, have
contributed meaningfully to the discourse of social housing. Their solution of providing a basic quality
house, for a very small amount of money, was to provide half of the house. By working closely with the
residents of squatters that had lived unsteadily on an urban site, the architects designed a lot of capacity
for the community to live their lives and which could then add on and expand their house whenever
possible, and in many different ways, customizing and individualizing their spaces [15].

Acc ti Koolhaas this activist state nature is needed.

Where the state has anj active hand in helping develop for theppl

The govt workded relentlessly in1961 the plan for Tokyo explansion begun. No of staelite cities were
created, in 1963 the 31m capp fht limit was lifted.it hosted the 1964 olympic games and the workd expo
1970
Meabolis general
The Sky House consists of only one open square room, floating above
ground on piers containing plumbing compartments appended on two sides of the building indicating
expandability. It suggests possible expansions extending from the main cell by what Kikutake called
‘move-nets’, which would be plugged in beneath the floor to provide bathrooms, storage space, and
removable children’s rooms for an expanding and contracting family. The design is extraordinary in
that it follows the logic of structuralist or system thinking, while adapting the organizational principles
of the traditional Japanese house with its open plan, as well as its symbolic imagery expressed in the
form of the roof [25]. The Sky House can be seen as a first built prototype for the following mostly
more or less utopian or visionary Metabolist proposals that stayed on a discursive level.
“the only non-white avant-garde in 3,000 years” by Rem
Koolhaas (1995: 1044),
Maybe the metabolists figured iout some parts correctly as seen in the market trends of recent
deveopments in japoan. The urban renovation in jaoan has a steep trend its called a brand new city as
most of its nbilings have been demiolishded and reconstrucvtured after the war and cstill continueas the
renewa oprocess at the rate of about 30 percent every ten year .--- Botand Bognar, “What Goes Up,
Must Come Down,” Harvard Design Magazine 3 (Fall 1997), 35

conservation. As historian Nyozekan Hasegawa argues, the importance of tradition in Japan “lies not so
much in preserving the cultural properties of the past as in giving shape to contemporary culture; not in
the retention of things as they were, but in the way certain … qualities inherent in them live on in the
contemporary culture.”27 - Nyozekan Hasegawa, The Japanese Character, trans. John Bestor (Tokyo:
Kodansha International, 1965), 101-102.

Kurokawa’s 1960 Agricultural City was developed as a response to the Ise Bay Typhoon of 1959, which
destroyed a number of agricultural towns in the prefecture of Aichi, where the budding architect was
born. Kurokawa proposed compact units of 300 by 500 metres, able to house 2,000 residents18F20 but
able to multiply organically, converging on a central temple or grade school, suspended on pilotis above
the earth to free it for agricultural use whilst the living spaces are protected in the event of a flood.
Instead of being built around plazas, the streets become the infrastructure which supports the
substructures of housing and public facilities, purposely mirroring the spatial composition of
Kyoto.19F21 Here, Kurokawa plants the seed for what will eventually develop into his architecture of
symbiosis, by resolving the city as harmonious with the farm: “We must break free from the thinking
that farm villages and cities are inherently opposed, and create homogeneous living spaces.”20F22 This
urban proposal had distinct notions of utopianism imbued in its primarily theoretical design, but served
more as anti-commentary to the Western notions of coexistence than a project to be physically realized
Probbsly these megastructural projects were pmore imp in japan and asia in general because of their
megacity with high urban concentration unkie in Europe and usa

Over the course kurukawa claimed that metabolism will eventually give way to symbiosys in the 21
century which was a merge of the city and the forest nature in 2014 boeri studio designed the first
example ofvertical forest in milan incorporatinb the urban ecosystem of floaura and fauna
It has an equivalent of 20000 m2 of forest

Massive in scope, the Grand Roof was to be a space frame, inspired by those of Konrad
Waschmann.22Waschmann visited Japan in the 1950s, teaching intensive seminars at the University of
Tokyo, which were attended by both Isozaki, and Kawaguchi.23 Engineering of the Grand Roof was
performed by Yoshikatsu Tsuboi who had worked previously with Tange at the Yogyoi National
gymnasium. Here, Kawaguchi was the lead engineer at Tsuboi's firm the Expo 70 project and looked to
Konrad Washmann's work in order to develop the structural system for Tange's Festival Roof. In terms
of Kenzo Tange's vision, the space frame was intended to provide the maximum coverage while
providing a neutral spatial quality underneath, freeing up the narrative for the multi-purpose character
of the festival plaza24. Kawaguchi's role in the design of the Grand Rood cannot be understated. The
space-frame was constructed on the ground, and lifted into place as per Kawaguchi's recommendation,
a feat never before attempted at this scale25. This assembly method allowed for a significant reduction
in cost and was a great improvement on influential Waschmann space-frame, which was designed to be
constructed from the bottom up. The lifting of the frame was done on pneumatic jacks, which
suspended the frame itself. As the jacks were lifted the 6 supporting columns were erected, becoming
joined to the frame with braces when the roof was at its requisite height. These six supporting columns
became, “pure pin-joint structures”,26 carrying considerable forces.27 A total of 640 specially designed
joints28 made of cast-steel were designed by Kawaguchi for use in holding the frame together29, as at
Yoyogi Indoor Stadium with Tsuboi working with Tange in 1964.30 Kawaguchi notes in his lecture, “The
Design of Structures, from Soft to Hard” that this expressed the stress flow of the roof more clearly and
directly, so much so that it was inspirational to Peter Rice's use of cast steel in the Centre Pompidou
design31.

The Grand Roof's practical purposes were to protect the plaza from natural elements and to act as a rack
for the various systems and equipment used for the plaza. With a depth of 7.6m and dimensions of
approximately 100m by 300m, the exhibition roof was large enough to cover 5,000 visitors and provide
two stories of exhibition space. The Grand Roof was further pierced in the middle of its 300m span by a
70m, three-faced, Jomon-period inspired sculpture by Taro Okamoto32, titled the Tower of the Sun God.
This juxtaposition between an ancient Japanese image and the modernist, space-frame, added greatly to
the complexity of the image, and further aligned the exposition with a modernizing, yet traditional
national culture
In typical Japanese fashion, the hyper-technical is connected to the traditional. The premise of the
interchangeable capsule and mobile subject evokes comparisons to the ‘kago’ capsule or litter, a
traditional capsule or litter for transportation. The circular window, reminiscent of washing machines and
space-ships, is actually borrowed by Kurokawa as an original feature of traditional tea-houses—as is the
tatami-like proportions of the capsule plan. Further resemblance to tradition has been seen in the tower’s
formal similarity to traditional wood-block puzzles and the interlocking structural details of Japanese
temples. (30) Similarly, Kurokawa frequently compared the Capsule Tower model to the additive ‘shoin’
pavilions of Katsura Imperial Palace, which was successively expanded, room by room, since the 17th
century. (31)

Kurukawa capsule decleration – defined the capsule as a tool to encapsulate human activate

without which the indic couldn’t survive. The capsule was akin the automobile the capsule was

intended for the indiv and the family and to operate ike a filter to keep unwanted inf ourt.

Homes were formed by combining one or more capsuled wih the negative space btw them

acting as the soy=ial connection . hes blf was thet the whole city would develop on these ,ines.

Kurukawa essay “Meta-Architecture advantages of capsule architectufre – economic benefits – production

akin gto automobilersd INTERCHANGEABIITY of materials
Kurukawa credited some ideas to yona friedman

the capsule theory was undertaken in both the countries whichwere devansted by aerial bombing
3.1. Marine City Project, 1958
Marine City Project, 1958 is a floating industrial city of circular shape, with a diameter of 4 km. At the periphery of
the city twelve spherical industrial facilities, approximately 1,000,000 m2 of total area, are located. They are parts of
the “kombinat”28), the “mother’s body”29) of an evolving industrial city. For dwelling, six cylindrical towers are
“delivered out”30) “from the plant city”31), and on the inner walls of the concrete towers, individual living units are
installed alternately to accommodate a population of 50,000 under the sea. With a control tower at the center,
‘Marine City’ offers “stereo-space for human community on the surface”32) (Fig.2).
The cylindrical towers for dwelling are floating and working as vertical buoys (Fig.1.iii). They are easily understood
as the reversed version of Tower-shaped Community Project, 1958 (Fig.3). The two concentric cylindrical walls
enclose circulation space in-between to form the core, and the living units are projected from its inner wall, facing
the huge void at the center. There is no description whether this huge void also accommodates urban space on the
bottom. The cylindrical towers protrude down into the water. That is just the opposite of the Tower-shaped
Community Project, where the tower stands up from the ground and where living units are projected outwards from
the outer wall In Marine City Project, 1958, the cylindrical towers are arranged along a circle, similar to the
spherical floating buoys (Fig.1.v) housing industrial facilities, which are connected by curved horizontal cylinders
(Fig.1.ii) to form a large circle. The vertical shaft of the control tower is probably floating on the sea by itself
(Fig.1.i). These three types of buoys support the lightweight horizontal slabs – the ‘Floating Platform’ – above sea
level, and the curved horizontal cylinders of the tube-unit are probably used for circulation to connect between
them. The ‘Floating Platform’ is physically continuous, without being articulated by different functions. It is rather
considered as an urban space connecting the control tower, the cylindrical towers for dwellings and the spherical
industrial facilities (Fig.4). The access to ‘Marine City’ is not described anywhere. The perspective drawing shows
several similar ‘Marine Cities’ floating independently, but the project does not contain any specific reference to the
process of growth (Fig.2).

in contrast to that in jaopan in 1962 tv seyt was there in 45 per of the househjold in 1960
the modular idea was generated by le Corbusier his theories were the reference for the Japanese
arhcitects who used it from their own point of view

Sky House
Raised on concrete pillars twenty feet high, Kikutake’s Sky House was an elevated
single spaced living quarter for himself and his family, equipped with a bathroom and
kitchen. The exterior walls along the perimeter could slide open to allow access for the
surrounding balcony, enhancing the space visually into something much bigger. The
interior walls were moveable and could adapt to the number of people that would
occupy the space at any given time. The open and dynamic concept was derived from a
study of understanding the substantial and essential; a three step process of ka
(hypothesis & scheme), kata (form & design) and katachi (shape and construction).8 The
hypothesis derives from the schematic needs and functions of simple human living as
well as the structural requirement of being projected in the air to allow for adaptation.
Kikutake designed small rooms for his children called ‘move-nets’ that were to be
inserted in the underside of the main room.9 The theory was that as his children grew
and required their own space, so too would the house grow in form with the house
designed specifically for change and adaptation that met future needs. These move-
nets were also simplistic in size as the access hole to the room was big enough for a
child but presented difficulty for an adult.. The elements of the Sky House show the
intent of kata and katachi as an ongoing progression of human living. The fundamental
structural elements are the tall concrete pillars that give space for the move-nets and
allow a platform for the main upper quarter. This was Kikutake’s expression of building on
artificial land, and was a significant design concept in Metabolist movement.
The Sky House design did have its flaws however. What would happen to the move-nets when
they are no longer needed? By 1985 the transformation of the Sky House had completely
occupied the natural ground with living room and expandable bedrooms.10 The driving idea of
occupying the air evolved to engrossing the ground. As this was his own personal home,
Kikutake had the right to adjust his spaces in any way that suited his mood or the stage of his
life. The Sky House concept proved to be a precedent in future projects at the urban scale of
society in high density living. While Kikutake was supervising the construction of his house, he
was also working on a project that would take the adaptive idea to urban population - the Marine
City.
Marine City
The Marine City project was first established in 1958 and went through a series of
developments in concept over the years. It was a courageous and visionary answer to the social
and urban problems of rapid growth of population and economy, as well as scarcity of buildable
land and seasonal floods. Rem Koolhaas explains Kikutake’s main design influence:
‘Like jelly fish, cylinders – concrete legs – float in the sea, mostly submerged, forming a
protected space inside. On the surface of the cylinder, light-weight concrete slabs stretch out to
form membranes. Using surface tension and buoyancy, the membranes become artificial land
and provide space for an “urban square.” The cylinder can stay in deep or shallow sea,
depending on the population of the city. Inside the cylinder wall, housing units will be attached,
each with sunlight in one window, and views of sea creatures from the other.’11
Kikutake addressed the problems of the current situations by housing a population in single
capsules attached to a cylindrical megastructure submerged in the sea and driven vertically in
the air. This was influenced strongly by his study of marine ecology and species of the sea. The
urban site here is the ocean, and the artificial land is now seen as a man-made vertical
structure. In Metabolism (1960), Kikutake explains Marine City ‘as a response to human
civilization’s recurring crises, ordained when man occupied, then clung to and expected too
much from the land… free from the pressures of overpopulation’.12
The population of capsules were systematically organised in equal widths apart on a series of
rows that encompass the whole vertical base. This unprecedented concept represented a new
urban high density living for Japan, but specifically a dynamic theory of capsules that could be
plugged in one at a time for each new member of society. Furthermore, the living capsule
proposed a method of prefabricated modularisation with a careful method of attachment at great
heights. If the capsule would wear over time, then it could be removed and refurbished and
plugged back in. The capsule was therefore not a permanent fixed structure, rather an active
and movable component that housed the individual. The idea of being able to unplug your own
home from society to be refurbished and then to be reinserted was a captivating new idea for
man. It opened a new perspective of how one sees the world, the things one may take to the
capsule and the things that must be sacrificed and left behind. Furthermore, a single capsule
was only one small part of greater population of capsules on the megastructure, with a constant
process of addition and subtraction, where a member of society may be welcomed or
farewelled. The concept of adaptation and progression of the Marine City has been related to
the natural growth and structure of a tree, as Kenzo Tange described the process as follows:
‘The structural elements are thought of as a tree – a permanent element, with the dwelling units
as leaves – temporary elements, which fall down or are renewed according to the needs of the
movement. The building can grow within this structure and die and grow again – but the
structure remains.’13
While the static and dynamic comparison between the megastructure and the tree is
metaphorical, there are some significant differences. Firstly, the growth of a tree requires a
balance of sunlight and water that is filtered through the ground to its roots. If the same sunlight
and water were applied to the megastructure over a long period of time, it may have an inverse
effect, deteriorating the structure in its colour and texture. The natural resources of the Earth
contribute to the growth and regeneration of nature and vegetation, whereas the man-made
capsule megastructure can only grow and be repaired through application of products and
chemicals as well as the process of construction labour with the aid of machinery. Secondly, the
capsule dwellings are plugged directly to the vertical base cylinder. The leaves of a tree
however are attached to horizontal and diagonal branches which are then attached to the
vertical trunk. The tree has a natural spatial hierarchy of three components, where the
megastructure is a more dominant imposing tower with a system of two components. Thirdly,
the minimal weight of the leaves allows them to span freely in all directions from the trunk
without disconnection. The capsules were proposed as concrete cylinders attached to a thicker
concrete vertical base. If they were to span more freely horizontally, vertically and diagonally,
then they would require more structural components to hold them in place and prevent them from
falling, therefore adding more weight to the megastructure itself. If the form and shape of the concept
were to be altered then it would defeat the nature of the intended floating system based on the
buoyancy study of a jellyfish.

1 J. Westcott, ‘Obit>Kiyonori Kikutake>1928-2011’, The Architects Newspaper, 14 February 2012,

<http://archpaper.com/news/articles.asp?id=5888#.VAr6O6N--Ul>, accessed 29 August 2014.
2 M. Schalk, ‘The Architecture of Metabolism – Inventing a Culture of Resilience’, Arts [online journal], 13 June 2014,
< http://www.mdpi.com/2076-0752/3/2/279>, accessed 25 August 2014, p282.
3 R. Koolhaas, ‘Project Japan – Metabolism Talks...’, TASCHEN GmbH, Koln, 2011, p182.
4 Ibid. p186
5 Westcott, ibid. 6 Koolhaas, ibid., p133.
7 Ibid., p182.
8 A. Isozaki, ‘Ka (Hypothesis) and Hi (Spirit)’, Japan-ness in Architecture, The MIT Press, Massachusetts, 2006, p65.
9 Koolhaas, ibid., p139 10 Ibid., p142.
11 Ibid., p137
12 Ibid., p354 13 Schalk, ibid., p289.
The metabolists actualy stated because of goin to war it was before the war ehrn japan invaded china and
were ghad to work on wide open spaces iunlike japoan they had to suddenly thin how to design spaces
from scratch

I will never forget when we arrived for the first time in Kurokawa’s house he pointed at the skyline of
Tokyo and he said it could all be gone tomorrow

In general, the projectsa n d u r b a n a r c h i t e c t u r e o f t h e M e t a b o l i s t C i t y w e r e characterized

by 1) an accentuated a-contextualism inregards to the pre-existent urban environment, 2) thedismissal of
any image of elements of the traditionalurban environment (streets, squares, parks) in favor of massive
and carefully planned mechanical forms, 3)the use of schemes adapted from functionalist and pre-
modernist theories (such as the Garden City's schemeand the idea of "tabula rasa" in city planning), 4)
ther a d i c a l a t t e m p t t o c o n t r o l a n d t o d r i v e a t a n y c o s t , urban growth of the
contemporary city, and especiallyits final comprehensive skyline and image, by imposings c h e m e s a n d
s t r u c t u r e s t h e o r e t i c a l l y f l e x i b l e b u t i n reality too oppressive, derived from an acceptance
andt r u s t o f m o d e r n t e c h n o l o g y a n d o f s o m e
r a t i o n a l i s t principles instead of using forms and examples fromthe historical city, 5) the use of
techniques of
mass production for the construction of dwellings made of prefabricated components as a common tech
nique to build the urban fabric, 6) an accentuated disregardfor deeper social and ecological issues
and a strongtendency towards an oversimplification in the designand compositional processes, as well
as in adapting thearchitectural principles to urban design methodology.I n p a r t i c u l a r i t c a n
b e n o t e d t h a t t h e a d v a n c e d construction technologies broadly
i m p l e m e n t e d i n many projects, with the exception of some projects byMaki and Otaka especially,
were used to emphasize theimplementation of standardization systems for the
mass production of dwellings, a theme that gained interesta m o n g m a n y J a p a n e s e
c o n s t r u c t i o n a n d i n d u s t r i a l companies. From this point of view, the Metabolist Cityrelied heavily on
industrial building technologies askey elements for the creation of an effective alternativea n d
i n n o v a t i v e u r b a n h a b i t a t , w h i c h w a s i n d e e d seen as the simple "result"
of the implementation of those technologies and not as a "goal" to be
achieved by means of wider studies on functional, socio-economic and ecological considerations.
The natureof the Metabolist City was both critical and realistic,e v e n t h o u g h m a n y
c o n c e p t s w e r e d e r i v e d f r o m other sources, indeed the Metabolists
s u c c e e d e d i n modifying and enhancing those ideas, especially in theaesthetic and technological sense

In the metabolists cities theuy proposed to form cities with certain population deity where the land would
be publicaly ownedn and not pvtly . here the city would have central governance the land would be the
permeanent element .the moduoes are the one which were pvtly owned like cars butt they were just
plugged into the system. Its like a concept of roads abd cars the metaboliost blvd that this type of
governance lack of ownership would actualy free people from the constraints of land ownership
Decline of meabolis

Current issues on design are similar to what metabolists faced – land scarcity inequality . weakning
infrastructure and political issues in planning systems.- one key finding in the decline of metaboist was
the advent of real estate market and the stepping baavk of the govt . as long as metabolist had strong
beuractic connection they all had a single vision which could make a comprehensive impact on urban
design. To overcome such threats ike toda there kis a need fporm all parties industries to be working
together under one umbrella and pushing the agenda of a singe common cause and not the needs of
the scores of individual free agent market proponents who aare instead driving the systemn for short t
erm profits. Neeedmore effective policy frameworks like in the case of the metabolists. Where they
propagated the iodea of a controlled public system and the freedon of individual.

Tiff between the arch community and the local market economy
Metabolism in some ways faled to took off because of its to futuristicv approach but I guess that’s the
norm even today when we look at the work of some of the architects in the field of parametric arch. The
theory seems to futuristic and complicated but the trichk maybe too synthesis it ang get probably some
of it in practice. We may never be able to relaise some of the projects because our ambitions pour
always trying too push the envelope of the current available tech and maybe that’s imp too keep one
step aheadh .

Nakagin building has gone through decay with its unrealistic expansion scheme and maintenance prob.
The nakaign was devoid of any public space for the users the uneven stack of cube provides opportunity
for break out spaces but wasn’t exploited due to the strict mass produces standard unit types. In todays
times the living condition no longer suit the needs.

Metbolist separated from their initisl ideas of social intent and gave prominence to tech and industrial
power
Metabolisms foly was not to look at the context . they did try to connect with their past traditions and
their contrys context but so much was their anger towards the prevslent urban system that they chose
to banish and disregard the existing and thought of building new avenues inn the sky and the sea.
Sustainable Urbanist, Jonathan Smales, holds a similar belief
to Monaghan, personally discussing the issue:
"Random towers, no thought given to the way they meet the
ground and so kW the street life ... the truly public realm - on
the ground - is where society Jives and thrives. And we need
society." 146

there seemed to be no balance between igh rise and the plinth where they merged and no conscious
effort to figure out the friction between the immideate context. Making no relation to existing urban
fabric hence resulting in an inhumane design. The systems approach that the metabolists undertook
strived to merge all in one but down the line they failed to merge ecologuy and social structure and a
more comprehensive connection to the urban fabric
. All though there seems to be a learning from these issues as seen in the shanghai tower by gensler.
121 stories-high - is one of the most
successful contemporary responses to high density
environments. Consisting of nine vertical zones, 12 to 15
stories high, each "neighbourhood" is enclosed by public
space.165 The clustering of communities makes for highly
effective liveability. Being part of a smaller municipal within a
larger vertical city, reduces anonymity by promoting a healthy difference between zones, creating a
communal identity
within the high rise macrostructure. With mass glazing spirals
around the concrete core, and landscaped atriums throughout,166 Shanghai Tower is an ideal
compromise
between lack of floor space, and ecological and social
inclusion.
Whereas the design at the capsule level was to idealistic
Their overzealous belief in technology

The metabolit aimed for orgsnic trsnsformstiosn but the individusl was enslaved in their capsules with
no functions but only solitary living

Despite some isolated successes, the Metabolist model of the 60s and 70s ultimately failed to flourish and
establish itself as the new paradigm for Japanese urban development. Economic and political factors did
not align in its favor, and its basic architectural proposition of capsule + service core was not without
flaws. For example, the process of refreshing dwelling units connected to service cores was conceptually
plausible, but in practice highly problematic. The Nagakin Capsule Tower (1972) required the removal of
all units above the single one on its elevation which needed replaced. (37) Instead of what Kurokawa
imagined: a constantly changing mosaic of units; a massive renovation would be needed to replace all at
once. Certainly, this flaw could have been eventually overcome if the vertical, high-density Metabolist
project was further developed. Nonetheless, it highlights the interdependency and limitations of the
Metabolist unit and the infrastructure which must always support it.

The metaboilsist were overly dependent on the govt which had a strong role in the construction industry
regulating the housing market which was done away with once it was privatized.in 1970 hence it doesn’t
surprise mant that after 1970 the metabolisst started working in the middle east for countries like Libya
and Saudi arabia under authoritarian govt.

Follies of metabolists- instead of a vision for the city combineing landscape uraban design transportation
and design the later wors of matabolists specially the expoi 70was a picture of disiluusion. The social
problems had gave way to stimulating eco growth nationalism . the 1970 showed great gaps between the
govt agenda and what was onoffer. The structures propagated commercial concerns exploring the extent
of technolofy in order to give a positive image of the manufacturing industry. The expo was a gap
between idealism and consumerism there were social agendas being trumped by commercial
propogandas.the beiloife that ttech was greater and would push humans society to greater hts wass the
folly . no doublt the tech served well of the industry down the line . it was a sho of tech rather than any
real ocal agenda
All these projects utopian though never tpouhed the exiting fabric never!!!!

Theywere always hovering in space while keeping the existing intact

What was needed was a design odf a city and not just singular megastructures like yona says -m a city isn
beautiful it has vigour it has elements it has variety . architecture is not because a city has no façade it
just has an inside,.there is noobject that is preponderant.similarly talking abt le corbu chandigarh and
Oscar Brasilia he blvs they made a monument tothemselves the real cities are the shanty towns in the
respective cities. – pg 34 utopia

Yona ddindt blvin tabula rasa

Arfchigarmj
Archigram was described by self-avowed fan Reyner Banham put it —“short on theory and long on

draftsmanship,” compared to them the Japanese were much more refined and managed to put together their

ideas into practice

.the archigram saw the capsule as a means of liberation frim the societal m=norms and political org the

Japanese capsule was a mena to fix the social relationship in the overall framework.

Archigram and metabolism were quite simialer to each other at surface level with both of the monement
starting in early 1960s and disbanding in the 70s . both the groups showed similar liking for furursistic
megastr design solutions while at micro level both of them adopted the capsule though with diff reasons.
That’s about the only thing similar though there process and thinking nehinf the schemes were radicaly
diff

Archigram were primarily influenced by the naa and space capsule and the machanica mataphot were
thye main force behind their conceptusal ideas which they helped propagate via info amd electronic
m,edia.metabolism on the other jhnd drew inspirqatio from biological systems of groeth and
transformation of organic expaqnsions the maindiff was the social component that’s was devoid from
arechigrams work and showerd up in then early works of the metabolsiuts.

Archigram went to see constant present his work on Babylon in London in 1963.

Both archigrm and constant work responded similarly throu megastructural and with the code of
continuity and reorganization with scrambled functions allthpoughplug in was market based abd new
bbylon was a theoretical imaginative airy these projects were meant morer to upset the old systems new
Babylon and plug in took inspirwe fromle cobus megastruct they combined all the elemenrs of
interchangeable units and rpid transport linksand the pilotis Babylon was like chain of spatial warehouse
withnostruvturlddetail of howe tojin themplug in wherea was slike kit book where parts came together
tomake way for a megastructure.the detailing in archigram can be seen by the fafct the Babylon had only
palnd nosections plug in had sections almost no plans Babylon sprewd nhorizongtaly lik a second skincook
was vertical ---inboth plug in and archigram the working ca;lss gave way to the leisue class. A very
idealistic environment it basically was an amalgamation of mass leisure and mechanization