https://www.designboom.com/architecture/moma-nakagin-capsule-tower-exhibition-many-lives-museum-modern-art-new-york-05-23-2025/ home > architecture > MoMA to explore the legacy of the iconic nakagin capsule tower in upcoming exhibition * architecture + magazine + architecture + video + art + topics + design + contribute + technology + advertising + readers + interviews * design directory * courses * competitions * shop * socialize + about us + facebook + contact us + instagram + newsletter + X + rss + linkedin + pinterest + MILAN DESIGN WEEK [ ] search designboom MoMA to explore the legacy of the iconic nakagin capsule tower in upcoming exhibition MoMA to explore the legacy of the iconic nakagin capsule tower in upcoming exhibition architecture 192 shares connections: +2040 publish my work promote my project share my vision POPULAR NOW ARCH! MoMA to explore the legacy of the iconic nakagin capsule tower in upcoming exhibition MoMA to explore the legacy of the iconic nakagin capsule tower in upcoming exhibition architecture 17k views zigzag resort extends linear terraces and infinity pools along albania's rugged coastline zigzag resort extends linear terraces and infinity pools along albania's rugged coastline architecture 15k views terrace mountain residence cantilevers over austin with design by a parallel architecture terrace mountain residence cantilevers over austin with design by a parallel architecture architecture 13k views zaha hadid architects' first adobe project, asaan museum, breaks ground in riyadh zaha hadid architects' first adobe project, asaan museum, breaks ground in riyadh architecture 19k views ribbon of hempcrete and cork winds through spanish highlands in fran silvestre's winery ribbon of hempcrete and cork winds through spanish highlands in fran silvestre's winery architecture 12k views keep up with our daily & weekly stories [arrow-down] [*]dailysee sample [*]weeklysee sample [ ] [subscribe] an Architectural Time Capsule revisited in new york The Nakagin Capsule Tower returns to public view this summer in a new light, as MoMA in New York opens an exhibition centered on its half-century lifespan. Built in Tokyo's Ginza district in 1972 and dismantled in 2022, the structure was once among the clearest architectural expressions of Metabolism in Japan, a movement that sought to mirror natural growth and transformation in the built environment. Now, through a single, fully restored capsule and a constellation of archival materials, MoMA reactivates that legacy with the goal of inspiring inquiry over nostalgia. Presented in the exhibition is capsule A1305, originally situated on the uppermost floor. For its display, it has been returned to near-original condition. Fragments of other salvaged units complete the restoration, from its modular furnishings to the audio controls and Sony color TV that defined its compact domesticity. Surrounding the capsule are more than 40 materials drawn from the tower's five-decade history -- models, promotional leaflets, film reels, and interviews that reveal how these micro-units adapted to lives far beyond their initial purpose. In a city shaped by constant renewal, this retrospective probes what it means to preserve an architectural concept. The Many Lives of the Nakagin Capsule Tower will be on view at MoMA from July 10th, 2025 until July 12th, 2026. nakagin capsule tower moma Kisho Kurokawa in front of the completed Nakagin Capsule Tower, 1974. image by Tomio Ohashi kisho Kurokawa's Unfolding Vision MoMA is set to exhibit The Many Lives of the Nakagin Capsule Tower as an investigation into the iconic structure, which was originally imagined by architect Kisho Kurokawa as a machine for living that could regenerate itself. While the concrete towers were to remain as infrastructural anchors, the capsules were intended to be swapped out as needs evolved. That replacement never came. Yet the life of the tower defied stillness. The museum's curatorial team, led by Evangelos Kotsioris and Paula Vilaplana de Miguel, foregrounds the tower's informal transformations -- capsules turned into galleries, DJ booths, or quiet spaces of solitude -- offering a portrait of architecture shaped by use that transcends its intended programming. By acquiring capsule A1305 in 2023, MoMA ensured a rare physical survival of a building long dismissed as unmaintainable. It is one of just fourteen capsules worldwide to have been carefully reassembled in original form. Visitors will be able to experience the unit in full during selected member activations, reinforcing the tower's original intent as a space to be inhabited. The Nakagin Capsule Tower's presence at MoMA sits within the museum's wider ambition to question permanence, authorship, and the mutable nature of design. nakagin capsule tower moma Kisho Kurokawa, Architect & Associates (Tokyo, est. 1962). Nakagin Capsule Tower, Tokyo. 1970-72. exterior view. 1972. image by Tomio Ohashi Extending the Conversation around nakagin capsule tower MoMA's exhibition The Many Lives of the Nakagin Capsule Tower will extend beyond the gallery. A companion book authored by Kotsioris for the MoMA One on One series explores the structure's life cycle, from its speculative roots to its final days. With rarely published documents and firsthand accounts from the building's last residents, the volume deepens the narrative around this experimental habitat. A suite of programs in partnership with Japan Society will also unfold throughout the exhibition's yearlong run, framing the project within both its original context and its new American audience. nakagin capsule tower moma night time at the Nakagin Capsule Tower, with Mr. Takayuki Sekine seen through the window of capsule B1004, 2016. image (c) Jeremie Souteyrat nakagin capsule tower moma Kisho Kurokawa, Architect & Associates (Tokyo, est. 1962). Capsule A1305 from the Nakagin Capsule Tower. 1970-72; restored 2022-23. Steel, wood, paint, plastics, cloth, polyurethane, glass, ceramic, and electronics, 8' 4 3/8'' x 8' 10 5/16'' x 13' 10 9/16'' (255 x 270 x423 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Gift of Jo Carole and Ronald S. Lauder, Alice and Tom Tisch, and the Nakagin Capsule Tower Preservation and Restoration Project, Tokyo nakagin capsule tower moma Noritaka Minami. B1004 I, from the series 1972 (2010-22). 2011. archival pigment print, 20 x 25'' (101.6 x 127 cm) image (c) Noritaka Minami many-lives-nakagin-capsule-tower-moma-designboom-06a images from Nakagin Capsule Style (Tokyo: Soshisha, 2020), showing Wakana Nitta (aka Cosplay Koe-chan) in her capsule, which she uses as a DJ-booth. courtesy Tatsuyuki Maeda / The Nakagin Capsule Tower Preservation and Restoration Project, Tokyo, Japan nakagin capsule tower moma Noritaka Minami. A503 I, from the series 1972 (2010-22). 2017. archival pigment print, 20 x 25'' (101.6 x 127 cm) image (c) Noritaka Minami MoMA to explore the legacy of the iconic nakagin capsule tower in upcoming exhibition 'A twenty-first century home that thoroughly pursues functionality: Nakagin Capsule Manshon (Ginza),' cover of promotional brochure for the Nakagin Company, 1971. image courtesy Tatsuyuki Maeda / The Nakagin Capsule Tower Preservation and Restoration Project, Tokyo, Japan MoMA to explore the legacy of the iconic nakagin capsule tower in upcoming exhibition Kiyoshi Awazu. poster included with Kurokawa Kisho no sakuhin (Kisho Kurokawa's work) (Tokyo: Bijutsu shuppan-sha, 1970). 1970. screenprint, 40 3/16 x 28 9/16'' (102 x 72.5 cm). image (c) Kiyoshi Awazu project info: name: The Many Lives of the Nakagin Capsule Tower museum: Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) | @themuseumofmodernart on view: July 10th, 2025 -- July 12th, 2026 kat barandy I designboom (3236) may 23, 2025 KEEP UP WITH OUR DAILY AND WEEKLY NEWSLETTERS [*] daily - see sample [*] weekly - see sample [ ] [subscribe] READERS SHOP your own online design shop -- no sales commission collected start selling direct business no commissions architecture in japan (1641) osaka art & design 2025 highlights: immersive installations and exhibitions energize the city May 22, 2025 osaka art & design 2025 highlights: immersive installations and exhibitions energize the city concrete isumi villa by takeshi hosaka architects organically spreads over land in japan May 19, 2025 concrete isumi villa by takeshi hosaka architects organically spreads over land in japan toij: NOT A HOTEL minakami draws from japanese hot spring culture May 04, 2025 toij: NOT A HOTEL minakami draws from japanese hot spring culture OTAA embraces japan's heritage and landscape with quiet transformation of villa nagiso Apr 30, 2025 OTAA embraces japan's heritage and landscape with quiet transformation of villa nagiso future of life pavilion at expo 2025 osaka reimagines human existence through robotics & AI Apr 26, 2025 future of life pavilion at expo 2025 osaka reimagines human existence through robotics & AI architecture in tokyo (346) the houses 'to not to die' turn 20: a look back at tokyo's reversible destiny lofts mitaka Apr 24, 2025 the houses 'to not to die' turn 20: a look back at tokyo's reversible destiny lofts mitaka KOMINORU builds a tiny tower: 'small house on a corner lot' maximizes a tokyo sliver Apr 15, 2025 KOMINORU builds a tiny tower: 'small house on a corner lot' maximizes a tokyo sliver community-driven tokyo office by note architects adopts traditional japanese elements Mar 25, 2025 community-driven tokyo office by note architects adopts traditional japanese elements suzuko yamada architects builds brutalist dwelling for humans and cats in tokyo Mar 24, 2025 suzuko yamada architects builds brutalist dwelling for humans and cats in tokyo colors swirl across the peaks of suzuko yamada architects' marble mountain playset in tokyo Mar 21, 2025 colors swirl across the peaks of suzuko yamada architects' marble mountain playset in tokyo metabolism architecture movement in japan (15) a capsule from tokyo's demolished nakagin capsule tower is landing at SFMOMA Jun 13, 2023 a capsule from tokyo's demolished nakagin capsule tower is landing at SFMOMA book an airbnb stay in kisho kurokawa's metabolist masterpiece 'capsule house K' Dec 15, 2022 book an airbnb stay in kisho kurokawa's metabolist masterpiece 'capsule house K' '1972/accumulations' photo series captures the individuality of nakagin tower's capsules Sep 22, 2022 '1972/accumulations' photo series captures the individuality of nakagin tower's capsules kisho kurokawa's nakagin capsule tower in tokyo to be demolished on april 12, 2022 Apr 05, 2022 kisho kurokawa's nakagin capsule tower in tokyo to be demolished on april 12, 2022 capsules to be unplugged from nakagin capsule tower and regenerated as new place to stay Jul 07, 2021 capsules to be unplugged from nakagin capsule tower and regenerated as new place to stay MoMA (35) ACCIONA's NEXT IN summit 2025 brings prado's paintings to life with virtual reality tour May 09, 2025 ACCIONA's NEXT IN summit 2025 brings prado's paintings to life with virtual reality tour it's MoMA's time! 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