Architect Kisho Kurokawa’s Nakagin Capsule Tower was demolished last year. The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) has purchased a Nakagin Capsule Tower capsule module.
One of the 23 capsules protected under the Nakagin Capsule Tower Conservation and Restoration Project is Capsule A1302, which was acquired by the museum. This particular capsule was owned by the building’s architect, Kisho Kurokawa, who passed away in 2007. It used to occupy the top floor of the tower, but after undergoing renovation, it will now offer the same features and electronics that were available to buyers in 1972.
Helen Hilton Raiser Curator of Architecture and Design Jennifer Dunlop Fletcher said, “The acquisition fits perfectly with the museum’s collection of visionary, provocative architecture by many of the most radical thinkers in the field since 1960, whose work invites a public dialogue about significant issues in design.”
SFMoMA’s collection includes other Metabolist architectural holdings, including Capsule A1302. Jennifer Dunlop, the museum’s architecture curator, said to The Architect’s Newspaper: “The Capsule evokes many conversations around environmental concerns, including shared infrastructure, efficient building and living, and prioritizing the permanence of ideas over physical form.”
Fletcher added, “The Capsule evokes many conversations around environmental concerns, including shared infrastructure, efficient building and living, and prioritizing the permanence of ideas over physical form. The Capsule deepens the museum’s holdings [of] Japanese contemporary design and architecture and will be a great addition to San Francisco’s built architecture, including the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts by fellow Metabolist Fumihiko Maki across the street from SFMOMA.”
