Mutant Urbanism in Japanese Architecture: Lessons from the Metabolist Movement

TALK

Learn about One of Japan’s Most Iconic Architectural Movements

In 1960, Japan was on the cusp of transformation. Post-war recovery gained critical momentum and technologies advanced. Cities were growing rapidly, and a new need for mass housing and infrastructure sparked challenges and opportunities in the urban context.

A group of young Japanese designers and architects were eager to respond creatively to this new landscape. The occasion came at the World Design Conference in Tokyo, when they presented a manifesto titled METABOLISM/1960–Proposals for a New Urbanism, championing then-innovative concepts such as capsule architecture and prefabrication, and embracing bold forms, sophisticated architectural elements and massive urban structures that continue to fascinate designers today.

This talk introduces the work of the Metabolists. It examines the merits and limitations of the urban architectural projects and planning schemes they developed in response to Japan’s rapid post-war urbanisation. It also reflects on the lessons and legacy of the Metabolist oeuvre, sixty years on from the manifesto’s release. Ultimately, it considers how the visions and ideas of this dynamic but fleeting movement might be reinterpreted and adapted to address the future needs of contemporary cities.

3D rendering based on Kiyonori Kikutake's unbuilt Marine City, which was originally conceived in 1958. Image created by Antxon Canovas. Reproduced with permission. (Source)
Shizuoka Press and Broadcasting Centre, Tokyo. Designed by Kenzō Tange, built in 1967. Image: Jonathan Savoie via Wikipedia, CC-BY-3.0 (Source)
Nakagin capsule tower, Chūō-ku, Japan. Designed by Kishō Kurokawa, completed in 1972. The design allows individual capsules to be replaced. Image: Juan Verdaguer Aguerrebehere via Unsplash (Source)
Nakagin Capsule Tower, Tokyo, Japan. Designed by Kishō Kurokawa, completed in 1972. The design allows individual capsules to be replaced. Image: Daryan Shamkali via Unsplash (Source)
Interior, Nakagin Capsule Tower, Chūō-ku, Japan. Designed by Kishō Kurokawa, completed in 1972. The design allows individual capsules to be replaced. Image: Chris 73 / Wikimedia Commons, CC-BY-SA 3.0 (Source)
Nakagin Capsule Tower Interior
The interior of a pod from the Nakagin Capsule Tower in Tokyo, as exhibited at Mori Art Museum in 2011. Image: Dick Johnson, CC-BY 2.0 (Source)
The Toshiba Pavilion, designed by Kishō Kurokawa, at World Expo 1970 in Osaka. Image: Takata Marui / Wikimedia Commons, CC-BY-SA 2.0 (Source)
The Takara Group "Beautilion" Pavilion, designed by Kishō Kurokawa, at World Expo 1970 in Osaka. Image: m. louis / Wikimedia Commons, CC-BY-SA 2.0 (Source)
Expo Tower
Expo Tower, Osaka, Japan. Designed by Kiyonori Kikutake for World Expo 1970 in Osaka, Japan. Image: Kirakirameister via Wikimedia Commons, CC-BY-SA 3.0 (Source)
Hotel Tōkōen was designed by Kiyonori Kikutake and built in 1964, in Yonago, Tottori prefecture. Image: Bigjap / Wikimedia Commons, CC-BY-SA 4.0 (Source)
Image Of Miyakonojo City Hall In Miyazaki Prefecture.
Miyakonojo City Hall, Miyazaki prefecture. Designed by Kiyonori Kikutake; built in 1966, demolished in 2019. Public domain, CC 1.0 (Source)
Miyakonojo City Hall, Miyazaki prefecture. Designed by Kiyonori Kikutake; built in 1966. Image: InnaSergeevaNik / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY SA 4.0 (Source)
Kurume Civic Centre, Fukuoka prefecture. Designed by Kiyonori Kikutake; built in 1969, demolished in 2019. Public domain, CC 1.0 (Source)
Former Tokyo City Hall. Designed by Kenzō Tange, built in 1957. Public domain, CC 1.0 (Source)
Model of Fumihiko Maki and Masato Otaka's 1960 Shinjuku Station Redevelopment Project, titled "Toward Group Form". Image courtesy Raffaele Pernice / UNSW Sydney.
Model of Aquapolis, another example of a floating structure designed by Kiyonori Kikutake. Unlike Kikutake's Marine City (see webpage header image) which remains unbuilt, the Aquapolis was built for use as the Japan Pavilion at the 1975 World Expo in Okinawa. Image: Kirakirameister / Wikimedia Commons, CC-BY-SA 3.0 (Source)

Speaker Profile

Portrait of Dr Raffaele Pernice (UNSW)Dr Raffaele Pernice is a Senior Lecturer in Architecture and Urbanism at the School of Built Environment, UNSW Sydney. Also a licensed architect, he has a PhD in Architecture from Japan’s Waseda University and a Laurea degree in Architecture (BArch + MArch) from IUAV University of Venice in Italy.

As a past recipient of the Japanese Ministry of Education (Monbusho) Scholarship and Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Postdoctoral Fellowship, Dr Pernice has spent significant time conducting research in Japan. Most recently, he was awarded a Japan Foundation Fellowship in 2019 to research the relationship between the Metabolists and the housing industry in post-war Japan.

Dr Pernice will extend his work on Metabolism by convening an international symposium at UNSW Sydney titled “Architectures for a Mutant City. 60 Years of Metabolism 1960-2020, and Beyond” on February 22-23, 2021, supported by The Japan Foundation.

What is Metabolism?

Metabolism is the name of a group of young Japanese designers and architects who advocated for a new form of post-war urbanism built on visionary projects and experimental avant-garde design. ‘Metabolism’ is also sometimes used in the English-language context to refer to the architectural styles and concepts espoused by the group.

The Metabolism group led one of the most iconic movements in postwar Japanese architecture. The Metabolist style is rooted in the fundamental notions of cycles of use, nomadism, modularity, compact urbanism and replaceability, and is inspired by the biological metaphor of organic growth. The Metabolists were active in Japan from 1958 to the 1970s, and the group was formalised in 1960 with the publication of the Metabolist Manifesto.

Key figures associated with the Metabolist school include renowned architects Kenzō Tange, Kishō Kurokawa, Fumihiko Maki, Kiyonori Kikutake and Arata Isozaki (albeit not a formal member), as well as critic Noboru Kawazoe and designers Kiyoshi Awazu and Kenji Ekuan (known for his design of the Kikkoman soy sauce bottle). Examples of Metabolist architecture include the Nakagin Capsule Tower in Tokyo, and the 1970 Osaka World Exposition site, as well as many of its pavilions and structures.

EVENT DETAILS

February 16, 2021 (Tuesday) AEDT
6:30pm-7:30pm
Onsite (limited capacity) and online

Free; bookings essential.

BOOK NOW

For online attendance:

Registrants will receive the Zoom link via their registration confirmation email. 

Bookings Closed

For onsite attendance (limit of 25 persons):

Due to capacity limitations, onsite attendees must register to attend this event and will be required to check in at reception on arrival. In-person attendees are encouraged to wear a facemask.

Note: Conditions for the onsite portion of this event are subject to change based on COVID-19 restrictions. 

Bookings Closed

VENUE

The Japan Foundation, Sydney
Level 4, Central Park
28 Broadway, Chippendale NSW 2008

ENQUIRIES

(02) 8239 0055

reception(A)jpf.org.au

The lead image on this webpage is a 3D rendering based on Kiyonori Kikutake’s unbuilt Marine City design, created by Antxon Canovas. Reproduced with permission (source).

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