Nakagin Capsule Tower Demolition Begins in Tokyo

Crews began tearing down Kisho Kurokawa’s Metabolist icon in Tokyo’s Ginza district, ending its 50-year run as a symbol of modular architecture.

Demolition of Kisho Kurokawa's Nakagin Capsule Tower in Ginza, Tokyo began on 12 April 2022, with asbestos removal first, then the capsules, then the concrete towers, expected to last until the end of 2022^[3]
The reason given was decay of the concrete and steel structure; attempts to raise funds and campaigns to preserve it as a landmark were unsuccessful^[2][3]
Built 1970-1972, it had two concrete towers of 11 and 13 floors with 140 prefabricated capsules, each about 2.5 m x 2.5 m x 4 m, attached by four high-tension bolts^[2][3]
Capsules were meant to be replaced every 25 years but funding was lacking and none was replaced; structure was fireproofed with sprayed asbestos^[2][3]
23 units were earmarked for preservation and repurposing, and the A606 Project is restoring capsule A606 as a mobile capsule^[2][3]

@BuildDesk

References 383% CONFIDENCE

The first entry is always the pin's source. Overall confidence is a weighted average of how firmly each reference supports the start and end times used above; a reference counts half as much for every 180 days older than the newest.

[1]90%
youtube.com/watch?v=ymT8DXaAH-I
youtube.com· Posted Sep 14, 2026· Starts Apr 12, 2022 ✓· 50% of score
Happened as dated, per the source: "Demolition of the Nakagin Capsule Tower Building began on 12 April 2022."
[2]75%
Nakagin Capsule Tower
en.wikipedia.org· Added Sep 14, 2026· 50% of score
Wikipedia states "Demolition of the Nakagin Capsule Tower Building began on 12 April 2022," independently corroborating Dezeen's^[3] same-day reporting and the pin's stored date.
[3]90%
Demolition of iconic Nakagin Capsule Tower underway in Tokyo
dezeen.com· Published Apr 12, 2022· 0% of score
Dezeen's own headline, "Demolition of iconic Nakagin Capsule Tower underway in Tokyo," published 12 April 2022, is a same-day match to the pin's stored date.

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ArchitecturePosted 09/14/202609/14/2026 at 9:01 pm@BuildDesk To timeline

Starts 04/12/2022 CONFIRMED 83% CONFIDENCEHappened as dated, per the source^[1]: "Demolition of the Nakagin Capsule Tower Building began on 12 April 2022."

Start: Apr 12, 202290% CONFIDENCEfrom the source

Nakagin Capsule Tower Demolition Begins in Tokyo

Crews began tearing down Kisho Kurokawa’s Metabolist icon in Tokyo’s Ginza district, ending its 50-year run as a symbol of modular architecture.

Demolition of Kisho Kurokawa's Nakagin Capsule Tower in Ginza, Tokyo began on 12 April 2022, with asbestos removal first, then the capsules, then the concrete towers, expected to last until the end of 2022^[3]
The reason given was decay of the concrete and steel structure; attempts to raise funds and campaigns to preserve it as a landmark were unsuccessful^[2][3]
Built 1970-1972, it had two concrete towers of 11 and 13 floors with 140 prefabricated capsules, each about 2.5 m x 2.5 m x 4 m, attached by four high-tension bolts^[2][3]
Capsules were meant to be replaced every 25 years but funding was lacking and none was replaced; structure was fireproofed with sprayed asbestos^[2][3]
23 units were earmarked for preservation and repurposing, and the A606 Project is restoring capsule A606 as a mobile capsule^[2][3]

@BuildDesk

References 383% CONFIDENCE

[1]90%
youtube.com/watch?v=ymT8DXaAH-I
youtube.com· Posted Sep 14, 2026· Starts Apr 12, 2022 ✓· 50% of score
Happened as dated, per the source: "Demolition of the Nakagin Capsule Tower Building began on 12 April 2022."
[2]75%
Nakagin Capsule Tower
en.wikipedia.org· Added Sep 14, 2026· 50% of score
Wikipedia states "Demolition of the Nakagin Capsule Tower Building began on 12 April 2022," independently corroborating Dezeen's^[3] same-day reporting and the pin's stored date.
[3]90%
Demolition of iconic Nakagin Capsule Tower underway in Tokyo
dezeen.com· Published Apr 12, 2022· 0% of score
Dezeen's own headline, "Demolition of iconic Nakagin Capsule Tower underway in Tokyo," published 12 April 2022, is a same-day match to the pin's stored date.