Archinect - News

Nakagin Capsule Tower capsules see new life following building's demolition in 2022

2023-06-09T15:11:00-04:00

The removal and restoration initiative was led by the Nakagin Capsule Tower Preservation and Restoration Project, which was established in 2014. The landmark building, a beacon for the Metabolism architecture movement, was demolished in April 2022.

According to TokyoArtBeat, "After the demolition, 23 capsules were removed and restored under the supervision of Kisho Kurokawa Architects and Associates, and since March, they have been transported to the new locations."

Previously on Archinect: The fate of Nakagin Capsule Tower's pods is getting a little clearer in Toyko

Two capsules are reportedly heading to a project called "SHUTL" by Japanese entertainment company Shochiku. They will be reimagined as creative spaces where contemporary artists can exhibit work, sell art and crafts, and use them for events.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by 中銀カプセルタワービル保存・再生プロジェクト/Nakagin Capsule Tower (@nakagin_capsule_tower)

Another company, Yodogawa Steel Works, Ltd., ...

The fate of Nakagin Capsule Tower's pods is getting a little clearer in Toyko

2023-01-23T12:11:00-05:00

[Tatsuyuki] Maeda and other members of the nonprofit Nakagin Capsule Tower Preservation and Regeneration project saved 23 capsules, which now sit in a warehouse in Chiba prefecture, near Tokyo. [...] Nakagin Capsule Tower is no longer, but Maeda is confident the restoration project honours the spirit of its creator. “Kurokawa intended for the capsules to adapt and change over time, depending on the environment, and if you think about it, this is exactly what is happening,” he said.

Maeda and his group had been fighting to have the tower properly restored before its demolition began last year. He told the Guardian: “[...] at some point next year it will be possible to see one of these pods in its original state somewhere in Japan.” Once it is, it will become the first among its former compatriots, which are supposedly forthcoming to yet-unnamed digital archives and public collections across the world.

Previously on Archinect: The Nakagin Capsule Tower pods… coming soon to a museum near you

“If one of the pods is left, then I could see myself putting it in a forest, or even inside my house,” he promised further. “But if that’s not possible, I’ll be happy just to be able to watch over them.”

Japanese construction startup 3D prints affordable egg-shaped dwelling in under 24 hours

2022-03-15T17:25:00-04:00

Last year Japan’s Serendix Partners caught our eye with its concept for spherical, 3D-printed houses. Not only do they have a stylish, futuristic appeal, Serendix wants them to be low-priced enough to make the cost of buying their 3D-printed houses comparable to that of a budget-friendly new car.

From start to finish, the small, egg-shaped dwelling, called the Sphere, took 23 hours and 12 minutes to build. The home, which won NASA’s 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge in 2015, was designed by Japanese architect Masayuki Sono. It was constructed in the city of Komaki in Japan’s Aichi Prefecture and measures 107.6 square feet across. According to Japan Today, Serendix was able to print a 20-metric ton reinforced concrete frame for the home, with assembly of the pieces taking just three hours. The painting of the structure’s exterior reportedly took most of the time.

Serendix says the Sphere meets Japanese earthquake and European insulation standards. The company hopes to offer the 3D-printed house at a price of three million yen, which is a little over $25,000.

Apparently modular remote working pods are here to stay

2021-10-22T12:18:00-04:00

With the work-at-home lifestyle likely here to stay, people are taking things outdoors, creating spaces meant for privacy and comfort. [...] More than a year and a half into the pandemic, working from home seems like an increasingly permanent proposition. Nearly 80 percent of business leaders and 70 percent of the general public said people would likely never return to offices at the rate they did before the coronavirus [...]

Isolated working structures as small as 3x6 feet have been cropping up in high-density areas like London where the office and home have switched places, leaving opportunity at both ends for designers and manufacturers to meet the demands of remote workers whilst also providing space to answer cities' pressing need for affordable housing.

“You might find enlightenment or something from working in a tiny space,” one designer told the Times. Examples of the typology offer exciting glimpses into what could be the future of commuting for a large swath of the population. As many as 255 million people could be working remote full-time by the end of the decade.

The New York Times has more on the modular work pod revolution here.

Denizen takes remote working to the next level with 3D-printed office pods

2021-07-08T17:59:00-04:00

Individuals can now take their offices anywhere they want with the Denizen Architype, a 3D-printed, personal office pod, designed to provide an ideal remote work space. The prefabricated office can be set up in any location and is available by subscription.

Designed “for the perfect day of work”, the Denizen Archetype comes as remote work has become the new norm due to the pandemic. The 90-square-foot office pod is made to cultivate inspiration, focus, and productivity, including features, such as professional lighting, controllable privacy glass on every window, and perfectly framed camera views at the desk and whiteboard. As stated on Denizen’s site, “With 10’ ceilings and immersive windows, it’s big enough to love spending your whole day in but small enough to install anywhere with minimal permits.

The office is built with integrated heating, cooling, air filtration, a mini-fridge, and a rear lounge with overhead reading light. Each pod features an adjustable standing desk made ...

Breastfeeding pods are proliferating across America

2019-10-02T14:01:00-04:00

Thanks to the Friendly Airports for Mothers Act (FAM) passed in 2018, the number of private breastfeeding pods available to the general public has steadily increased over the last year. Passed as part of a comprehensive Federal Aviation Administration funding package, the FAM Act requires the nation's 61 "large and medium hub airports" to provide a private lactation area beyond the security zone of every airport terminal.

According to Mamava, a lactation pod manufacturer, the act requires that these lactation areas have a locking door, include a place to sit, and be accessible and usable by people with disabilities. The act also requires each pod to offer a table or flat surface as well as an electrical outlet and a sink or specialized sanitizing equipment. The act also requires that these spaces not be located within bathrooms.

ADA-compatible lactation pods are coming to many of America's airports. Image courtesy of Mamava.

Over the last year, the Port Authority of New York and Ne...

TU Delft wins overall for first phase of SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition

2017-02-02T12:37:00-05:00

TU Delft recently won the overall winning title in the first phase of SpaceX's Hyperloop Pod competition, which the aerospace company launched in 2015. Students and independent engineers worldwide were invited to design a human-scale Hyperloop pod, as a way to help accelerate SpaceX's development of a functional Hyperloop prototype.

This past weekend, SpaceX held the first Competition Weekend at their headquarters in Hawthorne, California. After various performance tests, only three student teams were qualified to test their pods on the 1.2 kilometer test tube: TU Delft, the Technical University of Munich, and MIT.

Delft Hyperloop pod at the SpaceX competition in Hawthorne. Photo via TUDelft/Twitter.

Their pod wasn't the fastest one, but TU Delft achieved the highest overall score and won best innovative design. The Technical University of Munich came in second and won the fastest pod award, while MIT placed in third overall and won best safety and reliability.

Speed wasn't the main pri...

New Harwyn Alucobond Office Pods Continue To Revolutionize Modular Design

2016-11-07T09:00:00-05:00

This post is brought to you by Alucobond®

The Harwyn Office Pod is a portable home office born from founder Jason Fremder’s need for a demarcation between home life and profession life.

Fremder explains the idea for the pod was born simultaneously with the birth of his first daughter “my home office was no longer a quiet sanctuary…one sunny afternoon, when working in the backseat of my 4WD in the driveway at home, the idea for Harwyn struck me like a bolt of lighting.”

The award-winning Harwyn office pods have taken the design world by storm offering beautifully designed prefabricated modular spaces. The small team at Harwyn is dedicated to innovative design working with the “100 to 1 concept ratio” which, as the designers explain, “…for every 100 great ideas we put to paper, one will emerge as exceptional to make its way from sketchpad to design.”

Today the brand, and designs, have evolved as well as the company’s clientele. In a recent installation for a residential dwelling in Austr...