Metabolism in architecture
Metabolism was a form of radical architecture that developed in Japan during the 1960s.
Presented with the opportunities of post-war rebuilding as a result of the devastation caused by the 1945 atomic bombs, designers and architects began to put into practice alternative theories and ideas for how cities should be designed.
Metabolism represented an urban environment that was responsive, replaceable and could grow in an organic way. It largely followed the ‘megastructure’ form that was gaining in popularity with architects and planners at the time, as a means of addressing the growing populations of urban areas and the rapidly-changing lifestyles of the post-war era. The principles of the megastructure were that it had to be modular, capable of extension and have a framework into which smaller elements could be ‘plugged’ or replaced.
The Japanese Metabolists were particularly inspired by University of East Anglia’s ‘Ziggurats’, as well as by Safdie’s Habitat 67 in Montreal. Although many projects failed to get off the ground, the examples of the Metabolist form include the battleship-esque New Sky Building in Shinjuku (see image above) and the Nakagin Capsule Tower.
[edit] Find out more
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- Architectural styles.
- Art Moderne.
- Blobitecture.
- Brutalism.
- Buckminster Fuller.
- Constructivist architecture.
- Deconstructivism.
- Frei Otto.
- Fuji TV Building, Tokyo.
- Geodesic dome.
- Habitat 67.
- High-tech architecture.
- Last Futures: Nature, Technology and the End of Architecture.
- Lloyds of London.
- Megastructure.
- Nakagin Capsule Tower.
- Neo-futurism.
- Norfolk Terrace and Suffolk Terrace - ‘the Ziggurats’.
- Robot Building, Bangkok.
- The Japanese House: Architecture and Life after 1945.
- Unusual building design of the week.
- Urban design.
[edit] External references
- ‘Last Futures: Nature, Technology and the End of Architecture’, MURPHY D., Verso Books (2015).
Featured articles and news
Architecture of concert stages
Have a look at some of the most impressive concert stage designs of all time, including Pink Floyd, U2, Rolling Stones, and more...
What is the Home Quality Mark? Find out how it can help you when buying/renting a new home.
Business Secretary launches £246m Faraday Challenge to establish UK as world leader in battery technology.
Government announces new plans for regulations to improve safety and security awareness of drone users.
Read our introductory article to the various different types of fuel.
IHBC book review: Charles Barry’s monumental struggle to rebuild the Houses of Parliament.
Read about RSHP's British Museum extension which has been shortlisted for the 2017 Stirling Prize.
Read our introductory article to building a house extension.
More updates from DCMS about the large-scale testing of cladding systems and the number of buildings affected.
UandI secure resolution to grant planning consent for major new regeneration project.
Infrastructure and the historic environment
IHBC article considers how heritage is dealt with when infrastructure schemes are authorised.
It was the tallest structure in the world for 3,800 years, but to this day the exact construction techniques are a mystery.
Shortlist for the industry's most coveted award announced.
Grenfell Tower articles updated daily
