Kenzo Tange and the Metabolist Movement: Urban Utopias of Modern Japan

In 1960, seven architects and designers founded Metabolism to propagate radical ideas of urbanism. Kenzō Tange's Plan for Tokyo 1960 celebrated urban expansion as organic processes and pushed city design to an unprecedented scale. Metabolists visionary schemes of the city gave birth to revolutionary design paradigms that reinvented modern Japanese architecture and propelled it through the Economic Miracle to global prominence. Their utopian concepts often envisaged the sea and the sky as human habitats of the future, reflecting fundamental issues of cultural transformation and addressing environmental crises of the postindustrial society. This new edition expands Zhongjie Lin's account on Tange and Metabolism, defining three Metabolist urban paradigms that continue to inspire experiments in architecture, city design, and conservation.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 301 pages
Publication date: 11 August 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Amid Japan's political turmoil in 1960, a group of seven architects and designers came together to form Metabolism, a movement dedicated to propagating radical ideas about urbanism. Kenzō Tange's Plan for Tokyo 1960, a visionary blueprint for the city, celebrated urban expansion as organic processes and pushed city design to unprecedented scales. The Metabolists' visionary schemes for the city gave birth to revolutionary design paradigms that reinvented the discourse of modern Japanese architecture and propelled it to global prominence during the Economic Miracle. Their utopian concepts, often envisioning the sea and sky as human habitats of the future, reflected fundamental issues of cultural transformation and addressed environmental crises of the postindustrial society.

This new edition of Zhongjie Lin's groundbreaking account on Tange and Metabolism, centered at the intersection of urbanism and utopianism, expands upon the original. The comprehensive historical survey, spanning from the inception of Metabolism at the 1960 World Design Conference to its peak at Expo 70 and beyond to the recent demolition of Nakagin Capsule Tower, leads to the definition of three Metabolist urban paradigms: megastructure, group form, and ruins. These paradigms continue to inspire experiments in architecture, city design, and conservation.

Kenzō Tange and the Metabolist Movement is a vital resource for architectural and urban historians, architects, and anyone interested in avant-garde design, Japanese architecture, and contemporary urbanism. It provides a deep understanding of the movement's historical context, theoretical foundations, and architectural achievements, making it an essential read for scholars and practitioners alike.

Weight: 590g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032149387
Edition number: 2 ed