Nakagin Capsule Tower

Designed by architect Kisho Kurokawa, the tower was built in 1972 and was intended to serve as a hotel for businessmen working in the neighbourhood of Ginza so they wouldn't have to go home and sleep after the last train had left to come back on the first train.

 Two towers rise 11 and 13 stories respectively, and are surrounded by an outer layer of prefabricated living pods which attached to the core by high tension bolts. The 140 capsules on the Tower were all pre-assembled in a factory, and although the capsules can be added or removed as necessary, none of them have been replaced since construction.

Capsules act as offices or small living spaces, and can be linked together to create a larger space. A one-person capsule is 4 meters by 2.5 meters and contains a built-in bed, bathroom, circular window, kitchen stove, refrigerator, TV. There is rumours that it will be demolished not too long from now....

Institut du Monde Arabe - Paris

Nouvel in the Institut du Monde Arabe draws motifs from Arabic architecture – the mashrabiyya, to generate a paatterened patter that is rather revolutionary in concept. He drew inspiration from the traditional lattice work that has been used for centuries in the Middle East to protect the occupants from the sun and provide privacy. The system incorporates several hundred light sensitive diaphragms that regulate the amount of light that is allowed to enter the building. During the various phases of the lens, a shifting geometric pattern would be formed and showcased as both light and void. Squares, circles, and octagonal shapes are produced as a result of the reaction to the sunlight coming through the system. Interior spaces are dramatically modified, along with the exterior appearance. While these ocular devices create an incredible aesthetic, they fail to work properly and they have been considered to be one of Nouvel's failed attempts. I however find it a quality projict that needs technical revaluation..

Beijing Watercube

The Watercube, also known as the Aquatics Centre was built as you know for the 2008 Bijing Olympics. The structure is covered in 100,000 square meters of ETFE, a tough recyclable material that weighs just one percent of an equivalent-sized glass panel, these cushions were inflated with low-pressure air and restrained in aluminum extrusions, and supported by a lightweight steel structure. The building contains more than 22,000 steel beam members and 12,000 nodes. The architectural interior, structure, and facade of the building are one unified thick/ hollow wall and roof element. The wall cavity is 3.6 meters deep, and the cavity that forms the roof is 7.2 meters deep.

Most of the solar energy that permeates the building structural zone can be captured to heat the pools between the two layers of ETFE, generating a current that can be regulated for temperature control. Although the design was computer generated mostly through scripts, and the elements were produced industrially, the assembling process and welding of the building happened mostly onsite.