New European Bauhaus Prizes

Please select the award category under which this application is being submitted.

Enhancing Circularity, Sustainability, and Innovation

Project title

Metabolism Reborn: The Capsule Architect

Full Project Title

Capsule Architecture by Kisho Kurokawa, produced and evolved by Atelier OPA

Describe your project in a short and engaging way. This will be used in communication towards the public.

"Metabolism Reborn" evolves Kisho Kurokawa’s legacy into sustainable solutions. In 2023, Atelier OPA launched the world’s only road-legal Nakagin capsule trailer, realizing the "Homo Mobens" vision through engineering innovation. In 2024, we debuted the CLT Capsule, a sustainable timber redesign for carbon-neutral living. Our award-winning Cardboard Sleep Capsule addresses pandemic relief. Merging heritage with mobility, we bridge 20th-century icons with a green, inclusive future for all.

Where was your project implemented?

Japan

At which level is the project implemented? (e.g., does the project cover the entire national level, one or several regions, city(ies)/village(s) etc.)

National

Does your project address mainly urban or rural issues?

Mainly urban

Does your project involve a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment), or does it focus on other types of transformations (soft investments)?

It involves a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)

Is your project fully completed?

Yes

Please indicate the date your project was completed

2025-12-31

Has your project benefited from EU programmes and/or funds?

Has your project received an EU prize that included a monetary award?

Are you interested in participating in the ‘Water Resilience’ special prize?

Please indicate on whose behalf you are submitting the application. This name will be used in all communications and will appear on certificates and any official material. Please enter the main person(s) or organisation(s) responsible for the project. You may list up to 3 individuals/organisations.

Organisation

TELL US ABOUT YOUR PROJECT Please provide a comprehensive summary of your project. Make sure to focus on already achieved results as well as long term impact(s).

"Metabolism Reborn" is a multi-dimensional project that reactivates the legacy of Kisho Kurokawa’s 1972 Nakagin Capsule Tower. Following the tower's demolition in 2022, Atelier OPA led a pioneering effort to preserve and evolve these modular units.

TELL US THE STORY YOUR PROJECT How did your project come about and how was it implemented on the ground.

The project began in 2011 as research into Japan's Metabolism movement. When the Nakagin tower faced demolition, we partnered with Yodoko to save one of the cells. Implementation required overcoming two major hurdles: technical and regulatory. We engineered a 500kg weight reduction to meet vehicle limits and navigated a 2022 legal change to transport the 2.7m-wide capsules on public roads. Simultaneously, we translated our research into bilingual publications and global exhibitions, bridging the gap between historical preservation and industrial manufacturing.

Please indicate the main themes of your project with 5 key words.

Metabolism

Please indicate the main themes of your project with key words

Mobility

Please indicate the main themes of your project with key words

Circularity

Please indicate the main themes of your project with key words

Heritage

Please indicate the main themes of your project with key words

Resilience

NEB value: Sustainability How does your project concretely address environmental, social, cultural, or economic challenges and opportunities? In what way can your project be considered exemplary in terms of sustainability?

Our project addresses environmental challenges through "Adaptive Reuse" and "Bio-based Materials." By repurposing original capsules, we prevent industrial waste. The 2024 "CLT Capsule" employs domestic Japanese cedar, acting as a carbon sink. This prefabricated timber method reduces assembly time to two hours and minimizes site impact. It offers a blueprint for low-carbon, multi-site living that aligns with the European Green Deal’s emphasis on sustainable building materials and circular lifecycles.

NEB value: Aesthetics How does your project concretely contribute to making life more beautiful for people, communities and neighbourhoods – both in the everyday and in the longer term? How does your project contribute to creating a sense of belonging and care for the place? In what way can your project be considered exemplary in terms of aesthetics?

We preserve the "Sublime Minimalism" of the original capsule while updating its tactile experience. The exterior remains a 20th-century icon, fostering a sense of belonging to a shared architectural history. Inside, the 2024 model replaces cold steel with warm, biophilic wood and integrated digital interfaces. This creates a "Personal Sanctuary" that enhances well-being. By displaying these units in public plazas, we make "High Design" an everyday experience for communities, transforming urban spaces into galleries of living history.

NEB value: Inclusion How does your project concretely address challenges and opportunities related to accessibility and affordability for all? How does it promote inclusive governance systems, design for all principles, or new societal models? In what way can your project be considered exemplary in terms of inclusion?

nclusivity is addressed through "Affordability" and "Relief." The "Cardboard Sleep Capsule" provides a dignified, private space for refugees and disaster victims at a minimal cost. Furthermore, the modular nature of our CLT and trailer models offers a new societal model for "Accessible Housing"—allowing people to own a high-quality home that moves with them, regardless of land ownership constraints. This democratizes the "Metabolism" dream, making it available to diverse socioeconomic groups.

NEB working principles: Participatory How has your project involved citizens, communities and civil society organisations who benefit from your project, or are affected by it? What was their role and level of involvement? What has been the impact of their involvement in the project?

The project actively involved citizens through mobile exhibitions in Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya. Thousands of visitors entered the capsules, providing feedback on the future of remote work and compact living. We searched social media (X/Instagram) to document this dialogue, turning a private collection into a public laboratory. This involvement has shifted public opinion from viewing demolition as an end, to seeing it as an opportunity for community-driven architectural evolution.

NEB working principles: Multilevel governance How were stakeholders at different levels (local, regional, national, and European) involved in the design and implementation of the project? What was their role and level of involvement? What was the added value of their engagement?

We coordinated stakeholders across all levels:
• Local/Regional: Collaboration with city exhibitions and Japanese regulatory bodies to secure road permits.
• National: Partnership with YODOKO, Ltd. for industrial implementation.
• European/Global: Academic collaboration with Politecnico di Milano and mentorship of Erasmus+ interns from Italy and France. Our research influenced global institutions like MoMA and MAXXI, creating a cross-continental bridge for heritage policy and design innovation.

NEB working principles: Transdisciplinary What disciplines and/or knowledge fields (e.g architecture, design, engineering, social sciences, arts, education, digital technologies, environmental sciences) were reflected in the design and implementation of your project?

1. Architecture/Design: Restoring and redesigning modular units.
2. Engineering: Fluid dynamics for "Water Architecture" and structural weight reduction for trailers.
3. Art: The realization of near-future architectural and product images.
4. Social Sciences/Anthropology: Investigating "Homo Mobens" (Mobile Humans) and changing work-life patterns.
5. Digital Technology: 3D printing and AI-driven collaborative design processes
6. Education: To help people of all ages, from children to adults, understand the sustainability of buildings.

BUSINESS MODEL Please describe the business model behind your project. What makes your project financially sustainable over time (e.g. activities generating revenues, public funding, donations, crowdfunding, specific financial instrument, etc.)?

1. Brand Consulting: Long-term contracts with industrial partners (e.g., YODOKO, Ltd.).
2. Publications/IP: Sales of bilingual research books and design rights for modular products.

SCALABILITY Which elements of your project could be replicated or transferred to other places, groups of beneficiaries, or contexts (e.g. aspects of the methodology, technology, processes, products, tools, or key learnings etc.)?

The methodology of "Mobile Heritage" is highly transferable. The technical framework for making architectural cells road-legal can be applied to other endangered modular buildings worldwide. Our CLT prefab technology is scalable for eco-resorts, remote workstations, or temporary urban housing in any geography with a timber industry. Key learnings from our "Human-AI Co-creation" serve as a scalable tool for international design education, allowing rapid, localized production of global ideas.

Please attach at least 6 high resolution images (or other types of visual representations, if images are not possible) to your application.

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