Shizuoka Press And Broadcasting Center

The Shizuoka Press and Broadcasting Center is a significant architectural structure located in Ginza, Tokyo, Japan. It was built in 1967 and is considered the first realization of Kenzo Tange’s Metabolist movement. This movement called for a new urban typology that could self-perpetuate in an organic, “metabolic” way. The building was constructed on a 189 square meter triangular site. It was designed around a central core, a column 7.7 meters in diameter, to which thirteen individual offices are connected asymmetrically. The building was intended to be a prototype for a perpetually regenerating, prefabricated urban megastructure. However, the idea of adding additional offices in the future as demand increased was never realized, and the building remains unchanged since it was built. Despite this, it is still considered a notable example of form and function.

The Metabolist movement, which influenced the design of the Shizuoka Press and Broadcasting Center, evolved in Post-World War II Japan. The movement, including Kenzo Tange, believed that design and technology should reflect human society and actively encourage societal development. They viewed human society as a continuous process of growth and development, similar to the biological concept of metabolism, and aimed to promote this growth through their designs.