Beyond Utopia ― Japanese Metabolism Architecture and the Birth of Mythopia

Megastructure proposals by the Japanese Metabolism group are commonly identified with the concept of utopia. Beyond this partial understanding, the author suggests that rather than being merely utopian, the Megastructure of Metabolism represents a uniquely amalgam genre: the myth camouflaged as utopia. Although their Megastructure seemingly describes a desirable future condition as utopia does, it also comprises certain cultural images rooted in the collective (un)conscious of Japanese people, in accordance with the general interpretation of myth. The primary narrative of the book thus follows the gradual unfolding of the myth-like characteristics of their Megastructure.

Myth is dealt here as an interdisciplinary subject in line with contemporary myth theories. After expounding the mechanism underlying the growing demand for a new myth in architecture (the origin of the myth), Part One discovers the formal characteristics of the Megastructure of Metabolism to give hint for the real intention behind. Based on it, Part Two is a re-examination of their design methods, which aims to clarify the function of the myth and to suggest the meaning behind. Finally, Part Three deals with the subject matter of the myth by disclosing the meaning unfolding the story, and suggests a new reading of Metabolism urban theory: as an attempt to reconsider the traditional Japanese space concept.

Agnes Nyilas is an assistant professor at Sugiyama Jogakuen University in Japan. She received a combined BArch + MArch degree in architecture from Technical University of Budapest and a PhD in architecture from Nagoya University. Her research interests and activities range from architectural design practice to the history and theory of architecture and urban design, with a special focus on modern and contemporary design theories.