Recently, during a conversation with architect Abdul Huseynov, whose work I have been following with great interest, he reminded me of something I had forgotten since my university years. Back when we were students, our professors often encouraged us to subscribe to architectural magazines and carefully study the projects published in them. But, to be honest, most of us did not take that advice seriously. We thought that everything was available on the internet, that we could find any project within seconds, so there was no longer any need for magazines.
I am sure many young architects reading this article once thought the same way I did. However, as the years pass, you begin to realize that the internet and a professional architectural magazine are not the same thing. The internet usually shows us exactly what we are looking for, while social media puts the most popular projects in front of us. Yet the most interesting discoveries are often hidden on pages that rarely receive attention.
After my conversation with Abdul, I returned to architectural magazines. As I flipped through a few issues, I came across the projects of Kenzo Tange once again. I remembered how fascinated I had been by them during my student years…
When looking at Kenzo Tange’s projects, the first thing that catches my attention is their futuristic appearance. That was exactly what attracted me to them as a student. Back then, these buildings looked like structures taken straight out of a science fiction film. However, as the years went by, I realized that there were much deeper stories behind these projects. The most significant of them is the tragedy of Hiroshima.
For Tange, Hiroshima was his hometown. He spent his youth there, studied there, and developed a deep emotional connection with the city. When the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima in 1945, Tange was not in the city. However, that same day his personal life was also struck by tragedy: he lost both his father and his mother. Because the deaths of his parents and the destruction of Hiroshima happened on the same day, these two losses became inseparable in his memory. This profound personal grief had a lasting influence on Tange’s worldview, his understanding of human destiny, and his perception of architecture’s moral responsibility.
Later, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park that he designed became an expression of both his personal grief and his desire for peace. Through this project, Tange sought to remind future generations of the tragedies of war. For this reason, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Complex occupies a special place in his body of work and is regarded as one of the most powerful examples of his humanistic vision.
Metabolism
Kenzo Tange’s architectural and urban planning ideas were shaped by Japan’s need for reconstruction after the Second World War. Following the war, cities were being rebuilt rapidly, the population was growing, and lifestyles were constantly changing. Tange realized that traditional urban planning could no longer keep pace with such rapid transformation.
He believed that just as the human body grows, renews itself, and changes over time, cities should evolve in the same way. This idea later became one of the fundamental principles of the Metabolism movement in Japanese architecture.
Emerging in the 1960s, the Metabolism movement introduced an entirely new perspective on architecture. Its proponents believed that buildings should be flexible enough to meet the needs of a rapidly changing society. Architecture should not be seen as something built once and left unchanged for decades. Instead, it should be understood as a system capable of renewal, expansion, and adaptation to new demands over time.
For this reason, Metabolist architects proposed modular structures whose components could be replaced, expanded, and transformed. Their goal was not to create a complete solution for the cities of the future, but to develop a system that would allow cities to evolve naturally according to changing needs.
Tange is regarded as one of the key architects behind the development of this movement. In his view, modern cities should be understood not as static entities but as constantly evolving systems. This approach is particularly evident in the Tokyo Bay Plan. The project proposed the creation of new residential and transportation structures over Tokyo Bay to support the city’s future growth. Although it was never fully realized, it has secured its place in architectural history as one of the most influential urban planning concepts of the twentieth century.
His Work
Kenzo Tange’s buildings reflect his vision of the future. One project that especially captures my attention is the Fuji TV Building. In my opinion, it is one of the works that best expresses Tange’s ideas about the relationship between technology and people. In this project, he imagines the city as a living system that is constantly changing and evolving. The building’s massive forms, bridge-like connections, and the large spherical element at its center illustrate his vision of what future cities might look like.
To be honest, whenever I look at the Fuji TV Building, I am reminded of the “Marble Maze” game I used to play as a child. In the game, you guide a small marble through a series of passages and obstacles. The enormous sphere at the center of the building, the bridges surrounding it, and the complex structural composition make it feel like a three-dimensional architectural version of that game.
I have to admit that without the sphere at its center, the building probably would not leave such a powerful impression. It is undoubtedly the most memorable element of the project. Perhaps the best way to describe it is as an act of architectural courage. By placing a massive spherical volume at the heart of a functional television broadcasting building, Tange made a remarkably bold design decision for his time.
When I look at Kenzo Tange’s projects today, what impresses me most is not simply their appearance, but the ideas behind them. A person who witnessed the devastation of war and deeply felt the tragedy of his hometown was still able to look toward the future with remarkable hope. During my student years, I was fascinated by the forms of these buildings. Today, it is the ideas behind them that truly inspire me.