Development of Ocean City

Developed by Japanese architect Kiyonori Kikutake, the project Ocean City centers on the idea of a marine city composed of high towers with interchangable units. While this particular proposal sited the towers on floating circular pads, other models also explored the idea of partially submerging the towers. Instead of bridges, the city is linked together with small capsults with the flexibility of being plugged into the towers or replaced as needed. The design deals with the permanent and flexibility for change and growth with the towers and capsules respectively.


The city houses around 5000 inhabitants, the same size as the city of Charlotte, North Carolina,seen in the image below to the right, with each tower being around 25 meters in diameter and 140 meters in height.

Kikutake was one of five architects and designers that were a part of the Metabolist movement. In their book Metabolism 1960, these architects published a new set of concepts based largely on the ideas of Kenzo Tange's Plan of Tokyo. The goal was to provide structure for the rapid growth of Japan's cities by exploring solutions to the megastructure and changing urban environmental elements. Ocean City is categorized as an "open system" comprised of separately fabricated systems. The idea of modularism is introduced as an attempt to lend structures as a whole more permanence with less permanent substructures. Adaptability to change is an important Metabolic ingredient.

These ideas open discussion as to what are these elements that prompt more rapid change. Which aspects of the environment require frequent change and which ones are long lasting? Kikutake was significantly influenced by architects such as Le Corbusier, Ando, and the latest technology. How can today's new building technology impact modularism? Can newer styles such as organic architecture, the idea of reuse, and technological ideas by Rogers and Piano add to a style for design of prefabricated elements? The sketches below isolated elements from relative projects that could possibility extend to new prefabricated elements.