A Nakagin Capsule Tower for cats?

What happens when an icon of Japanese Metabolism becomes a domestic object? N Plus Magic House seems to answer precisely this question, transforming the imagery of the Nakagin Capsule Tower—designed in 1972 by Kishō Kurokawa and demolished in 2022—into a modular tower conceived for cats. The reference is not merely formal. As in the Ginza tower, everything here begins with a repeatable minimal unit: the square. Each module is a “capsule” that can be aggregated with others, generating potentially infinite vertical structures. The idea of cellular growth, of continuous replacement and reconfiguration, is translated from the urban scale to the domestic one, and from the human inhabitant to the feline.

The difference lies in the point of view. Designers Chen Hao, Xu Zixi, and Zhu Mengying observed and mapped the cat’s movements—jumps, climbs, elevated pauses, sudden hideouts—translating them into a sequence of possible spaces. Not a kennel, but a miniature architectural system: solid modules, elements with slits, doors and portholes in transparent PET that become privileged observation points. Injection-moulded and spray-painted, the PP resin modules are designed to be safe and durable. Yet the most interesting aspect is their reconfigurable nature: the structure can be dismantled, raised, expanded, and adapted to different domestic contexts. In this sense, N Plus Magic House is not simply a piece of furniture but a spatial device that incorporates the metabolist logic of continuous updating.

The project taps into a broader transformation: the pet is no longer an accessory but a co-inhabitant. Pet design is moving beyond playful aesthetics into more conscious territory, as also demonstrated by the exhibition “Architecture for Dogs” hosted at the ADI Design Museum. It is no coincidence that N Plus Magic House received an A’ Design Award & Competition, a recognition that often highlights research capable of hybridizing typologies and imaginaries. If the Nakagin Capsule Tower represented the utopia of a modular and replaceable city, here the utopia becomes domestic: a vertical micro-architecture that accommodates the exploratory nature of the cat while simultaneously referencing one of the most radical icons of the twentieth century. A capsule tower, yes—but this time with paws.

All images: Courtesy Taizhou HAKE Technology Co., Ltd and A' Design Award and Competitions