THE ISSUE OF TOKYO BAY'S RECLAIMED LANDS AS THE ORIGIN OF URBAN UTOPIAS IN MODERN JAPANESE ARCHITECTURE

Abstract

This paper aims to investigate from a broader point of view as in 1958 the theme of development of Tokyo into the sea by reclaiming lands of her coasts became the occasion for the productions on several projects which witnessed the innovative potentials and the talent of a new generation of architects, such as the members of Metabolist Group and Kenzo Tange, who had a great impact on the further development of the modern Japanese architecture. Those proposals were a mirror of their original vision of the modern city, which was mainly inspired by many cultural and socio-economical factors present at the time in Japan, such as the uncontrolled spread of the cities, the radical transformation of Japanese society and the massive alteration of historical urban landscapes due to post-war urbanism and economic growth, as well as the search for a new urban form and design methodology more concerned about the preservation of the natural landscape, and directly linked with the new possibilities offered by ocean engineering and new building technology.