There is a strong Japanese tradition of making and viewing buildings and cities as temporary, non-fixed structures; The Ise Shrine in has been rebuilt every 20 years since 690CE, The Metabolist manifesto of 1960, reacting to the human and environmental catastrophe that followed the country’s bombing during WWII, proposed a vision of the city in constant change and growth, and the current average lifespan for a building in Japan is a mere 30 years. Although Tokyo continues to attract new residents, its growth is expected to halt and reverse after 2025. The focus of this studio is on developing ideas for a flexible and adaptable architecture that stem from a critical exploration of architectural precedents, the philosophy of metabolism, and an understanding of Tokyo and its demographics. Students are asked to reflect on what Cedric Price described as “the necessity of architecture as a question of time and not simply of space”, while addressing a range of issues concerning citizen agency that remain highly relevant in a debate relating to sustainable architecture.