FIXES

Non-Intentional Design: Investigating alterations of space/objects at the public/private boundary in suburban Tokyo, Japan. A resource by a-small-lab.com. Contact: Chris Berthelsen chris@a-small-lab.com

Care for suddenly outlawed pets

Pets were kept in the old apartments that were torn down and replaced with this modern complex. Residents were guaranteed a place in the new building, but pets were banned. Empty tuna tins scattered around in the bushes surrounding the apartments are evidence of continued care and mutual dependence.


Materials: Cans of Tuna
Location: Setagaya, Tokyo.

This example is a note for a pamphlet on “Hand Made Aspects of Mass Produced Housing”. Subscribe to my somewhat-frequent letter HERE if you want to keep in touch easily.

Dog Enclosure in Wire Rack and Breeze Block

The dog has the run of the yard – kept in check with wire racks on the gate and a breeze block for stability.

Dog Enclosure in Wire Rack and Breeze Block
Dog Enclosure in Wire Rack and Breeze Block
Dog Enclosure in Wire Rack and Breeze Block

Materials: Wire Rack, Breeze Block
Location: Nagoya

Poo Security

My wife is the poo expert in our house. She is the self-declared ウンチ・ファインダー(Poo Finder). This does not mean that she appreciates it in any way shape or form… imagine her horror to find errant and especially smelly poo in our apartment carpark – a rare and shocking occurence in a city where plastic poo bags are king, and apartment dwellers wipe their pooches bums after every ablution. toilet stop…. It is also very inconvenient as it takes up two bicycle parking spaces in our cramped residential grounds.

This rock construction (made specifically out of white stones for good night visibility) is her attempt at poss-safety (as it was beyond her powers to get close enough to dispose of the offending material).

Look closely at the last photo – I think that these are the offenders. As I was taking these photos they turned the corner, possibily to give us a second bombing… not sure what they have against us, probably our screaming children and wayward terrorist-looking man-about-the-house.

Thanks to Ayu Berthelsen for this great insight into housewife FIXing techniques.




Materials: Rocks
Location: Akishima-shi, Tokyo

Clean up after your pet

Laminated sign cautions pet owners to clean up after their loved ones doings.

Materials: Laminated Sign
Location: Setagaya, Tokyo.

This example is a note for a pamphlet on “Hand Made Aspects of Mass Produced Housing”. Subscribe to my somewhat-frequent letter HERE if you want to keep in touch easily.

Control Your Pets in Board and Marker

Very direct way of letting local pet owners know how the doings of their dogs are viewed by residents of a small apartment complex.

Cute dog sign adds the finishing touch.

Control Your Pets in Board and Marker
Control Your Pets in Board and Marker

Materials: Board, Marker
Location: Akishima, Tokyo

Mega-Cities: Design Anthropology and Urban Landscapes
I'm delighted and honoured to have my FIXES work included in Jared Braiterman's Tokyo University graduate seminar on mega-cities.
You can download the syllabus [HERE]


Thanks to the URBAN DESIGN Lab 西村・北沢・窪田 都市デザイン研究室, Department of Urban Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo for making this a featured resource of their lab [LINK]

Vision Plus 2010
Thanks to the organizers of the conference for selecting this project as a featured resource, even though I was not able to attend.




Article: Small Places of Anarchy in the City: Three Investigations in Tokyo on This Big City

Article: The Non-Intentional Landscape of Tokyo - read at This Big City

Article: Framework for Neighbourhood Creative Climate - read at This Big City

Tokyo Green Space from Jared Braiterman is a great inspiration [LINK]

Urban Bricolage by @ehooge is an inspiring site on a related theme [LINK]

Treepolis by Christoph Rupprecht inspires me with investigations into informal green space, cities, and urban ecology with a focus on Australia and Japan [LINK]

Everyday Structures by @alanwiig is another fine site in the same vein [LINK]