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

Playing Camp in Beer Crate and Rocks

Children play camp – an upturned beer crate rocks, concrete and plants form a roaring campfire.
Playing Camp in Beer Crate and Rocks
Playing Camp in Beer Crate and Rocks
Playing Camp in Beer Crate and Rocks

Materials: Beer Crate, Rocks, Concrete, Plants
Location: Tachikawa, Tokyo

Video: Simple Playground Hacks (Grab the Rock Game)

It’s incredibly easy to hack your neighbourhood playground for competitive sports. Here, a rock and a set of swings are the required elements for the intensely competitive “Ishi-tori ge-mu” (Grab the Rock Game).

How to Play: Get a rock. Place it somewhere where you think your opponent can’t reach. When he picks it up, he does the same to you. Ad infinitum. Superb afternoon fun.

Q: What fun and camaraderie might result from creatively combining multiple mundane elements of city infrastructure?

The video after the photos shows two boys teaching their younger friend how to play. The other videos offer a brief glimpse of the game in action.
Grab the Rock Game | 石取りゲームGrab the Rock Game | 石取りゲーム

Materials: Stone, Swing
Location: Tokyo

(Originally posted on Hand Made Play)

Playground Meeting Spot

At night the climbing mound in the middle of the local playground is a spot for chatting, smoking, flirting, drinking……

Hand Made Shopping Street Map

Material: Playground
Location: Minami-ku, Nagoya

Extra Seating in Swing

When all the public seating the park is full-up, a swing makes a very suitable spot for a rest.

Extra Seating in Swing

Materials: Swing
Location: Akishima, Tokyo

Kindergarten Signage on Bush

Signage for a local kindgarten play-day makes use of a bush in a local park.

Kindergarten Signage on Bush
Kindergarten Signage on Bush
Kindergarten Signage on Bush
Kindergarten Signage on Bush
Kindergarten Signage on Bush

Materials: Laminated Paper, Plastic Twine, Tree
Location: Akishima, Tokyo

Flying Fox Duct Tape Fix

Flying fox in a playground casually fixed with duct tape.

Flying Fox Duct Tape Fix
Flying Fox Duct Tape Fix
Flying Fox Duct Tape Fix

Materials: Duct Tape
Location: Nagoya, Aichi

Playground Safety in Cans

Tops of athletic bars in playground capped with cans for safety. Cans fixed to poles with wire and sealed with electrical tape.
P1140399
P1140398
P1140396
Materials: Cans, Wire, Electrical tape
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]