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

Seating Repairs in Tape

Cracks in station seating repaired with tape. The gaps between three of the seats are also covered with tape..I wonder why…

Seating Repairs in Tape
Seating Repairs in Tape
Seating Repairs in Tape
Seating Repairs in Tape
Seating Repairs in Tape

Materials: Duct Tape
Location: Nagoya, Aichi

Station Cushions

Hand made cushions for winter station benches in Gifu (courtesy of Tajimi High School).

Station Cushions
Station Cushions
Station Cushions
Station Cushions

Location: Tajimi, Gifu

Park Bench in Plastic Twine

Park bench constructed from household seating and plastic twine.

See “Bus stop chairs are gifted, unmatched, and spontaneous” for an insightful take on the subject (on Tokyo Green Space).

Park Bench in Plastic Twine
Park Bench in Plastic Twine

Materials: Plastic Twine
Location: Akishima, Tokyo

Video: Improvised Public Seating

Lack of public seating in Tokyo necessitates improvisation for a morning smoke, drink and relax after the tiring commute. Perhaps this deficiency in urban furniture is actually a blessing, allowing for more flexible and frequent seating opportunities. Less predefinition can equal greater malleability.

Materials: Metal Railing
Location: Shibuya, Tokyo

DIY Subway Benches

Concrete blocks topped with wooden boards form robust public benches (created by station staff) in Nogizaka station.
Thanks to @remmid for the tip and photo.

Materials: Concrete Block, Wood
Location: Nogizaka Station, Tokyo

Public Seating Rock Garden

Thanks to Tokyo design researcher Jan Lindenberg for this great find: Unusable public seating repurposed as rock garden at Mt. Takao, West Tokyo.
jan_l_takaosanguchi1
Public Seating Rock Garden
Public Seating Rock Garden

Materials: Public Bench
Location: Mt. Takao, 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]