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

Mailbox Latch in Rope

Mailbox facing the city street latched shut with a twist of rope.

Mailbox Latch in Rope
Mailbox Latch in Rope
Mailbox Latch in Rope

Materials: Rope
Location: Central Nagoya

Storage for Umbrella

Secondary storage. Storing your umbrella on your bicycle means you are always weather-prepared.

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.

Secondary Storage in Bicycle Basket

Secondary storage. Shopping bags stored in bicycle basket.

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.

Secondary Storage: Bicycle Cover

Secondary storage. Bicycle cover is stored wrapped around parking port post when not in use.

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.

Coat Hanger Storage

Coat hanger on balcony fitting holds laundry net for storage.


Materials: Coat Hanger, Laundry Net
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.

Rubbish or Storage?

Plastic bags stuffed in gap in bicycle parking structure – rubbish or storage?


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.

Secondary Storage

Opaque balcony plates, rather than the usual metal grill create the (almost) perfect hiding/storage space for all that rubbish that you can’t be bothered throwing out. Secondary storage.

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.

Rubbish Center Library & Storage

Repurposed tv unit houses library of rescued reading material, and acts as storage space for cleaning tools and items that rubbish center workers want to keep for themselves.

Rubbish Center Library & Storage

Rubbish Center Library & Storage

Rubbish Center Library & Storage

Materials: Storage Items
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.

Storage and Fire Saftey

Fire extinguisher stored right in the most flammable area. Salvaged bath/shower stool put to use as stand.

Storage and Fire Saftey
Storage and Fire Saftey
Storage and Fire Saftey

Materials: Bath Stool
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.

Cardboard Box Recycling Tower

Cardboard box recycling tower constructed from salvaged metal rack and wood block for stabilization. Stool for reaching upper levels.

Cardboard Box Recycling Tower
Cardboard Box Recycling Tower

Materials: Metal Rack, Wood Block
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.

Disposing of Cardboard & Paper

Series of instructions regarding the disposal of paper and cardboard. Green laminated sign reads ‘paper’, hand written sign instructs residents to secure bundles of cardboard with string, typed sign notes instructions from the city.

Disposing of Cardboard
Disposing of Cardboard

Materials: Laminated Paper
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.

Recycling Station

Overview of can, glass bottle and plastic bottle recycling station. Full crates form structure and support for empty.
Cheerful handmade sign providing instruction on the correct way to recycle plastic bottles.

Recycling Station
Recycling Station

Materials: Plastic Crates, Coat Hanger
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.

Drying System for Rags

Clothes rack repaired with tape and repurposed as a drying + storage system for rags used by rubbish center staff.

Drying System for Rags
Drying System for Rags
Drying System for Rags

Materials: Clothes Rack, Coat Hanger, Duct Tape, Bags
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.

Delicate Decoration/Cobbled Storage

Delicate decoration and cobbled together storage.

Delicate Decoration/Cobbled Storage

Materials: Wind Chime, Soap Holder
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.

Hose Storage

Functional adaption of park tree for maintenance equipment storage in a run-down apartment complex just off the high-fashion avenue of Omotesando.

Hose Storage
Hose Storage

Materials: Tree
Location: Off Omotesando, Shibuya, Tokyo

(Originally posted on Tokyo-DIY-Gardening.org)

Clotheshanger Storage in String

Clothes hangers stored outside on a piece of string hung from the rafters. Compact, convenient.

Clotheshanger Storage in String
Clotheshanger Storage in String
Clotheshanger Storage in String

Materials: String
Location: Nagoya

Storage/Security in Wood Planks

Storage/Barrier constructed from wood planks on sloping street (courtesy of Tokyo-based designer Edith Prakoso)

Storage/Security in Wood Planks

Materials: Wood
Location: Nogizaka, Tokyo

Sloping Bicycle Storage

“Which came first?” lovely bicycle storage under house on a slope (courtesy of Tokyo-based designer Edith Prakoso)

Green Complements Green

Location: Nogizaka, Tokyo

Umbrella Drying

Umbrella drying on a stairway railing (courtesy of Tokyo-based designer Edith Prakoso)

Green Complements Green

Materials: Stair Railing
Location: Itabashi-honcho, Tokyo

Fire Extinguisher Storage in Duct Tape

Street fire extinguisher storage secured with duct tape.

Fire Extinguisher Storage in Duct Tape
Fire Extinguisher Storage in Duct Tape

Materials: Duct Tape
Location: Shibuya-ku, 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]