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

Slim Flower Garden

A line of bricks provides just enough space to add color to a bleak footpath.

Signs of life.

Slim Flower Garden
Slim Flower Garden
Slim Flower Garden
Slim Flower Garden
Slim Flower Garden
Slim Flower Garden


Materials:
Brick
Location: Minami-ku, Nagoya

(Originally posted on Tokyo-DIY-Gardening)

Menu Stabilization in Bricks

Easel legs thread through bricks for stabilization of a entrance menu.

Menu Stabilization in Bricks
Menu Stabilization in Bricks
Menu Stabilization in Bricks

Materials: Bricks
Location: Nagoya

Dead Space Onions

Dead space unsuable for parking or commerce is just big enough for a family size harvest of onions.

Dead Space Onions
Dead Space Onions

Materials: Brick Border
Location: Nagoya

Carpark Brick Planter

Plants trump cars (or rather, genially share space with them) in this family-feeding size parking lot planter.

See also Pots Trump Cars in Kokubunji on this site – and blocking plants and 4 ways to use parking space from the fantastic Linus Yng.

Carpark Brick Planter
Carpark Brick Planter
Carpark Brick Planter

Materials: Bricks, Metal Stakes, Metal Shelving
Location: Akishima-shi, Tokyo

Roadside Brick Planter

Long roadside planter constructed of loosely packed bricks also functions as parking deterrent on residential street.

Roadside Brick Planter
Roadside Brick Planter
Roadside Brick Planter
Roadside Brick Planter

Materials: Bricks
Location: Akishima-shi, Tokyo

Menu Secured in Bricks, Twine, and Tape

The outdoor menu for this food store is secured with plastic twine taped to two bricks, the base evened out with broken paving tiles.

Menu Secured in Bricks, Twine, and Tape
Menu Secured in Bricks, Twine, and Tape
Menu Secured in Bricks, Twine, and Tape
Menu Secured in Bricks, Twine, and Tape
Menu Secured in Bricks, Twine, and Tape

Materials: Bricks, Paving Slab, Plastic Twine, Duct Tape
Location: Shibuya, Tokyo

Planter in Bricks

Loose bricks arranged around potplants in an attempt to beautify a mom-n-pop suburban retail space.

Planter in Bricks
Planter in Bricks
Planter in Bricks

Materials: Bricks
Location: Akishima, Tokyo

Potplants Secured with Bricks

Potplants secured top their precarious wall-top position with bricks.

Potplants Secured with Bricks
Potplants Secured with Bricks
Potplants Secured with Bricks

Materials: Bricks
Location: Akishima, Tokyo

Signage Stabilization in Bricks

Outdoor lightbox-type signage is supported and secured by bricks placed under and on top of the structure. One sign to six bricks.

Signage Stabilization in Bricks
Signage Stabilization in Bricks
Signage Stabilization in Bricks

Materials: Bricks
Location: Akishima, Tokyo

Brick Planter

A few bricks in the right place create a living and edible space out of dead in a Yanaka lane. Basil is fast growing and pretty hardy – great for an ad hoc spot of tasty green.

Dead Space Brick Planter
Dead Space Brick Planter

Materials: Bricks
Location: Yanaka, Tokyo

(Originally posted on Tokyo-DIY-Gardening)

Curbside Planter Support in Bricks and Wood

Planters supported by wood, bricks and curb.
P1170133
P1170131
P1170132
P1170130
Materials: Wood, Bricks
Location: Akishima, Tokyo

Planter in Bricks

Bricks used as planters on curb outside house.
P1160965
P1160966
Materials: Bricks
Location: Akishima, Tokyo

Tiered Garden in Breeze Blocks

Bricks and breeze blocks form a tiered pot plant garden in the back streets of Harajuku.
P1160838
P1160836
P1160837
Materials: Bricks, Breeze Blocks
Location: Harajuku, Tokyo

Bicycle Parking in Brick

A single brick acts as an elegant and sufficient stopping block for a bicycle outside a local restaurant.
P1140677
P1140676
Materials: Brick
Location: Akishima, Tokyo

Garden Space in Bricks

Stacked bricks form a space for a little garden in front of a local restaurant.
P1140675
P1140674
Materials: Bricks
Location: Akishima, Tokyo

Storage-cum-Fence in Wire, Bricks and Corrugated Plastic

A storage space/fence construced from pieces of a broken fence and corrugated cardboard. Held together with wire and evened out with bricks supports.
P1130815
P1130814P1130813
Materials: Bricks, Corrugated Plastic, Wire
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]