Skilled, Fast, Big

This is an approximately 20-meter stretch of street furniture that is installed when Chazawa-dori in Sangenjaya becomes a pedestrian paradise. Not limited to this project, but behind any lively scene basking in sunlight lies an immense amount of effort by the organizers. Operating with limited budget, manpower, time, and storage space is a headache even for well-resourced municipalities, and we hoped this could serve as a single role model for solving it. From there, the watchwords are simple. Not the theme of a certain cup-yakisoba, but: with "skillfulness" as design, set-up and take-down can be done "fast" by a small crew, and even with limited budget and storage, it can scale "big."

XX bench × XX bench

So we adopted a method that "multiplies" the "XX bench" we previously proposed to Yusuhara Town. Because the construction method requires few steps, it allows quick set-up and take-down; and since it can be easily disassembled, it adapts flexibly to storage constraints. It also has a high degree of freedom for linking and expansion, so by interleaving the seat planks, the design can extend endlessly in a doubling (×) manner. Watching people actually use it, together with the strong linearity of Chazawa-dori, the scene felt as if it could go on forever. When you think about it, humanity has pioneered the street, discovered place there, and nurtured ways of living. In the same way, this furniture unfolds as a street does; users bring their own ideas to how they use it, enriching everyday life—tracing the origins of the "street," in a sense. This bench, which almost translates the term "street furniture" directly into design, will no doubt connect various people, objects, and events as it continues to evolve.