Soft Place in the Rigid City

This street furniture was installed in the plaza in front of the Yokohama City Hall for a limited period in the winter of 2023, after winning the excellence award in the design competition held in Yokohama, Japan.

The Minatomirai district of Yokohama is a port area that supported the modernization of Japan and is currently redeveloped and lined with high-rise buildings. The installation site is located in a corner of the small park between rigid high-rise buildings. By inserting soft furniture into the rigid cityscape, we hoped to create an opportunity for people to connect with each other and with the community.

We gently placed soft organdie curtains in a circular shape. Underneath the curtains, several circular top boards are placed in such a way that they overlap each other while shifting, allowing people to spend time in various positions.

Different heights of topboards induce different activities.

Innovation: Light and Wind in Every Moment

This place visualizes the ever-changing natural conditions of light and wind.

The soft, circular organdie curtains reflect the sunlight and create shadows. The curtains

gently separate this side from that side, creating a new sense of distance between people. Lying on the large top board, visitors can experience looking up at the sky and high-rise buildings from below, whose contours are softly cut by the curtains. Sharing such an experience creates a new connection with people.

The curtains show us very different expressions throughout the day as they catch the sunlight. The strong midday sunlight makes the curtains appear whiter and obscurer. On cloudy days, they become more transparent. The curtains shine brightly as the evening sun reflects off the buildings. After sunset, the light from the surrounding buildings and streetlamps gives the curtains a glossy appearance.

Because the wind blows differently moment by moment, the curtains change their appearance. When the strong wind blows, the curtains appear more like objects and entertain people.

Implementation: Simple, Quick and Rational

Since this furniture was to be installed for a limited period of time, it was composed

simply with steel single pipes, plywood, and organdie curtains so that it could be assembled quickly and cheaply.

We developed the simple and rational structural design. Because the site is located near the sea, strong winds were anticipated. Also, people possibly hang from the ring-shaped pipes and curtains. To withstand these load, the steel pipe columns and frames under the top boards work together to act as weights.