Toshi no Mochimaki

Recent redevelopment tends to overlook its impact on a town, from the planning stage all the way through completion. As an antithesis to this, my graduation project proposed, for the redevelopment of Akihabara, that scaffolding not be built for construction alone — instead becoming a support for signage, a riverside terrace, or seating for an open-air theater. This project takes that as a first step toward designing construction sites, asking what could be done with the scaffolding at an actual, real-world site. Scaffolding erected for major renovations stays in a town for months, sometimes narrowing sidewalks and getting in the way. But it can also be seen as a piece of temporary street furniture. In front of a flower shop, it might become a shelf overflowing with flowers; in front of a café, a terrace with a tarp stretched overhead. Construction sites once hosted ridgepole-raising ceremonies and mochi-throwing events, bringing value to a community and a town beyond money. Scaffolding could also be used for vertical greening, or its protective sheeting could double as a screen. Just as mochi-throwing at old construction sites once brought value beyond money to a community and its town, this project considers whether a construction site today could still bring a sense of festivity to the city.