New York City is constantly under construction, meaning the skyline and sidewalk vistas always include cranes and scaffolding. Now, two designers aim to improve the view by making construction a little nicer for pedestrians. Their sidewalk-improving initiative is called Softwalks.
[partner id="wireduk"] The endeavor comes from Bland Hoke and Howard Chambers, who began working on it two years ago while at Parsons the New School for Design. Their prototype is a DIY kit that allows people to turn any unsightly local scaffolding into a temporary place to hang out. It includes chairs, tables and even hanging baskets for plants.
All elements are easily attached and detached to the exterior parts of build sites — they're temporary additions that can be added when necessary but also removed with ease.
Right now Softwalks is still a design concept, but the initial tests have won Fast Company's Innovation by Design Award in the student category. Hoke and Chambers are raising money on Kickstarter to begin a pilot project that will see the kit installed in a location for a short period of time. Backer's rewards include laser-cut business card holders for $20, to the actual seats and planters used for Softwalks for $800 to $1000.