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HERO: Week of 03.09

Status Report - HERO: Week of 03.09

Posted:March 09, 2014
Downtown Barrier Fence

This week's work on HERO has continued in developing the downtown shopping district. Storefront glazing has been fleshed out and the streetside lined with barrier fences. These fences appear in areas where the sidewalk comes close to the street.


Hajime Park

Two lots at the south end of the district have been developed. One, between the two branches of the primary road that loops to the end of the peninsula, has gained a small hardscape feature as an extension of Hajime Park that abuts it. This will be populated with benches and tables that can serve the fast food shops that sit across the street. The other lot has been filled with a parking lot that serves the shopping district and sits behind the library.


Scenic Tunnel Drive

On a different note, the tunnels that pass underground have been updated to a more elegant arch profile, replacing the earlier blocky passages.


Downtown Takeizumi-machi

Finally, traffic signals have joined the major intersections that require them. These form the beginning of an aerial infrastructure that will fill the space above people's heads. Significant power lines and the like hold a strong presence in Japanese urban areas and Takeizumi-machi is no exception. I want to show that in the future, with many technological advances, there will still be much that remains from the past. The visual styling will convey the harmonious disconnect between the old buildings of the small fishing village and the new shiny structures that came with the arrival of Fenian Robotics' industry.


All images are unrendered, raw SketchUp models.

Nick