LIGHTHOUSE IN YOKOHAMA

Street furniture by Takanao Todo + SEKAI architects

Ｗinner of the 4th Yokohama Street furniture Competition

YEAR: 2020

Location: Japan, Yokohama

GFA - 

STATUS: Completed

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COMPETITION

The 4th Yokohama street furniture competition was held to select designs to be displayed at the Yokohama Art Triennale 2020 from 1st to 11th of October 2020. The competition asked for the design of street furniture for Yokohama’s Grand Mall Park, under the theme of “Beginning”. This year there were a total of 209 entries, 8 were selected as finalists and Todo + Sekai Architects’ entry “LIGHTHOUSE IN YOKOHAMA” was selected as the winner, along with two other entries.

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CONCEPT
Yokohama is a city of destination. The first railway in Japan connecting Shinbashi to Yokohama was opened in 1872. The first International Ferry Terminal connecting Yokohama to the world opened in 1894. All sea visitors to and from Yokohama witnessed the illuminated lighthouse beacons in the distance as a symbol of either the beginning of the end of their journey. As time has passed Yokohama has developed as one of the largest global seaports, and is a bustling city of bright lights and glittering tourist destinations, but the significance of the early lighthouses has been forgotten.

Takanao Todo + Sekai’s new street furniture aims to rekindle a sense of destination among visitors by remembering Yokohama’s historic maritime markers. The design of the furniture is a fusion of comfortable park seating and symbolic artifact. The hexagonal form and tall proportions of these benches recollect the oldest functioning lighthouse in Yokohama constructed in 1896.

A pair of these tall ‘lighthouse’ benches are located as a portal astride the park’s North East- South West pedestrian avenue where it intersects with a perpendicular avenue. Those on the right of the avenue are finished in red and culminated with a red beacon light and those on the left are finished in white with a green beacon light, as a reference to the port and starboard markers at the entrance to international seaports - drawing a connection to Yokohama’s maritime heritage. At night it is hoped that the glowing benches will assist to orientate park visitors and give the same sense of comfort and safety as their namesakes gave to maritime vessels.  

The carcass of the lighthouse benches is formed from CNC cut 15mm waterproof plywood and the slatted enclosure is formed from 20x20mm hardwood with a weather-resistant coating. The benches were prefabricated in modules and bolted together on site. The lights for the standalone benches are powered by a manual hand crank generator concealed within the carcass.  Construction and finishing were undertaken by almost 100 students from Seisa University, to where the furniture will be relocated after the Triennale.