One reason this makes sense is that buildings are crowded so closely together. The dust and paint from a project would threaten nearby structures and public areas. And this is a city that washes its sidewalks by hand.
Something else must be at play here, hoewever. Even large building projects, set off by themselves, are completely wrapped until finished, apparently. For example, we passed this site on the train the other week. Imagine the additional expense this cocooning involved.
Maybe the construction wrapping is as much a bow to visual aesthetics as anything else. Rather than show something to the world that is unfinished, messy, or unsightly, they present a barrier that sends an acceptable signal: work in progress.
Thinking about this, I remember my experience bringing gifts to my co-workers when I first came here (an important ritual). I was told that the wrapping was as important as the gift itself. Thank goodness I had Cindy's help. Sure enough, when the gifts were passed out, there was much admiration of the paper, and how each present was wrapped.
So, maybe building wrap in Tokyo is more than just a dust shield, and more than just a visual screen. Perhaps it even functions to heighten the anticipation of something new--like a present under the Christmas tree.
3 comments:
Tom,
I'm seeing something I've realized about Japan but had not recognized how pervasive it is. The Japanese seem much more conscious of their impact on others than do we in our prized independence. I like "doing my own thing," but you have to admire a people who wear surgical masks to avoid spreading their cold germs, who post signs warning people about bird droppings, who scrub sidewalks by hand, who wrap construction sites to avoid spreading dust or causing an unsightly urban scene.
Very interesting.
GJD
In ultra-modern super-growth Hong Kong, the building wrap is often a green netting, which hangs around the incubating structure on a bamboo scaffold lashed to the steel beams of the growing high-rise. The workers refuse (!!) to climb steel scaffold, therefore the bamboo reaches the 30 or 50 stories (or more, no exaggeration) of the height. In this century (!) I've seen painters tethered to the swaying bamboo behind this wrap, at heights that make me forget it is lunch time. For sure, Americans have no monopoly on unique (or dangerous) construction techniques! You're having a great adventure, hope you can enjoy every moment! Meanwhile, how do you find the work environment?? The Japanese cultural interest to examine the wrapping on the gifts gave pause to remember Emersons proclamation that "the best gift is a portion of thyself". Steve
When Marcel and I visited Europe last December '05 they also wrapped up their construction projects. The cool thing in the tourist cities was that the wrapping would have a life-sized image of the finished product... the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin and a theater in Florence.
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