#HTE

Today’s Urban Design Observation: Anti-Craftsmanship

Manhattan’s Chinatown is filled with shops, and many of them have outdoor displays. During the day you can’t see the actual display unit, just the goods covering them. But early in the morning the displays are visible.

They are functional, and only that. Visually they are horrific-looking. I call it anti-craftsmanship. They are built with no thought to aesthetics, longevity nor pride. The materials used are always construction-grade plywood and dimensional lumber joined with sheetrock screws, and the absolute minimum amount of materials and labor are used. For instance here you can see they did not have enough wood to extend this shelf all the way to the back of the unit, so they’ve straddled the gap with three small pieces.

This piece has been designed to straddle the sidewalk hatch and allows it to be accessed without displacing the unit. The unit lives outside 24-7, and you can see the plywood has not weathered the elements well. The neighborhood kids have tagged it up for good measure.

This unit is in front of a florist, and each morning they cover it with plants and it essentially disappears.