![]() Significant reductions in total required components, resulting in savings in storage, handling and transportation. “Softwalks reveals how people assume the function of a structure, and how tricky it is to change that perception.” But, as Chambers pointed out, adaptability and people-centric ingenuity are the building blocks for today's world-class cities.Undoubtedly the fastest steel scaffold system available with production output recorded as the Official World Record*.Ī fully hot-dipped galvanized system offering all the well-recognized benefits of this treatment method. Trying to push change, when there’s nothing glaringly wrong with the status-quo, can be a hurdle in almost any situation, Hoke explained. Although this vision has immense moneymaking potential, Howard emphasizes that it’s meant to be part of a broad urban movement, not a mass retail company. Estimated prices per piece will range from a $300 countertop to a $1200 chair, each with a life expectancy of around twenty years. ![]() ![]() If the pilot project goes smoothly, they will begin to manufacture DIY kits with easy-to-install seats, counters, light reflectors, plant holders and screens, to business owners and contractors. They’re currently searching for a building owner or developer with whom to partner for this initial project. “If we launch a permanent installation in a place like England or Brazil, hopefully we can set a precedent, and show that this can work for New York City, too,” Howard said. Legal codes are also tricky to work around.īecause New York is relatively stringent with its building codes, Softwalks is working toward installing a pilot project overseas, using funding from their successful Kickstarter campaign. Scaffolding companies must consider the impact such installations would have on insurance, for instance. So, what’s stopping Softwalks from taking over New York right now? According to Hoke and Chambers, it’s not a lack of interest among the citizens, but logistical hurdles. ![]() We just need to look at them a little differently,” Khan said in a TED Talk at the beginning of the month. “We can remake our streets quickly and inexpensively to provide immediate benefits. Chambers also points to DOT commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan’s pedestrian-centric outlook on public space usage. They drew inspiration from the plaza projects, instituted by the Department of Transportation, that have helped transform New York City in recent years by catering to the pedestrian population. ![]() Hoke and Chambers hope that their durable products will be fundamental instruments in helping to improve urban landscapes worldwide. These structures are prime locations for the array of urban parklets and placemaking attachments dreamed up by Softwalks: detachable seats, counter space and even planters. Softwalks is concerned only with “passive” sidewalk shelters, installed for facade repairs and building inspections, which are safe for social congregation, and often remain in place for years. Of course, some are there to protect pedestrians from construction debris. That’s quite a lot of space – about 200 miles. In New York City alone, there are around 8,000 sidewalk sheds up at any given time. ![]()
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