To call something "smart as paint" is to commend its intelligence. Although a bit dusty and dated, the idiom is apt praise for the exhibit Hakuten Corp. designed and fabricated for Hitachi Construction Machinery Co. Ltd.'s presence at the I-Construction Expo, where the company would be featuring "smart" machinery incorporating information and communication technology (ICT). "The Japanese construction industry has a severe shortage of skilled labor," said Hakuten designer Junki Horita. "ICT represents a major change in that it allows workers without technical knowledge to operate equipment safely and effectively." In order to create an authentic environment for attendees, Horita designed an exhibit comprising construction-site scaffolding painted in Hitachi's signature orange. The bare-bones yet undeniably impactful framework served as the perfect backdrop for two massive pieces of earth-moving machinery and easily accommodated hard-panel graphics. Meanwhile, a zigzag assemblage of white and orange fluorescent lights in the higher reaches of the scaffolding acted as a visual metaphor for the steady flow of information inherent in ICT – an element that resulted in glowing accolades from Exhibit Design Awards judges. "Using fluorescents instead of LEDs was an inspired choice," one judge said. "It ratcheted up the authenticity and added so much interest."

After learning about how Hitachi is revolutionizing construction practices in Japan at five demo stations along the back wall, attendees could step into the cab of a Dash-6 excavator, don an Oculus Rift headset, and operate the multiton machine in virtual reality. ICT and VR may be on the cutting edge, but Horita effectively demonstrated that when it comes to exhibitry, a back-to-basics approach can build awareness – and scoop up an Exhibit Design Award. E