Peter Steinhauer's Cocoon series looks at a construction tradition native to Hong Kong.

When buildings are going up (or being torn down), they get shrouded in bright nylon mesh covers.

No matter how tall they are.

Some are white, though that's rare.

Most are brilliant primary hues, like this green.

The cocoons are there to protect debris from falling on Hong Kong's densely populated streets.

The tradition dates back as long as we've had photographs of building being built in the city.

Underneath the shrouds is scaffolding made from bamboo.

Most of the nylon mesh gets reused if there aren't too many holes.

Though the bright colors look beautiful to outsiders, they're almost universally loathed in Hong Kong because they signify months of loud construction.

And after a few weeks, they become extremely dirty. This one use to be white.

Still their odd beauty still beats the soulless metal scaffolding you'll find in the U.S.