In the spring and summer of 2024, the Ambler Design Build Institute partnered with the Southeast Asian (SEA) Market at FDR Park in Philadelphia. The SEA Market is a “community of refugees and immigrant members who, for 35+ years, have cultivated an open community space all their own, providing a cultural hub for social gatherings, sharing of ethnic cuisines and business opportunities through vending.” The primary goal of this community-driven design collaboration was to imagine vendor stalls for the SEA Market's future home.
The third and final built vendor stall leveraged the interaction of two distinct materials: a series of large, cantilevering, laminated wood ribs supporting an assembly of CNC-cut aluminum fins. The necessary work surface and bench seating for SEA Market’s use spanned between the main glulam structure, supported by custom fabricated steel supports.
Student assembly drawings
Student participants: Dante Formosa, Jake Kropf, Jesenni Maisterrena, Payton Sucharski, Weijei Wei
Instructors: Assistant Professor Jeff Richards Adjunct Professor Tim Barnes, Adjunct Professor Mario Gentile
Final install