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 Slat project created a canopy composed of pre-fabricated, CNC-milled plywood components that defined different areas of programmed space and varied levels of environmental control. Removable bench seating and work surface allowed for the market vendor to manipulate the space to suit their particular needs. Other than the fasteners that connected the structural ribs to the foundational support, the entire structure was design to be assembled using wood joinery techniques designed by the project team.
Student participants: James Koel, Dylan Leik, Britney Sciarillo, William Webb
Instructors: Assistant Professor Jeff Richards RA, Adjunct Professor Tim Barnes, Adjunct Professor Mario Gentile
