THE CANOPY

In response to the competition brief, we have designed a food court that offers flexibility to both festival-goers and caterers. The design was inspired by the traditional Latvian pattern, Krupitis, a balance between the world of dreams and desires. The site plan of the food court was designed to echo the shifting geometrical organisation of the Latvian patterns with the caterers as the central focus and a welcoming eating area for the public arranged in playful, flexible clusters. Throughout the design, we have chosen materials that are readily available and easily sourced in Latvia to help lower the cost.

 

For the food stalls, the grid timber structure provides the caterers the opportunity to hang utensils to be functional as well as easy to construct. Adjustable fabric screens over the food stalls form the transition from the vertical to the horizontal structure as well as giving caterers the means to adjust the openings to change their operating capacity and angle. Lifting the opposing corners of the roofs, by varying the column heights, creates a dynamic roof shape that is easily erectable and demountable.

 

There is a dynamic sub-canopy of fabric and strings that peaks and troughs across the site as well as blends itself between the tree canopies and the seating areas. The coverage from the elements varies across the seating area to allow variation in the spaces created. Reused wood pallets are irregularly stacked to create a playful topography of platforms for the interaction between festival-goers as well as offering flexible seating for various group sizes.roup sizes.