"We appreciate their attention to detail and creative approach in repurposing plywood and fabricating furniture to help restaurants with outdoor dining."
- Cedric Vongerichten, Wayan
Cedric Vongerichten’s Wayan restaurant in NoLIta was our first full install in
July 2020 – and we are still working with them to date as we keep adapting
and evolving our kit-of-parts to respond to the changing nature of weather, city
requirements and COVID-19 challenges.
Wayan 1.0 was delivered in summer 2020 in the first weeks of Open Streets, and consisted of a set of stackable chairs, tables and planters. It was an inclusive design process – we made prototypes, discussed adaptations and iterated the design until the client's needs were met. This process helped us create a reproducible kit-of-parts design for other restaurants.
As the weather got colder, we evolved the kit-of-parts and delivered Wayan 2.0 in fall 2020. Keeping our original 1.0 tables, stools and planters, we added portal frames to support a roof membrane and screen separations between tables. The structure was accessible and safe for patrons, staff, pedestrians and roadway transit, and the modularity of our kit-of-parts enabled easy access to manholes and roadway projects which occurred a few times throughout the life of 2.0.
Recently, approaching winter 2021, we upgraded them to a more permanent outdoor dining structure, Wayan 3.0. Now standing with our original 1.0 tables and stools, recycled and refinished 2.0 portal frames and platform, we introduced a more permanent covering and structure - end walls and sliding doors to improve interior conditioning.
Photos: Tom Ross
