On June 18th and 19th, The Stop Community Food Centre will be hosting their second annual Stop Night Market in the Honest Ed’s alleyway in Toronto, inviting over 50 Toronto chefs as well as showcasing the food cart designs of Waterloo Architecture students and alumni.
A call for proposals back in February got the juices flowing, and local designers submitted one-panel proposals for this year’s food carts. 36 designs were chosen, 16 of which belonged to teams made up of at least one UWSA student/alumni.
Designers pay for all expenses associated with the design and production of their cart and are required to transport it to the site and remove it after the event is over; this is their contribution to the charitable event.
Studio Haha
Studio Haha, comprised of UWSA’s own Mark Zupan and Fernie Lai, as well as Peder Brand and Lily Nourmansouri of Sci-Arc, are collaborating to create a cart in this year’s Night Market. Lily is a graduate of the Waterloo Architecture undergraduate program.
The team has gone global; Fernie and Mark are in Cambridge, Lily is in California, and Peder is in Norway. The four get together and hangout on Google where they make design decisions, share research, and decide on next steps. Talk about dedication.
After being chosen as designers for the Night Market, Studio Haha was paired with chefs of the widely renowned Momofuku and the chefs of the local and delicious Brockton General. Their cart will be tailored to serve both world-class noodles as well as fresh, local cuisine, and best of all… drinks!
The cart will harvest at least 180 recycled beer bottles (some donated by Momofuku) as well as other low-budget or reused materials. Mark and Fernie are currently developing prototype connections with beer bottles and simple wooden cubes as joints. They have also developed a prototype for the top portion of the cart, which will come together to form a dreamy, colourful cloud. With their food cart, Studio Haha aims to showcase the sustainable, holistic approach of the event while making recycled materials look beautiful.
Prototype of beer bottles with wooden block joints
Prototype for cloud piece: an imitation of Japanese fishing floats
Rather than creating some abstract architectural form, Studio Haha is focusing on making the cart fun, friendly, and engaging, something at a human scale that people will be able to enjoy and interact with. Mark Zupan explains, “The cart will be a beacon for food and for social activity; because people are there to eat, socialize, and have a good time.”
The charitable aspect of the Night Market is what encouraged Studio Haha to collaborate. They also want their experience to be fun in all aspects: design, construction, and simply being together as a team. Good luck, Studio Haha!
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