Kopitiam
Client
Kopitiam
Kopitiam is women-owned all-day Malaysian cafe and restaurant located between Manhattan’s Chinatown and Lower East Side.
We reached out to co-owner Moonlynn Tsai after reading about Heart of Dinner, a community food effort that she and her partner Yin Chang created to feel needy homebound seniors during the pandemic to ask how we could help.
Project Brief
The project is an outdoor dining installation, created as part of New York City’s new Open Restaurants program. A brightly colored oasis on a busy avenue, the pavilion was designed to capture some of the energy and ad-hoc nature of roadside structures in Southeast Asia, as well as adapting to Kopitiam’s casual, snack and beverage-based menu and style of service.
Design Approach
The installation makes use of the required barrier design, capped with a long counter for individuals to perch separated by planters. The counter seating area is partitioned using laminated glass screens from two tables for small groups having a meal. The canopy is secured to the planters and the plywood platform and clad in two colors of corrugated fiberglass. Tables and chairs were designed to be left outside and nest together at night.
Design Advocates Team
Some People: Kiki Goti, Erik Martinez
Michael K. Chen Architecture: Natasha Harper, Michael Chen
Overlay Office: Abby Coover Hume
Photos by Alan Tansey
Project Dates & Status
June 2020 - August 2020
Photos
Final Design
