2016 MSPF Installation: Swallowtail

Atelier Cho Thompson is honored to have been selected to design the Community Prototype for this year’s Market Street Prototyping Festival in San Francisco. Working closely with a Think Tank of community groups, we have designed a pavilion to serve the neighborhood of Central Market.

Through 4 Idea Labs held this spring, which included discussions and a walking tour, the Think Tank provided valuable, street-level knowledge about the social ecosystem of Central Market. Their comments about existing conditions, challenges, and opportunities on the sidewalks of the Central Market District are based on their intimate knowledge of the area’s physical, social and cultural landscape. Their discussions on this topic helped shape their own idea for a community based prototype entitled “Swallowtail.” The concept behind the Swallowtail is inspired by Western tiger swallowtail habit found along Market Street, which coexists within the hustle and bustle of Market Street. New developments on along Market Street now makes an extensive effort to preserve this habitat. This prototype is an allegory for how any future progress or development must similarly honor and respect the people and organizations of Central Market. The prototype’s design incorporated elements such as wayfinding and storytelling.

Meeting with the Think Tank members over a series of 4 Idea Labs was key to generating a design that addressed the needs, desires, and aspirations of Central Market community. Outlined herein are the activities that help gather the community members' shared values and priorities to incorporate into the prototype design. Also included is an evaluation metric to gauge how well the designs addressed the priorities of the group.