it all started with water

+ Exhibited at the University of Waterloo School of Architecture Projects Review 2024-2025 and at the Cambridge City Hall

Location Cambridge, ON, Canada

Program Farmers’ Market

Course 4B Comprehensive Design Studio (Spring 2025)

Supervisor Jaliya Fonseka

Collaborator Audrey Chen

it all started with water honours and celebrates an element, though often taken for granted, indispensable for both the market's and the visitors' existence and mutual flourishing-water. Upon visiting the site, water stood out as the supernatural force stitching the context together. From the river to the surrounding buildings, the market, church, and city archives all possess a deep relationship to water. The 1974 Cambridge flood is a testament to water's prominence on site. The site is primarily organized around a long rain garden, located at the lowest elevation point of the site and separating the old market from the new addition. An outdoor space runs parallel, evoking the market's historical presence along the east banks of the river. The project takes on a holistic approach to highlighting water education and access. Water is used in multiple ways, from providing sanitation, leisure and play activities in the public realm to more pragmatic building and site functions. As a comprehensive studio project, sustainability and detailing were at the forefront of the design. Our approach was to use innovative materials that not only enhance the concept, but also the overall experience of the building and surrounding landscape.