Project Description

Instead of just a quick slurp from a cup, drinking tea once again remind us the long practiced social rituals and cultures. In the great tea-drinking culture of this region, the beverage does more than quenching the thirst, it also fulfills an important social role. Tea stalls in busy cities act as informal social hubs, bringing people from different backgrounds together. People from all walks of life-students, rickshaw pullers, office workers-gather to chat over tea. Conversations range from politics to cricket, creating a space for exchange of ideas. Unlike formal cafés, tea stalls offer an open, friendly setting where strangers can connect. Regular customers form bonds, turning tea stalls into a local network of friends and acquaintances. Affordable tea makes it accessible to everyone, promoting inclusivity in social interactions.

With this consideration in mind, the design attempt tries to create a social platform that brings people together holding a cup of tea. Here comes the Tea-Pod, an urban lightweight infrastructure has the potentiality to encapsulate day-to-day urban street life, functions as a mini- node, a point of interaction, a place for students, daily commuters, vendors, and even street dogs- a shared space that benefits everyone. Tea-Pod is an easy to construct movable urban- device that build on existing traditional "Tong" - typology, ability to mobile and visible in a public space, including a sense of community. With a compact size of 5'x5' in folded form, the metallic stall opens up to form seating area harnessing numerous social interactions an activities. This proposal intends to support local street vendors providing a platform to encourage entrepreneurship from the perspective of self-employment and public space realm.