Project Summary:

Connect the Dots, with architectural practice Atelier Rae, were commissioned by The Irish Architecture Foundation in partnership with Waterford Cultural Quarter to deliver a programme of co-design, collaborative research and prototyping as part of the Re-Imagine programme. This programme culminated in a Design Guide to advise the local authority how to establish a new crafts market for O’Connell Street in Waterford City.

Connect the Dots brought together a diverse, dedicated and knowledgeable group of market experts, locals and community members to help bring vibrancy into an area of the city with a number of vacant heritage buildings, provide economic opportunities and celebrate the Waterford Cultural Quarter’s rich multicultural identity.

Craft Market Design Guide:

Based on the WCQ Crafts Market Co-design process, additional funding was available to the project, allowing a more bespoke engagement process for the craft market. It was through this engagement that a Market Design Guide was noted as a vital and beneficial piece to the future of the craft market design. The guide demonstrates and summarises a way of guiding a group to establishing a community crafts market.

Process

• COMMUNICATIONS
• ONLINE WORKSHOPS
• IN-PERSON WORKSHOP
• SHARED INSIGHTS
• FOCUS GROUP
• INFORMATION GATHERING
• REPORT AND FINDINGS

Outcomes of the Project

• A design guide with advice, next steps and architectural drawings to establish a crafts market
• Insights from the community on how they would like to see a crafts market going forward