EL TALLER (WORKSHOP)
Our woodshop - more commonly referred to by the Spanish word for workshop - 'el taller' - is an open air workshop immersed into the heart of Reserva Ecologica Panamaes. As you drive down the main gravel access road in the reserve, blink and you'll miss a wall of bamboo that blends seamlessly into the forest surround. Duck through an entryway in the bamboo and you'll find our team of 10 Panamanian ebanistas (carpenters) working on Studio Tlalli designs. Adjacent to the workshop is our wood storage area, where we collect and cure the species we use in our collections.
FORESTRY SUPPLY CHAIN
The longterm goal of our agroforestry program at Panamaes is to harvest the wood we use at Studio Tlalli directly from the forest reserve that surrounds our shop. As we wait for our reforestation plots to reach maturity, we sometimes have the opportunity to harvest windfall and driftwood from the reserve and craft one-of-a-kind pieces from those rare species. Enterprises like Studio Tlalli and IM/KM Architecture allow the reserve to be economically sustainable in addition to environmentally sustainable. Our agroforestry reforestation plots contribute to conservation by creating biological corridors, but growing sustainable hardwoods we can use in our supply chain also allows us to then fund more conservation efforts. It's a full-circle system that works to preserve and grow the dry tropical forest - the most endangered tropical forest type in the world.
COMMUNITY WOODWORKING
Our tight-knit team of Panamanian carpenters work full-time at our wood shop in Reserva Ecologica Panamaes. Many of them grew up as fishers or farmers, as woodworking isn’t historically a craft in this region, where homes are made from ‘quincha’ - a mud plaster. We hire for character and through word-of-mouth instead of skill, and teach through experience. Over the years, our team has not only become highly skilled, but family, and their community woodworking effort extends outside of our shop into local building projects.
COMMISSION STUDIO TLALLI FOR YOUR SPACE
We are currently working on a private commission basis and all our pieces are made to order at our shop in Panama.
Contact us for more information: TLALLI@IM-KM.COM