ASA Journal 01/58

THE ARCHITECTURAL JOURNAL 

OF THE ASSOCIATION OF 

SIAMESE ARCHITECTS 

UNDER ROYAL PATRONAGE 

SPACE FOR 

LEARNING 

KNOWLEDGE CENTER OF CHA- 

CHOENGSAO / PATANA GALLERY 

/ STUDENT ACTIVITY CENTER / 

TOURISM TOWER / THE COLLEGE 

OF MUSIC/ FARMING KINDER- 

GARTEN / RETHINKING ‘SINO- 

PORTUGUESE’ ARCHITECTURE IN 

PHUKET 

01 

2015

THEMES 

32 

56 

48 

64 

40 

32 Knowledge Center of 

Chachoengsao (KCC) 

 

40 The College of Music, Mahidol 

University 

 

 

48 Tourism Tower, Bangkok 

University 

Tourism Tower 

56 Patana Gallery, Rangsit 

University 

 

64 Student Activity Center, Bangkok 

University 

 

2 ASA CONTENTS

SECTIONS 16 

NEWS 

12 Business of Design Week 2014, 

Hong Kong 

16 Chiang Mai Design Week 2014 

20 Holcim Awards Asia Pacific 2014 

WORKS 

IN PROGRESS 

24 The Graduate School and Multidisciplinary 

International Offices: 

Jamjuree 10 

10 

28 Staff Residence, Leam Chabang 

Port Customs Bureau 

 

PROFESSIONAL 

72 : 

 

ASEAN 

80 Farming Kindergarten 

HISTORY 

86 Rethinking ‘Sino-Portuguese’ 

Architecture in Phuket 

 

80 

104 DETAILS 

106 MATERIALS 

108 REVIEW 

110 PRODUCT NEWS 

112 ASA CARTOON 

4 ASA CONTENTS

FOREWORD 

ADVISORS 

PICHAI WONGWAISAYAWAN 

SMITH OBAYAWAT 

PONGKWAN LASSUS 

ASSOC. PROF. TONKAO PANIN, PH.D. 

ANEK THONGPIYAPOOM 

ASSOC. PROF. M.L. PIYALADA 

THAVEEPRUNGSRIPORN, PH.D. 

WIRAT PANTAPATKUL 

MAADDI THUNGPANICH 

MONGKON PONGANUTREE 

EDITOR IN CHIEF 

SUPITCHA TOVIVICH 

CONTRIBUTORS 

ADISORN SRISAOWANUNT 

CHOMCHON FUSINPAIBOON 

JAKSIN NOYRAIPHOOM 

NARATHIP THUBTHUN 

SORAVIS NA NAGARA 

SUPASAI VONGKULBHISAL 

SUPITCHA TOVIVICH 

SUPREEYA WUNGPATCHARAPON 

SURAPONG SUKHVIBUL 

WARUT DUANGKAEWKART 

WORARAT PATUMNAKUL 

XAROJ PHRAWONG 

SPECIAL THANKS TO 

ARCHITECTS 49 

BANGKOK UNIVERSITY 

BODW (BUSINESS OF DESIGN WEEK) 

GEODESIC DESIGN 

HOLCIM 

HONG KONG DESIGN CENTRE 

PIRAST PACHARASWATE 

STUDIO RESEARCH PANIN 

STUDIOMAKE 

SUPERMACHINE STUDIO 

TCDC (THAILAND CREATIVE & DESIGN 

CENTER) 

TON SILP STUDIO 

VO TRONG NGHIA ARCHITECTS 

ENGLISH TRANSLATOR 

TANAKANYA CHANGCHAITUM 

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS 

WILAPA KASVISET 

MANUSSANIT SRIRAJONGDEE 

VANICHA SRATHONGOIL 

CO-ORDINATOR 

KETSIREE WONGWAN 

THE ASSOCIATION OF SIAMESE 

ARCHITECTS UNDER ROYAL 

PATRONAGE ORGANIZES 

248/1 SOI SOONVIJAI 4 (SOI 17) 

RAMA IX RD., BANGKAPI, 

HUAYKWANG, BANGKOK 10310 

T : +66 2319 6555 

F : +66 2319 6419 

W : asa.co.th 

E : asaisaoffice@gmail.com 

PRINT 

FOCAL IMAGE 

248/1 SOI SANTINARUEMAN RD. 

SUKHUMVIT RD. BANGKOK 10230 

T : +66 2259 1523 

E : ASAJOURNAL@GMAIL.COM 

ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT 

T : +66 2397 0582-3 

F : +66 2747 6627 

SUBSCRIBE TO ASA JOURNAL 

T : +66 2319 6555 

 

 

 

 

Space for Learning 

1.) 

 

2.) 

 

 

3.) Tourism Tower 

 

 

4.) 

 

5.) 

- 

 

There are a variety of forms of learning nowadays and, although the quiet 

(blockade) classroom is still effective, it might not always be the best approach for 

our contemporary society with its many advanced and creative approaches being 

taken toward how to teach and learn. Many times, both the inside and the outside 

of the classroom encourage knowledge to occur in different ways. In this ASA issue 

we investigate the theme ‘Space for Learning’ through the consideration of several 

various buildings that are designed for learning: 1.) Knowledge Center of Chachoengsao 

(KCC), designed to give precedence to a new form of the communication of knowledge 

that provides both knowledge and entertainment at the same time 2.) College of 

Music, Mahidol University, emphasizing a continuity of space that encourages interactions 

between people and architecture, people and nature and people and their 

surroundings to influence students’ learning experiences. 3.) Tourism Tower, Bangkok 

University, designed to support and stimulate an action learning approach which 

allows for students to practice their jobs in a real environment such as a restaurant, 

cafe or spa 4.) Patana Gallery, Rangsit University, functioning as a gate and entrance 

leading people toward spaces and activities that encourage knowledge and creativity 

including a gallery, meeting room, library and multipurpose area 5.) Student 

Activity Center, Bangkok University, created to support activities outside of class 

that respond to contemporary learning. 

6 ASA EDITORIAL

2557 - 2559 

 

. . 

 

 

 

 

 

 

. 

 

 

. 

.. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

.... 

. 

 

 

 

. 

 

 

 

 

Space for Learning 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9 

 

(ARCASIA) 

 

19 2 

 

 

 

ARCASIA 

 

.. 2558 

 

 

 

 

2557-2559 


MESSAGE 

FROM 

THE PRESIDENT 

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 

THE ASSOCIATION OF 

SIAMESE ARCHITECTS 

UNDER ROYAL PATRONAGE 

2014—2016 

CONSULTANTS 

PROFESSOR SURAPON VIRULRAK, PH.D. 

SINN PHONGHANYUDH 

SATHIRUT TANDANAND 

PRABHAKORN VADANYAKUL 

PRESIDENT 


VICE PRESIDENT 

POL.LT.COL. BUNDIT PRADUBSOOK, PH.D. 

ANUCHAR YUSANANDA 

PRADITCHYA SINGHARAJ 

VASU POSHYANANDANA, PH.D. 

ASSOC. PROF. TONKAO PANIN, PH.D. 

NITIS STHAPITANONDA 

SECRETARY GENERAL 

PRAKIT PHANANURATANA 

HONORARY REGISTRAR 

CAPT.ON-USAH CHIENGKUL 

HONORARY TREASURER 

KARNCHIT PUNYAKANOK 

SOCIAL EVENT DIRECTOR 

PREECHA NAVAPRAPAKUL 

PUBLIC RELATIONS DIRECTOR 

SURASSADA NIPARIYAI 

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 

CHAVALIT TANGMITJAROEN 

SUNANTAPAT CHALERMPANTH 

GP. CAPT. ADISORN BUNKHACHAI 

VINEETA KALYANAMITRA 

ASSOC. PROF. M.L. PIYALADA 

THAVEEPRUNGSRIPORN, PH.D. 

PONN VIRULRAK, PH.D. 

CHAIRMAN OF NORTHERN REGION (LANNA) 

ADUL HERANYA 

CHAIRMAN OF NORTHEASTERN REGION 

(ESAN) 

ASST. PROF. SURASAK LOHWANICHAI 

CHAIRMAN OF SOUTHERN REGION (TAKSIN) 

WIWAT CHITNUAN 

Let me firstly take this opportunity to say Happy New Year to all my fellow ASA 

members. This issue of the ASA journal will focus on architectural works that are all 

about creating an educational environment, in other words, a ‘space for learning,’ 

which for me, is a building type that is especially interesting. From my work experience, 

I find that designing schools or buildings related to learning provides a great chance 

for architects to use their imaginations to design the perfect learning environment 

that will creatively urge and encourage learning habits amongst students who use 

the building. Even though there are some technical restrictions in designing classrooms, 

meeting rooms and any other room types due to specific operations being carried 

out in the space, safety regulations such as fire exits and evacuation procedures which 

must be supported, as well as the always present fact that we must design with consideration 

for everyone in mind so that they can use the buildings equally, all in all, 

if designers study and fully understand the way each classroom or educational space 

works, they will be able to present functional and interesting spaces similar to those 

that you’re about to find in this issue of the ASA journal. The thoughtful consideration 

paid to function and the activities that these spaces will house is not unlike that 

which we saw in the 9 temporary schools that were built to help the earthquake 

victims in Chiang Rai in our previous issue. 

I would also like to congratulate Mr. Sathirut Tandanand on the receipt of his duty 

as the President of the Architects Regional Council Asia (ARCASIA), an appointment 

that was decided by the votes of all members from all 19 countries. He will hold the 

duty for 2 years alongside a new set of committee members from other countries 

who have come together to help create and develop a strong relationship amongst 

one another through the exchange of knowledge and experiences that will further 

promote and help to develop the architectural field. It is a great opportunity and honor 

for Thai architects to take on a leading role in the architecture field internationally 

and ASA will provide our full support for the works of ARCASIA under theleadership 

of Mr. Sathirut especially during this opportune time when we are preparing to open 

our doors to the ASEAN Economic Community. 

Lastly, as we have just entered the new year of 2015, I would like to offer you my 

best wishes and hopes that the virtues of the Triple Gem may bless you all to be 

healthy, wealthy and happy in this year to come. 


ASA PRESIDENT 2014-2016 


NEWS 

BUSINESS 01 

OF DESIGN 

HONGKONG 

WEEK 

Business of Design Week (BODW) 

Hong Kong Design Centre 

.. 2002 

 

 

 

BODW 

1-6 2557 

BODW 

Conference 

 

‘Living Design’ 

4 1.) Live it 

Sustainability, Green Tech, Gastronomy 

Interior Design 2.) Wear it 

Fashion, Wearable Technology, Smart Textiles 

Headphones 3.) Work it 

Health/Elderly Care, Ergonomics, Interaction 

IT Service Design 4.) Do it 

Leisure, Gaming, Music Sport 

 

 

 

Living Design Rem 

Koolhaas OMA, Marcus Engman Ikea Sweden, 

William To PMQ Charlotte Ruben White 


12 ASA NEWS

Arkitekter 

Education & Design - 

 

Central Saint Martins, Parson the 

New School of Design 

Cutting- 

Egde Innovation, Brand Asia, Culture & The Cities 

Shigeru Ban 

Pritzker Architecture Prize 

.. 2014 West 8, 

Macanoo Waterstudio 

 

BODW West Kowloon Cultural 

District (WKCD) 

 

 

Herzog & de Meuron, Foster + Partners 

UNStudio BODW 

Product & Design, Technology 

for Design, Sustainability & Design, Fashion & Design, 

Enterprise & Design, Space & Design, Communication & 

Design Design, Innovation & 

Brands 

Design for Asia Award 2014 

Inno Design Tech Expo 

TEXT 

Supitcha Tovivich 

PHOTOS 

Ketsiree Wongwan 

Wilapa Kasviset 

02 

01 Rem Koolhaas 

 

02 Shigeru Ban 

Business of Design Week (BODW), an event that 

has been held annually since 2002 by the Hong Kong 

Design Centre, gathers artists and renowned firms 

together to exchange ideas and celebrate innovative and 

creative works while bringing the design field closer 

together. Each year, a variety of people from different 

regions join the event, the most recent of which was 

held from the 1 st - 6 th December 2014 in collaboration 

with the country of Sweden. The activities consisted of 

the BODW Conference that reflected the attention, 

trends and roles of design and society under the 

theme ‘Living Design.’ The theme was separated into 

4 topics: 1.) Live it, focusing on Sustainability, Green 

Tech, Gastronomy and Interior Design issues 2.) Wear 

it, focusing on Fashion, Wearable Technology, Smart 

Textiles and Headphones issues 3.) Work it, focusing 

on Health/Elderly Care, Ergonomics, Interaction and IT 

Service Design issues and 4.) Do it, focusing on Leisure, 

Gaming, Music and Sports issues. The theme was 

inspired by the Swedish belief that society can be 

developed and supported through innovation, creativity 

and sustainability. In the ‘Living Design’ talk many 

renowned experts were in attendance including Rem 

Koolhaas from OMA, Marcus Engman from Ikea Sweden, 

William To from PMQ and Charlotte Ruben from White 

Arkitekter, all of whom contributed to the dialogue and 

exchange of ideas. 

Other smaller themed talks on topics such as 

Education & Design were also held, encouraging the 

exchange of ideas and developments in regards to the 

design of educational spaces. This talk considered examples 

such as Central Saint Martins, Parsons the New 

School for Design and other renowned schools of design. 

Further lectures on topics such as Cutting-Edge Innovation, 

Brand Asia, Culture & The Cities brought together 

renowned architects such as Shigeru Ban, the Pritzker 

Architecture Prize winner of 2014 and several architects 

from the Netherlands including West 8, Macanoo and 

Waterstudio as well as other talented and knowledgeable 

architects from a variety of different countries. Projects 

that are typically given much attention during BODW are 

those related to the progress of the West Kowloon Cultural 

District (WKCD), a huge project currently under development 

in a cultural area in Hong Kong. It is an interesting 

topic to discuss as various world designers, thinkers and 

architects are associated with the project including 

Herzog & de Meuron, Foster + Partners and UNStudio. 

Furthermore, the other minor talks included in the BODW 

programming considered Product & Design, Technology 

for Design, Sustainability & Design, Fashion & Design, 

Enterprise & Design, Space & Design, Communication & 

Design and even Design, Innovation & Brands. Lastly, 

other events during BODW rounded out the event such as 

the awarding of the Design for Asia Awards 2014 and 

the Inno Design Tech Expo. 


CHIANGMAI 

DESIGN 

WEEK 02 

 

- 

(TCDC) 

 

 

Chiang Mai Design Week 2014 

‘Born Creative’ 6-14 2557 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5 1.) Design Showcase: 

 

- 

 

Unseen 

Collection Showcase / Experimental Showcase / 

Value Creation Showcase / Partner Showcase 2.) 

Creative Space Workshop: 

- 

 

26 - 

3.) City Installations & Tour: 

 

 

Landmark / Exhibition / Multimedia / Bike Trip/ 

Coffee Routing / Design Maker / Thailand Boutique 

Awards Visit 4.) Business Programme: 

 


02 


Buyer Meeting / Business Networking / POP 

market / Business Matching 5.) Creative Dialogue: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chiang Mai 

Design Week 2014 

 

 

01 

Design Maker 01. Co-Host: 

Lanna Revisited 

02 THIS.MEANS. 

THAT 

Co-Host: Lanna Revisited 

03 

City 

Installation & Tour 

04 

‘’ 

 

Chiang Mai Design Week 

2014 

03 

TCDC Chiang Mai presented Chiang Mai Design 

Week 2014, shining the light on design as a powerful 

force that can better the quality of life and determine 

the future of business. Taking place from the 6 th -14 th 

of December 2014 under the theme ‘Born Creative,’ 

CMDW 2014 reflected Chiang Mai’s transformation from 

a tourist destination into a place that nurtures creativity. 

Furthermore, the city itself came alive through the presentation 

of stories about design and the city, design and 

society, and design and life through diverse activities 

such as a multiple-day event made up of design showcases, 

workshops, citywide installations and tours, 

business programs and creative dialogues. Each event 

was held in different parts of Chiang Mai and could be 

accessed by the guide and venue map that was made 

available throughout the city at venues such as the 

Chiang Mai Design Week 2014 booth, coffee shops 

and hotels. CMDW2014 links architecture, product 

design, fashion, graphic design and art together with 

the local community, educational institutions, international 

organizations, state and private agencies. This 

annual festival seeks to both accentuate the city’s 

unique flavors as well as stimulate growth in its local 

creative industries. 

TEXT+PHOTOS 

Worarat Patumnakul 

04 


HOLCIM 

AWARDS 

03 


02 

2014 ‘ 

2014’ 4 

 

 

 

() 

 

 

3 

‘’ (WINNER: 

HOLCIM AWARDS GOLD ASIA PACIFIC 2014) 

 

 

‘’ 

 

 

 

47 


(Architect Kidd Co., Ltd.) .. 

 

5 (Innovation) 

(Ethical) (Environment) 

(Academic) (Aesthetic) 

 

 

. 

 

“- 

 

(International Union for Conservation of 

Nature) - 

 

 

” 

 

 

 

 

(Global 

Holcim Awards) 

‘’ 

 

(D I 

Designs Corporation Limited) 

 

 

 

 

03 

01-02 

 

03 

 

04 

(), 

.. ( 3 

) 

( 2 ) 

TEXT 

Worarat Patumnakul 

PHOTOS 

Courtesy of Holcim 

The Holcim Awards is an international competition 

that recognizes innovative projects and future-oriented 

concepts on both regional and global levels. The latest 

occurrence of the event, which is normally held every 

three years, unfolded in 2014 and was the fourth time 

that the competition was celebrated. The event has been 

granted continuous support from Siam City Cement 

Public Company Limited in response to their intentions 

to encourage architects, engineers and project clients 

to go beyond the conventional notions of sustainable 

construction in their work by harmonizing economic, 

ecological and social concerns. 

A bird sanctuary in northern Thailand that serves 

as both an educational facility and a bird rehabilitation 

center was granted the Gold prize for its integrated 

approach toward bird conservation. Designed by 

Jariyawadee Lekawatana of Achitectkidd and Singh 

Intrachooto of Kasetsart University, Bangkok together 

with Chak Cherdsatirkul of Kaomai Lanna Resort, 

Chiang Mai, the project simulates a natural habitat and 

includes a small hotel and bird viewing tower. The idea 

for the project came about in response to the fact that 

thousands of birds are smuggled in and out of Thailand 

and sold on the world’s growing black market for their 

exotic colors and bird calls each year. Furthering the 

tragedy, rescued birds typically die in confinement as 

they are often retained in cages as evidence for up to 

five years during the process of prosecuting the smugglers. 

At the awards ceremony in Jakarta, jury member 

Donald Bates (Australia) congratulated the Holcim Awards 

Gold winners for their innovative approach toward addressing 

the devastating effects of bird trafficking and 

positive efforts made toward the improved survival 

of endangered wildlife describing that, “the project’s 

stance is aligned with the principles advocated by the 

International Union for Conservation of Nature and 

combines architectural qualities with conservation, 

education, research and eco-tourism in a complete and 

convincing way.” 

Moreover, The project from D I Designs Corporation 

Limited, a member of DTGO, was granted the Acknowledgement 

Prize 2014 for its ‘Resurrection of Urban Canal 

System’ project that resurrected the historic canal 

networks to help. 

04 


WORK IN PROGRESS 

CHAMCHURI 10 


( 10) 

 

 

 

 

 

(The Lantern of 

Knowledge) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 

() 1 9 

10 18 2 

 

 

 

7 

 

 

24 ASA WORK IN PROGRESS

The Graduate School and Multidisciplinary International 

Offices (Chamchuri 10) is the central education 

building for international graduate students of Chulalongkorn 

University. The architects purposed to create a tall 

building that could facilitate integration between Thai 

arts and new forms of technology as well as reflect the 

character of Chulalongkorn University under the theme: 

The Lantern of Knowledge. 

The flow of ventilation is emphasized by situating the 

long elevation at the east and west sides of the building. 

Meanwhile, the architects opted for an aluminum façade 

to reduce sunlight from being illuminated through the 

east side of the building. Moreover, this aluminum façade 

was designed with a pattern depicting the chamchuri leaf 

that the building is named for. The building is separated 

into 2 main sections with floors 1-9, the education zone, 

floors 10-18 and the office zone being accessed by 

separate elevators. The staircase provides access from 

the ground floor up to the 7 th floor, allowing for additional 

means of access and interaction with the space. 

02 


 

02 

OWNER 

Chulalongkorn University 

LOCATION 

Chulalongkorn 12 th Road 

ARCHITECT 

Pirast Pacharaswate 

Rachaporn Choochuey 

Sayanee Virochrut 

Terdsak Tachakitkachorn 

Pornprom 

Mannontaratana 

Phongsakorn Yimsawat 

Napat Kwanmuang 

Suphawat 

Hiranthanawiwat 

Jakaporn Suwannakorn 

Kullathida Sangnin 

STRUCTURAL ENGINEER 

Phoonsak Pheinsusom 

SYSTEM ENGINEER 

Satian Wongsarasert 

(Mechanical) 

Bundit Eua-arporn 

(Electrical) 

Sutha KhaoDhier 

(Electrical) 

Chaiyaporn Puprasert 

(Sanitary) 

Sodthipong 

Phichaisawat 

(Sanitary) 

CONTRACTOR 

EMC 

BUILDING AREA 

45,000 sq.m. 

CONSTRUCTION COST 

800 Million Baht 

10 M 


STAFF RESIDENCE, 

LAEM CHABANG PORT CUSTOMS BUREAU 

GEODESIC DESIGN 



 

 

 

4 3 

 

36,000 

405 60 

 

 

 

 

 

façade 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


5 M 

The Staff Residence at Laem Chabang Port Customs 

Bureau was constructed for senior government officials 

and the executive director of Laem-Chabang Customs 

Department. The project was constructed on a 4 rai 3 

ngan area of land surrounded by the existing community 

and governmental offices. As the building was to be constructed 

on an area adjacent to the satellite transmission 

station and surrounding community, the architect needed 

to give great consideration to the context through design. 

The form of the building, with its utilization of straight 

lines, was designed to be simple and have a minimal 

effect on the surrounding scenery. The space inside the 

building focused on bringing out natural ventilation and 

light through the creation of voids within the space. 

What is more, a public space situated on the rooftop was 

created to respond to people’s lifestyles and needs at 

present. Readymade-concrete was chosen as the main 

material in order to save costs, allow for quick construction 

and reduce trash and dust. Furthermore, only energy 

efficient electrical devices were installed in the building 

and the architect designed the roof in a way that would 

allow for it to generate its own electrical power from 

the sunlight in the future. Lastly, the architect combined 

his engineering and architectural knowledge through a 

design aimed at making a building function effectively for 

both the people living in and around it. 

02 

 

 

OWNER 

The Customs 

Department, 

Ministry of Finance 

LOCATION 

Dao Thiam Rd, 

Sri Racha, Chonburi 

ARCHITECT 

Geodesic Design 

INTERIOR DESIGNER 


LANDSCAPE DESIGNER 


02 

STRUCTURAL ENGINEER 

Suriya Thusneeyanont 

SYSTEM ENGINEER 

Montri Chindasrisupak & 

Pote Lekachaiworakul 

CONTRACTOR 

A.S.A. Karnchang 

BUILDING AREA 

36,300 sq.m. 

CONSTRUCTION COST 

618,000,000 Baht 


KNOWLEDGE 

CENTER 

OF CHACHOENGSAO 

MUANG CHACHOENGSAO 

RESEARCH STUDIO PANIN 

TEXT 

Adisorn Srisaowanunt 

PHOTOS 

Spaceshift Studio 

32 ASA THEME

ARCHITECT 

Research Studio Panin 

0-3918 

CONTRACTOR 

Teerakarn Pattana 

AREA 

5,000 sq.m. 

DURATION 

2008-2013 

“The book will kill the edice…(Hugo,1831)” 

 

 

 

 

 

‘’ 

 

 

 

 

(KCC: Knowledge 

Center of Chachoengsao) 

 

 

(TK Park) 

Research Studio Panin 

 

 

 

 

2557 

4 5,000 .. 

4 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THEME ASA 33

2 

11 11 12 12 

10 

2 

11 12 12 

8 

10 

13 

10 

8 

2 

9 

9 

8 

10 

13 

4th floor plan 

2nd 

2nd floor plan 

“The book will kill the edifice…” (Hugo, 1831) 

It was a long time ago that knowledge first transformed 

its physicality in the form of books; however, 

it was the same story as now, where the method of 

communication of knowledge is changing from books 

to new types of media that can provide both knowledge 

and entertainment at the same time. Such a change 

has caused ‘knowledge’ to demand the kind of space 

that differentiates itself from a conventional classroom. 

This new space offers greater freedom of choices as 

a more casual atmosphere blurs the lines between 

learning and playing. This new learning philosophy has 

brought about an enthusiastic blossoming of what later 

became known as the knowledge center. 

The Knowledge Center of Chachoengsao, or 

KCC, was initiated through The Municipality Office of 

Chachoengsao’s intention to create a living library for 

the local youth. The project was a part of a collaborative 

network with TK Park in Bangkok. The participation of 

the design team chosen to oversee the project, Studio 

Research Panin, took place from a very early stage 

when studies regarding the location were conducted. 

The development of the project grew from that of a 

living library to a knowledge center with an expansive 

and diverse range of content for a more comprehensive 

group of users. This knowledge center debuted its 

operations in July of 2014. The 4-story structure accommodates 

a total functional space of 5,000 square 

meters, which is divided into 4 types of libraries (living, 

children’s, music and IT), a small screening room, a 

multimedia zone, an exhibition hall, a multifunctional 

space or Dream Square and Chachoengsao Historical 

Archives. While these spaces represent different types 

of knowledge, what is superimposed on the architectural 

program and content is the atmosphere and 

functionality of a children’s playground. 

3 

2 

7 

7 

1 

1 

FLOOR PLAN 

1 Entrance Hall 

2 Hall 

3 Exhibition 

4 Café 

5 Multi-purpose Area 

6 Plaza 

7 Information 

8 Library 

9 Media library 

10 Storage 

11 Office 

12 Meeting 

13 Auditorium 


 

 

5 

5 4 

4 

6 

6 

1st floor plan 

5 M 


THEME ASA 35 

01

4 

5 

6 

3 2 

1 

2 M 

SECTION 

1 Entrance Hall 

2 Information 

3 Exhibition 

4 Library 

5 Hall 

6 Auditorium 

02 

 

03 

 

 

 

 

 

- 

 

 

 

 

open space 

- 

 

(Landmark) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

diagram 

2 

 

 

 

 

2 

 

 

‘’ 

 

 

 

 

 

café 

 

 

- 

 

 

3 4 

 

 

 

 

open plan 

 

 

 

core 

- 

 

 

 


02 

 

 

 

 

(orientation) 

(conguration) 

 

‘’ (Dream Square) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Research Studio Panin 

 

 

(no style, no 

rhetoric, no authorship) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- 

4 

 

 

(cantilever) 

 

2x8 

 

 

 

 

 

(surface) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

03 

 


04 

node 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- 

4 

 

 

 

 

- 

 

 

- 

 

 

 

 

- 

 

 

 

 

 

 


04 

The KCC building is located at the upper part of Chachoengsao 

on Norrakit Road near the railroad, the city’s 

main commuting route that connects the city center to 

the community areas towards the north. Schools and 

educational institutions, whose presence consequentially 

and perfectly complement KCC’s activities, surround the 

establishment. The architects allocated the building to the 

front of the land to make the center visually and physically 

accessible to the main group of users, which are local 

children and teenagers. The width of the road at the front 

of the center, the open space situated towards the south 

of the main building and the visually distinctive architectural 

expression collectively enhance KCC’s identity as 

Chachoeng-sao’s new landmark. The memorable impression 

is conceived from the design team’s thorough study 

of the locals’ commuting routes, which resolved in comprehensive 

information leading to the center’s strategic 

location. 

The design process of the floor plan, empty spaces 

and circulation began with the architecture team’s initial 

observation of the space as a diagram. There are two 

collective series of spaces, the first are the libraries, which 

require the quietness of the atmosphere, while exhibition 

spaces, theatre and seminar rooms are where activities 

are more dynamic. With such functional difference, the 

architects divided the building into two wings, accommodating 

the two main functional spaces. The massive 

atrium is in the middle, acting as the main entrance from 

the main road and the center’s multifunctional space. The 

atrium does not run through the building from the front 

to the back as it appears to, but moves in an upward 

inclination following the direction of the main staircase 

before ending at a cluster of openings at the upper part 

of the building. 

The left entrance is where the souvenir shop is 

located as well as a nice, small cafe and a library. The 

atrium roofs a multifunctional area, which can host 

the presence of a temporary stage, performances and 

temporary exhibitions. To the right, one can see the 

permanent exhibition and the province’s Historical 

Archive. Present on the second floor are another library, a 

small theatre and a spacious empty space. The third and 

fourth floor is still under construction and when finished, 

will host seminar rooms. The completion will ultimately 

allow KCC to accommodate incredibly diverse activities. 

The design team intends for the entire space to be a 

connected open-plan area with great spatial flexibility 

where children can run, sing or even practice a dance 

routine freely. It was as if the building were their amiable 

playground. The core service areas, such as restrooms 

and elevators, are allocated to the northwest of the 

building and separated from the outer area of the center. 

Such spatial manipulation automatically keeps the walls 

unattached from the dense architectural mass of the 

service area. 

The staircase acts as the operator of the entire floor 

plan and circulation, linking the public vivacity from the 

entrance hall to the upper floors. It also enhances the 

building’s circulation to flow freely into different parts of 

the two wings. The direction and location of the staircase 

helps the children to understand their own orientation 

and the building’s configuration almost instantly upon 

entering the center. The Dream Square located in the 

middle of the atrium is enclosed by high walls that 

are present as a part of the functional spaces of both 

wings. They cover the upper level of the atrium with 

the extending mass of the stairs. This creates a sense 

of concealment and privacy that sets the space apart 

from the building’s main empty space. It, more or less, 

reminds us of a space under the stairs, a secret childhood 

sanctuary in the memories of many grownups. 

In terms of form and expression, the architects 

of Research Studio Panin once said in a lecture that 

their architectural ideology is ‘no style, no rhetoric, 

no authorship.’ The intent to ‘not’ communicate any 

message results in a simple and most fundamental 

architectural formation where the interior spaces are 

collectively formed into a structure. The architects 

consider each floor of the building as a unit of shapes 

before they try to separate the attachment between 

floors and create a system where the overlapped 

angles are twisted apart. Looking at the structure from 

a distance, one can acknowledge the building’s form as 

the superimposition of 4 rectangular boxes. The angles 

and distances of the overlaps are partially fabricated 

from the architects’ intention to provide shade in relation 

to the direction of the sunlight while others come 

from the abilities the cantilever is designed to offer. 

A series of aluminum laths, each with 2”x8” crosssections, 

is installed in a vertical rhythm and acts as 

the building’ s exterior. It creates a semi-enclosed layer 

covering the window wall. Outsiders can look through 

the laths to see the pattern of the openings as well as 

the activities going on inside confirming that the functionality 

of the architecture is dynamically reaffirmed. In 

general, however, the surface created by this particular 

series of laths comes off as one continual surface, 

conceiving the architectural form that seems unfamiliar 

to the public. For a moment there, the presence of 

this architectural creation demands for one to make 

a subjective interpretation of its abstractly objectified 

expression. 

In its sense of place and meaning, the design of 

the building is metaphorically conceived from the shape 

and form of a pile of books. It connotes the essence of 

what KCC attempts to uphold as a knowledge center. 

In its website, one can see the symbolization of the 

staircase that rests itself downwards as the province’s 

prominent stream of knowledge. Such meaning is 

created from both owners and users’ interpretations, 

which are materialized from personal experiences and 

collective anecdotes people have for their community. 

Although such symbolic connection is not a part of the 

architects’ intention and design process, it illustrates 

the lively relationship between people and the building. 

The ramification of meanings comes afterwards, just 

like a tree finding the right soil in order to survive and 

grow. And as a result of that, the land and tree, together, 

create their own specific meaning. As the local youngsters 

use, run around and jump up and down on the 

fluid ground of the knowledge center freely, they are 

developing their own individual interpretations of the 

place. The conceived meanings are innate. Consequentially 

and gradually, they formulate a collective local 

identity, a sense of place that truly defines and belongs 

to Chachoengsao. 

 


TEXT 

Jaksin Noyraiphoom 

THE COLLEGE 

PHOTOS 

Srirath Somsawat 

Pruk Dejkamhaeng 


MAHIDOL UNIVERSITY 

TON SILP STUDIO 

OF MUSIC 


.. 2547 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“ 

” 

‘’ (grey space) 

(semi-outdoor space) 

(closed space) 

 

 

 

 

‘’ 

 

 

 

 

12 

 

( - ) 

( A) 

( B) ( 

C) 

 

 

 

.. 2552 

 

 

Back in 2004, as soon as the construction of 

the first cluster of buildings in the College of Music, 

Mahidol University was finalized, the existence of this 

educational institution was made official to the public. 

The distinctive architectural form and unique identity it 

embodied was different from most educational buildings 

at the time, earning attention from the public and 

a reputation as a college that has continued to develop, 

growing into the globally prestigious institute that it is 

today. 

The College of Music was first established and 

constructed as a part of the Salaya Campus of Mahidol 

University with an aim for the institution to raise 

the standards of the Thai music industry within the 

international arena. Ton Silp Studio was responsible for 

the project’s entire architectural design and environment. 

The idea behind the foundation of this college 

lies in a desire and attempt to create a warm and lively 

music community. In resonance with this aspiration, 

the design team created what they refer to as the ‘grey 

space,’ a semi-outdoor space fabricated to help reconcile 

the closed space of the project’s spatial program, 

which consists mostly of rehearsal rooms and music 

classrooms. To resolve the dense, disconnected architectural 

masses, the architects incorporated the ‘grey 

space’ as a means of linking each functional unit to one 

another, reinforcing interactions between people, architecture 

and nature under the warm, vivacious, pleasant 

and creative classroom atmosphere. 

The first phase of the construction included a 

cluster of buildings on a 19,200 square meter plot of 

land located on the university’s Salaya Campus, facing 

Baromratchonnani Road (Pinkloa-Nakhonchaisri). This 

complex of buildings consists of a classroom building, 

rehearsal rooms, administration office (building A), 

music hall (building B) and a musical library (building C). 

The program is linked together with a series of open 

spaces and outdoor activity grounds. Not long after its 

completion, the construction of the west side addition 

to the College of Music was begun in 2009, located to 

the west of the first phase with Ton Silp Studio being 

called back to supervise the project. 

ARCHITECT 

Ton Silp Studio 

0-2444 

CONTRACTOR 

Unakan 

AREA 

Music Therapy & Practice 

Building 7,975 sq.m. 

Musicsquare 570 sq.m. 

Artist’s Resident 2,460 

sq.m. 

DURATION 

2006-present (2015) 

 



 

 

 

“The main concept of the west side addition was 

to create a serene and peaceful space with succulent 

beauty. When we did the first phase, the natural element 

of the east side was fairly minimal, so the west side 

was designed to be more verdant in terms of the surrounding 

environment” described Chatri Ladalalitsakul 

of Ton Silp Studio in relation to the spatial design of the 

addition. 

“We worked with the space by creating the green 

element before the grey space was added, the same 

way we did with the east side. The difference was that 

we incorporated a great deal of natural elements into it. 

When you’re under the trees, you are inside this lush, 

shaded grey space. It’s like you’re walking into this 

natural haven. It is nature in the form of architecture.” 

The interior design of the addition consists of 

hundreds of buildings that are physically interwoven. 

Building D hosts musical labs and, moving towards the 

south, are restaurants, a music square, the Musical 

Botanical Garden (a museum where over 30 types of 

plants used for their wood in the making of musical 

instruments are grown) and the Artist Pavilion, which 

is situated to the north of the property. Infiltrating the 

area are activity grounds and different types of space. 

Everything is designed to be physically linked together 

from one space to another while the architectural context 

of the east side buildings, as well as the prospective 

presence of the Museum of ASEAN Music to the 

north, is incorporated in as a part of the entire spatial 

program. 

In order for the newly constructed building to fall 

in greater harmony with the surrounding environment, 

the designers invested a great deal of effort in allowing 

for the building’s surface to fully reveal the truth of its 

materials. The approach aimed to maximize the use of 

materials (exposed concrete, glass, steel, and all natural 

wood) in terms of several aspects including affordability, 

endurance to the hot and humid climate and 

maintenance convenience, all of which ensure that the 

presence of the architecture falls in great harmony with 

the surrounding natural context. 


5 

2 

3 4 

1 

N 

MASTER PLAN 

1 Music Therapy 

& Practice Building 

2 Musical Forest 

3 Transfer Space 

4 Music Square 

5 Artist’s Resident & Shops 

10 M 


 


“ 

 

 

 

 

” 

 

 

 

 

- 

 

 

 

“ 

grey space 

 

 

grey space 

 

” 

 

 

D 

music 

square 

 

30 

 

 

 

- 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- 

 

02 

 

( D ) - 

 

03 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• South East Asia Music Museum 

• Artist‘ s Resident 


02 

• Musical Forest • Music Square • Building D WEST ELEVATION 5 M 

03 

 


46 ASA THEME 

04

“ 

 

‘’ 

 

 

 

 

 

” 

 

 

 

 

- 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“ 

 

 

 

” 

From the point of view of Chatri, one of the project’s 

architects, the heart of the design of the College of 

Music does not entirely lie in the architecture itself, but 

in the relevance and connectivity between elements 

and compositions, where no element overshadows 

another. 

“The heart of the design of this project is its essence 

as a resource of knowledge. So, the building is not 

more important than other elements. What really 

counts is the ‘relevance,’ because it’s a simple building 

but when you’re inside it, you can feel the sense of 

comfort and serenity. It’s that connection between 

architecture, spaces, trees, art, music and people’s 

lives. These interactions will grow to become the kind 

of environment that enriches people’s happiness. 

When people are happy, learning is conceived, and 

creativity follows,” said Chatri. 

It has been over a decade since the College of 

Music first opened for enrollment. Today, this prestigious 

institution offers one of the finest music education programs 

in the country and had produced a great number 

of talented musicians. One of the most influential factors 

leading to its success has been the establishment of a 

good and friendly environment that complements the 

learning experience and quality of life of its students. 

Another important contribution is how the architectural 

creation of the college creates a new standard for the 

architecture of educational buildings in Thailand and, as 

a result of that, more emphasis has been placed on the 

significance of the built environment and its influence 

on students’ learning experiences. 

“Over these past years, this architectural creation 

has proven itself with its physicality. It has caused other 

educational institutions to have a greater understanding 

of architecture. They have now come to the realization 

that architecture promoting a good quality of life is what 

they really need, not just another building.” 

 

‘. ’ 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

04 

 

 

05 

 

 

05 

 


TOURISM 

TOWER 


ARCHITECTS 49 

TEXT 

Chomchon Fusinpaiboon 

PHOTOS 

Kritsada Boonchaleaw 

Chaiya Boonyuan 


ARCHITECT 

Architects 49 


CONTRACTOR 

Power Line Engineering 

Public 

AREA 

10,500 sq.m. 

DURATION 

2011-2013 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(MICE) 

2553 

49 

 

BU Landmark 

 

 

The curriculum of the School of Humanities and 

Tourism Management of Bangkok University was 

initially designed in a manner that would allow for 

students to have their hands on the actual operations, 

systems and apparatuses as they learned about different 

aspects of the hospitality industry. It was, however, 

the limitations in terms of location and capacity of the 

Klouynamthai and Rangsit Campuses that obstructed 

the comprehensive convenience and efficiency of 

such an educational approach. When the university 

developed a plan to construct a new building known 

as MICE that could accommodate meetings, incentives, 

conferences and exhibitions as well as the most 

advanced airline management business course in the 

Asia Pacific in 2010, A49 Architects, the creative force 

behind the university’s architectural master plan including 

the majestic Surat Osathanukroh Library and BU 

Landmark Building, was given yet another challenging 

task to work out a design brief for the latest edition to 

this marvelous educational ground. 

3 

2ND PLAN 

1 Main Hall 

2 Connecting Bridge 

3 Office Space 

4 Terrace 

2 

1 

4 

2.5 M 

 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

16 

SECTION 

1 Cabin Crew Training Room 

2 Ground Operating Room 

3 Free Lab 

4 Lab Com 

5 Seminar Room 

6 Bed-making Practicing Room 

7 The Demonstration Kitchen 

8 Preparation Room 

9 Flower Arrangement Room 

12 

7 

9 10 

15 

17 

18 

11 

13 14 

10 Beverage Arrangement Room 

11 Multifunction Room 

12 Oil Massage Room 

13 Thai Massage Room 

14 Massage Practicing Room 

15 Room 

16 Lobby Bar 

17 Main Hall 

18 Student Louge 

8 

2.5 M 

Tourism Tower - 

 

- 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10,000 

 

1 


12 4, 5, 

6 

 

 

 

Tourism Tower 

complex 

 

 

 

( 

) 

( 

) 

‘’ 

 


Tourism Tower was designed to function as a 

physical space and environment that could promote 

and stimulate an action learning approach. The process 

began with the selection of the location where the 

team of architects and the university collectively went 

through careful analysis and consideration. It all came 

down to the conclusion that the building should be 

located to the front of the university’s Rangsit Campus, 

where the circulation and traffic of users (students, 

university employees and visitors) was very high. Having 

the building in this particular location could potentially 

enhance the action learning atmosphere and activities. 

The actual restaurant and café, as well as the spa and 

banquet room, would be operated as additional parts 

of the project and curriculum. Students are assigned to 

expedite real business operations ranging from cooking 

and management to handling real clients as they learn 

every aspect of the industry through an action learning 

approach. 

Nevertheless, the list of required functionalities 

the new building has to accommodate demands more 

than 10,000 square meters of functional space while 

the capacity of the selected plot of land for the project 

is only 1 rai (approximately 1,600 sqm). The architecture 

team later reconciled the design of the Tourism Tower 

into a 12 story high building. In the meantime, the 

ground floor of buildings 4, 5 and 6 located next to the 

tower were redesigned to host a restaurant and cooking 

and bakery lab. The landscape of the walkways of 

each floor, as well as the elevation of the building, are 

reconfigured to be in architectural harmony with the 

Tourism Tower. The result is the birth of the university’s 

new complex, which consists of a unified cluster of 

horizontal and vertical architectural structures, physically 

distinctive yet sophisticatedly simple. The ground floor 

of every building reveals the students’ activities in 

the cooking and bakery lab, providing a friendly and 

welcoming atmosphere inviting students, university 

employees and outsiders in for a visit of the restaurant 

and cafe. In other words, the space invites people in to 

serve as experimental patrons while students operate 

their hospitality services under the action learning 

approach that the department attempts to advocate. 

The newly built Tourism Tower takes up the total 

functional space of 10,500 square meters. The architectural 

and interior program simulates the spaces of 

a reception lobby, hotel rooms and convention hall, 

spa, travel agency, airport check-in counter and even 

an airplane! The aforementioned are accompanied by 

labs and lecture rooms while the space where hotel 

operations are simulated hosts a grand lobby with the 

size, environment and apparatuses equalizing a middlesized 

city hotel. The lobby is designed to be flexible 

enough to accommodate the students’ and university’s 

activities. This particular area also consists of an office 

space, bar on the mezzanine, spa on the 4 th floor and 

hotel rooms on the 5th floor that are open for actual 

operation outside of classroom hours. The multifunctional 

room on the 6th floor can host a party or seminar 

with a maximum capacity of 120 guests. There are 

also spaces for flower arrangement classes and ‘Back 

of the House’ classes where bed making, laundry 

and other relevant services of the hotel business are 

taught. 

01 6 


 



10,500 

 

check-in 

! 

 

 

 

 

 

Bar 

4 5 

 

6 

120 

Back of the House - 

 

 

 

8 

 

 

chef 

 

 

10 

 

 

11 

check-in 

 

in-ight service Boeing 787 Dreamliner 

 

10 

 

TFT ( 

) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A49 

Tourism Tower 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘trend’ 

 

 


 

 

 

 


 

 

open-plan - 

- 

trend 

 

 


 

 

 

 

- 

 

 

 


02 

13TH FLOOR PLAN 

12 Cabin Crew Training Room 

13 40 seats Classroom 

13 

02 in-fight 

service 

12 

2.5 M 

 



03

The restaurant business zone offers action learning 

of restaurant and beverage operations that take place 

at the bistro, cafe, and cooking and bakery lab on the 

ground floor. The 8 th floor is where the main lecture hall 

with demonstration kitchen is located. This is where 

the detailed demonstration and recording of cooking 

classes by experienced chef lecturers take place. The 

beverage class on the next floor simulates almost the 

exact vibe, services and menus of an uptown Sukhumvit 

bar. 

Located on the tenth floor is the model travel 

agency run by students in the department, a computer 

room and a recreational area. Another key feature of 

the building is the airline business operation lab on the 

eleventh floor, strikingly replicating an airport’s check-in 

area. One of the highlights is the in-flight service simulator 

of Thai Airways’ latest Boeing 787 Dreamliner that 

supports aviation technology of the next decade. The 

simulator is elevated to be above the ground. The lab 

was developed through collaboration between the 

university, architecture team and TFT with an aim to 

offer comprehensive and actual airplane operations to 

the students. 

The architect described that the action learning 

concept was the first and foremost requirement of the 

university when the project was first initiated. The main 

task of the architect in this project, therefore, lies not 

only in the execution of a design that could interactively 

resonate with an action learning approach, but also the 

categorization and fabrication of architectural interfaces 

and spatial connectivity of this unique learning ground. 

To design under such concept is something A49 has 

done with several other educational buildings before; 

nonetheless, the most challenging thing about Tourism 

Tower is how to fit the massive functional space on 

such a limited plot of land. The dilemma was reconciled 

into the vertical superimposition of spaces where the 

labs offer different functionalities. Looking at the big 

picture, the Tower’s physical appearance reflects the 

diversity of functionalities of different parts of the complex 

that coexist in harmony under one, unified design 

language. 

Tourism Tower also carefully considers the issue 

of ’trend,’ which can be ever changing when it comes 

to tourism, hotel and restaurant businesses. While the 

spatial manipulation of functional spaces answers to 

the labs’ different functionalities, it is flexible enough 

to handle future tendencies and changes. The notion 

of flexibility is also illustrated through the vertical 

physicality and circulation of Tourism Tower. The system 

work is designed to be in one alignment and located to 

the back of the building, consequentially pushing the 

open-plan space to the front of every floor. The details 

of the building’s exterior elements were rendered 

under a simple architectural language, reflecting the 

Tower’s careful consideration of the issues of ‘trend’ 

and ‘change.’ 

The architects’ final remarks reaffirm the intention 

the team has for Tourism Tower and how the way it was 

designed to support and stimulate an action learning 

approach can potentially optimize the students’ learning 

abilities. For the design team, the project offers them a 

chance to learn and practice the optimization of interior 

space while still being able to deliver a creatively distinctive 

architecture that reflects the diverse spatial 

functionalities it accommodates. A great lesson was 

learnt and it can now be applied to other educational 

types of architecture to come. 

03 

04 

 

. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

04 

 


PATANA 

GALLERY 

RANGSIT UNIVERSITY 

STUDIOMAKE 

TEXT 

Warut Duangkaewkart 

PHOTOS 




ARCHITECT 

Studiomake 

CONTRACTOR 

New Star International 

AREA 

1,500 sq.m. 

DURATION 



 

 

 

 

 

- 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Studiomake - 

 

 

 

 

 

‘ 

’ 

1,500 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 

 

 

 

 

 


6 

17 17 

15 

16 

13 

14 17 17 

17 

17 17 17 

3rd floor plan 

3rd floor plan 

FLOOR PLAN 

1 Entrance 

2 Long Gallery 

3 Walkway 

4 Big Gallery 

5 Storage 

6 wc 

7 Building 8 

8 Mezzanine 

9 Display 

10 Seminar 

11 Creative Design Center 

12 Terrace 

13 Pedestrian Bridge 

14 Reception 

15 Administration 

16 Conference 

17 Office 

6 

10 

8 

11 12 

11 

10 

9 

12 



6 

4 

7 

5 

5 

3 

3 

1 

1 

2 

2 



2 M 

58 ASA THEME

02 

 


03 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


- 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

02 

 

 

3 

03 

 

04 

 

 

At a time when the conceptual image of institutions 

is demonstrated through their use of modern 

architecture, Rangsit University is an institution that 

constantly strives to improve and create a learning 

atmosphere. In the center of Rangsit University the 

Faculty of Architecture, Faculty of Arts and Design 

and Faculty of Digital Arts are located. Originally, this 

space was a concrete courtyard used for multipurpose 

student activities and car parking. The University, with 

the idea to develop the space for better usage and to 

improve the image of the surrounding buildings, called 

upon Studiomake to become involved in developing 

the space. 

Originally, students and faculty members alike 

used the space for a variety of multipurpose activities. 

Thus, the design of the new building needed to create 

a new atmosphere within the surroundings as well as 

accommodate more activities. The Patana Gallery was 

created in response to the need for an area that could 

support a mix of activities and various faculties within 

1,500 square meters of working space. Although not 

very large, the space was designed to functionally 

match with the required activities i.e. a gallery, auditorium, 

library, the administrative offices of the Faculty 

of Digital Arts and a multipurpose space for general 

activities. Apart from this, the building is also the rear 

entrance to the Faculty of Arts and Design. The space 

on the first floor was divided into two sections, creating 

a walkway through the building and replacing the 

old walkway. A staircase links the main walkway to the 

third floor of the building at the back. This allows for the 

flow of users to proceed more comfortably through 

this building. 

04 

 


05 

05 

 

 

 

 

 

06 

 

 

- 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


The external feature of this building is very interesting 

while, at the same time, the building does not 

reveal too much of its internal activities. The entrance 

to the building features a corridor that cuts through the 

galleries on both sides. Thus, users can see the circular 

exhibition feature displayed while they walk past and 

interaction while people walk through the building is 

also encouraged. The second of the two thoroughfares 

leads to the staircase for the rear building, which 

passes by the multi-purpose area on the second floor. 

An open space format ensures that the building is airy. 

It is not only the layout and special management that 

helps create continuity and a well-ventilated environment, 

but also the interesting choice of materials 

used for the exterior. The Architect chose black expanded 

metal sheeting for the open and ventilated area of the 

exterior and used aluminum composite to enclose the 

activity spaces that required privacy. The expanded 

metal sheeting resembles a sheer curtain that separates 

the surrounding atmosphere from the multi-purpose 

space in the building. Despite being clearly divided, 

the activities and movement that take place within may 

remain seen from outside. The inside space utilizes 

natural light so that there is no need for electricity during 

the daytime. The natural light that shines into the 

interior space also reaches the gallery on the first floor. 

Here, the architect opted to use glass for the wall along 

the corridor creating an interesting effect. In addition, 

this wall also allows additional light into the gallery. The 

wall is composed of partly white and partly composite 

aluminum, a combination that creates the right lighting 

and makes the space feel more interesting. At night, 

the light from the interior space glows through its various 

materials and creates a striking visual contrast with the 

outside. The way in which the architect selected the 

materials contributes to space management and the 

structure itself as well brings out interesting details 

that serve as the skeleton of the building. The architect 

chose black for the external structure creating a clear 

contrast with the interior white wall. The combination 

of simple, but systematical connectivity between each 

structure created interesting details in every part of 

the building. The expanded metal sheeting, composite 

aluminum walls, steel staircase and details of every 

system are all visible, as well as the controlled color 

tone of the materials. The choice of white, gray and 

black to divide the working space also creates a sense 

of unity within the overall building. Generally, students 

and faculty members use this building as a short-cut to 

the main faculty building. However, the multipurpose 

space, its functions and activities, as well as the architectural 

atmosphere created by the architect maximize 

the use of space while evoking ideas within the people 

walking past. This combination offers useful and beneficial 

support for students of architecture, arts and 

design as well as those who are simply passing by. It 

also creates a noteworthy sense of atmosphere and a 

new image for the University. 

06 

 


STUDENT 

ACTIVITY 

CENTER 


SUPERMACHINE STUDIO 

TEXT 

Xaroj Phrawong 

PHOTOS 

Wison Tungthunya 



ARCHITECT 

Supermachine Studio 


CONTRACTOR 

Thai Obayashi 

AREA 

2,200 sq.m. 

DURATION 


 

160 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘The Creative University’ 

 

 

 

BU Diamond 

 

2 

 

(Student Activity Center) 

SAC 

 


- 

 

 

- 

2554 

 

 

 

double-loaded corridor 

 

2 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3 


 

02 

 

 

03 

 

04 

 

 

 


03 

02 

 

double-loaded corridor 

 

linear 

 

 

 

 

5 

 

 

 

 

- 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

monolith 

 

 

 

 

3 

19-22 

sele 

‘’‘’ 

04 

 


2 

3 

4 

5 6 7 

8 

1 

18 

16 

17 

19 

20 21 

22 

24 25 

23 

1ST FLOOR PLAN 

1. Pom Pom Gym 

2. Male WC 

3. Female WC 

4. Printing Room 

5. Office 

6. Blue Staircase 

7. Locker Room 

8. Green Entrance 

9. Office 

10. Office 

11. Office 

12. Office 

13. Office 

14. Violet Void 1 

15. Office 

16. Office 

17. Office 

18. Yellow Corridor 1 

19. Violet Void 2 

20. Office 

21. Office 

22. Relax Zone 

23. Reading Zone 

24. Office 

25. Office 

26. Office 

27. Office 

28. Pink Void 

29. Office 

30. Office 

31. Office 

32. Office 

33. Office 

34. Entrance 2 

2 

3 

4 

5 

1 

13 14 15 

2ND FLOOR PLAN 

1. Meeting Room 1 

2. Meeting Room 3 

3. Blue Staircase 

4. Print Room 

5. Office 

6. Office 

7. Music Rehearsal Room1 



10. Office 


9 10 11 12 13 

26 

6 

7 

28 

27 29 30 31 32 33 

16 

8 9 

10 

11 

17 

14 

15 

12 

34 

2 M 

Thailand has approximately 160 universities and 

higher education institutions. In today’s academic 

market, each one tries to create its own identity for a 

competitive advantage. One of the key features of a 

university’s identity is that the institution helps students 

to transform themselves to fit within the context of 

their academic philosophy. After being transformed, 

students will be able to serve society through the 

objectives of their institution. Each university defines 

its identity to reflect its own educational philosophy. 

Bangkok University presents itself as The Creative 

University; a philosophy realized in the buildings observed 

by the current author during a visit to Bangkok 

University’s Rangsit Campus. The first striking feature 

of the campus is the BU Diamond, or diamond-shaped 

building located to the front of the campus next to 

Phaholyothin Road. Passing the Diamond Building and 

moving on toward the other end of the fence, one is 

led to a building in a gable shape with a façade of cedar 

wood. This modest-looking building is the Student 

Activity Center (SAC) designed by Supermachine Studio. 

This building serves various activity programs for 

student clubs and the University’s Student Union. The 

architect established an initial principle of designing 

this building to function as recycled architecture. 

Originally, this was a university dormitory, severely 

rundown by the heavy flooding in 2011. As the budget 

was limited, a suitable solution for renovation of the old 

dormitory structure was to employ a row of columns 

along each room unit and to support the double-loaded 

corridor intended to be used as a student activity center 

The working space was divided into two sections 

according to the type of activity. The first area is the 

frontage of the building that was renovated from the 

old building within the limitations of the assigned budget. 

In the original plan, each club had its own meeting room 

with a table and lockers. Later, each room became a 

storage area for each club. Solving this issue required 

designing a new approach toward space usage. It was 

established that each club would share the big storage 

space at the rear and book the working space for their 

activities, as this space would be used temporarily 

according to their needs. There are working rooms, 

meeting rooms and a photography room, all of which 

will be for temporary use excluding the Thai music 

room that contains many pieces of musical equipment 

that are difficult to move around. The meeting room on 

the second floor can be used for meetings with large 

numbers of students. At first, this new system may 

make students who are used to the old system feel a 

bit uncomfortable and take some getting used to, but 

new intake students should have no problems with 

the new system. The second part of the building, with 

the newly-built annex connecting to the old building, 

serves as the cheerleader training room. This was designed 

to accommodate various styles of cheerleader 

training familiarly called Pom-Pom style. This part of 

the building was further designed with a high ceiling in 

order to accommodate a pyramid of acrobats. 

 



05

06 

ELEVATION 

5 M 

Due to the double-loaded corridor and limited budget 

issues, the layout had to be linear with the original 

walkway. The issues with ventilation and lighting in this 

old layout were fixed by opening up the main entrance 

and the rooftop to let light onto the five interior areas. 

Opening up the top and sides also brought in colors 

such as pink, purple, light green, dark green and yellow. 

This is a distinctive point of the interior design 

intended to be not only outstanding, but also functional 

as the color palette helps to delineate each use of space 

and also stimulates a feeling of excitement within the 

students in terms of their experience of the architecture. 

Looking at architecture of the modern era, we see 

the serious effort that architecture has taken to include 

interiors. Design school is like a training camp, but 

modern architecture has subsequently adapted and 

adopted other philosophies into its practice. In the 

case of the Student Activity Center, the architecture 

was presented is a less serious and much more friendly 

manner to the students. The architecture of Supermachine 

Studio is indication of such an attitude. The 

north entrance is designed with a mesh space in which 

people’s experiences are dominated through various 

colors. This is a re-imagining of the stereotypes of 

objects that are often used widely in building exteriors, 

such as street lamps, and that can frequently be seen 

in public spaces. However here, such fixtures are 

adopted for use in the interior space of the Student 

Activity Center. Similarly, the air-conditioner condensing 

units, which are normally hidden by architects as they 

are considered to be tedious, were painted black and 

lined up vertically from top to bottom along the side of 

the building mixing with the cedar wood façade. The 

effect is that the whole building seems like a monolith 

that has been reduced to a much more friendly scale. 

There are various ways to present a learning 

space, but Supermachine’s architecture invariably 

raises questions amongst its users and creates a 

relationship between them and the design. The author 

had the direct experience of talking with students aged 

between 19-22 years old during three study visits to 

the Student Activity Center and all reported having 

positive reactions to the designed space. The way they 

took ‘selfie’ photos reduced the seriousness of the 

architecture and gave them more of a ‘play to learn’ 

experience. 

05 

06 


 

 

 

.. 

.. 

- 

 

 

 

 

 

 


PROFESSIONAL 

TEXT 

Narathip Thubthun 

 

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72 ASA PROFESSIONAL

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1 

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1 ( 3 1 ) 

 

 

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10.47 4.25 

1,693 

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International Conference 

of Building Officials. (1997). 

Uniform Building Code 

Volume 3. California, 

USA: ICBO International 

Conference. 

NMAC (2006) NMAC 14.7.4: 

housing and construction: 

building codes general: 

New Mexico Earthen 

Building Materials Code. 

New Mexico, USA: New 

Mexico Regulation and 

Licensing Department. 

: 

 

 

 

 

 

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( 

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ASEAN 

FARMING KINDERGARTEN 

VO TRONG NGHIA ARCHITECTS 

80 ASA ASEAN

TEXT 

Supasai Vongkulbhisal 

PHOTOS 

Hiroyuki Oki 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10 AEC Asean Economics Community 

 

 

 

Vo Trong Nghia Architects 

Vo Trong Nghia .. 2006 

 

60 

 

 

 

Vo Trong Nghia Architects 

 

(contemporary design vocabulary) 

(green architecture) 21 

 

 

Vo Trong Nghia University of Tokyo 

4 Takashi Niwa, 

Masaaki Iwamoto, Kosuke Nishijima Hidetoshi Sawa 

 

 

 

 

ASEAN ASA 81

Ever since Thailand increased its awareness of the 

AEC or ASEAN Economic Community, an initiative that 

aims to create and facilitate collaborative economic 

developments between the 10 ASEAN member countries, 

Thai architects have expressed a continual and 

increasing interest in the architecture of their neighboring 

countries. The works of Vietnam-based firm Vo 

Trong Nghia Architects are among those that grabbed 

our attention. Founded in 2006, the company has 

risen to be one of the leading architecture firms in the 

country with offices in both Hanoi and Ho Cho Minh 

offering its clients comprehensive architectural and 

engineering services. Vo Trong Nghia Architects is an 

international corporation with employees from over 60 

countries worldwide working under its wings including 

personnel in other professional fields. The majority of 

the company’s works could be described as cultural 

architecture, residential and public projects and are 

located at several different locations around the world. 

The working philosophy of Vo Trong Nghia Architects 

is based on the architectural conceptualization 

and materialization of the study of natural elements 

including light, wind and water, as their buildings are 

both designed and constructed with a high regard 

being given to the use of local materials. Their architecture 

has been developed though a contemporary 

design vocabulary aimed at conceiving Green Architecture 

and answering to the needs of the 21st century 

world while simultaneously nurturing a desire to inherit 

Asian architectural elements. Another interesting thing 

about the firm is how the partners came together 

to found the company - Vo Trong Nghia, the founder, 

graduated from the University of Tokyo, while the 

other four partners (Takashi Niwa, Masaaki Iwamoto, 

Kosuke Nishijima and Hidetoshi Sawa) are all Japanese 

and Japan-educated. This partially explains the oriental 

cultural identity expressed through Vo Trong Nghia 

Architects’ works, as they are the results of these collaborative 

minds and talents of the Eastern world. 

‘Farming Kindergarten,’ designed mainly to function 

as a kindergarten for 500 children is located next 

to a large shoes factory in Dong Nai, a town to the 

southeast of Vietnam and approximately two hours 

distance to the northeast from Ho Chi Minh. Initiation 

for the project stemmed from a need to provide 

education for the offspring of the factory’s employees 

and, under a limited budget, the school building was 

constructed as a prototype of a sustainable education 

building design set within a unique location of a characteristically 

hot and humid climate. Although Vietnam’s 

geographical condition is favorable for the country’s 

abundant agricultural products due to the natural presence 

of the Mekong River, the area is also still affected 

by floods, salty soil and even droughts, not to mention 

the byproducts of urban sprawl such as the increasing 

number of vehicles on the streets and air pollution. In 

exchange for new urban developments, Vietnam has 

traded its green area for the coming of public utilities 

and modern infrastructures. One of the downsides of 

this development is undeniably the children’s lack of 

 

 

 

 

 

 

...THE DESIGN OF FARMING KINDER- 

GARTEN CONSISTED OF A BUILDING 

WITH A CONTINUAL GREEN SPACE 

SET ATOP THE ROOFTOP, A LANDSCAPE 

THAT WAS BUILT TO OFFER THE 

CHILDREN BOTH FOOD AND AGRI- 

CULTURAL LEARNING EXPERIENCES. 


Farming Kindergarten Vo Trong Nghia 

500 

Dong Nai 

2 

 

Vo Trong Nghia 

 

- 

 

 

- 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FLOOR PLAN 

1 Entrance 

2 Infant classroom 

3 Art workshop 

4 Pre classroom 

5 Gymnasium 

6 Teacher’s room 

7 Art classroom 


2 

2 

2 

2 

2 

2 

3 

7 

4 

6 

4 

4 

4 

1 

4 

4 

4 

4 

4 

4 

4 

4 

5 

a safe and pleasant public space where they can play 

and run around and, as this lack of space is one reason 

why Vietnamese children often stay in their homes, 

the architects’ intention was to create a public, outdoor 

space in the form of a Green kindergarten with 

an aim of helping to resolve the dilemma. 

The first principle set out for the design of Farming 

Kindergarten consisted of a building with a continual 

green space set atop the rooftop, a landscape that 

was built to offer the children both food and agricultural 

learning experiences. The design and adaptation of this 

200-square-meter rooftop hosts the likes of five different 

local plants and presents a space where children can 

learn and understand the importance of agriculture 

while developing connections between humans and 

nature. This very same floor facilitates a playground for 

children to play and run around safely. The green roof 

is configured in a ripple-ring-shape drawn with a single 

stroke, creating three courtyards inside where the 

kids can enjoy their time. The loop meets and inclines 

towards the ground floor, which flows in continuity 

with the court allowing for a circulation that is fluid 

and perfectly safe for young ones to run up and down. 

Other functional areas such as classrooms, a cafeteria 

and mini-auditorium are arranged together under the 

expansive roof of the building. 

At the same time, the architectural design and 

system engineering of the building exemplifies the 

success of the eco-friendly design while the straightforward 

expression of the system work can be seen 

through the alignment of the rooms and the position 

of the openings on both sides of the building, a feature 

which maximizes natural ventilation and the presence 

of natural light. The Green roof protects the building 

from direct exposure to the sun while the use of a 

PC-concrete louver for shading, recycled materials, 

recycled water, solar water heating and other details 

of the design reflect the architects’ intention to create 

a space that can help the children to observe, learn 

and understand the importance of a sustainable and 

efficient use of energy. 

Following 10 months of operation, the architecture 

team explored the building’s energy use and discovered 

that it could run perfectly without having to depend on 

the air-conditioning system despite being located in a 

severely hot and humid climate. The building saved up 

to 25% of its total energy use and reduced clean water 

usage by 40%. Compared to other buildings with 

similar functions and locations, the design lessens a 

great deal of the expenses of the building’s operation. 

Furthermore, the construction costs from the use of 

local materials and labor ultimately came to only 500 

USD (flooring and installation included), which is extremely 

cheap when compared to the standard price 

of construction in Vietnam. Vo Trong Nghia’ s building 

achieves not only in the economic aspect for its low 

construction cost and energy efficiency, but also in its 

successful creation of a user-driven architecture with 

plenty of positive feedback from the actual building 

users serving as the living proof of its success. 


10 M 

 

ASEAN ASA 83

The University 

of Texas at Austin 

 

 

 

 

Farming Kindergarten 

 

 

200 

5 

 

 

3 

3 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PC-Concrete 

 

 

 

 

 

10 

 

 

25% 

40% 

 

 

 

500 USD 

Vo Trong Nghia 

 

 

 

 

 

3 

 

 

 

 


964 4 

30000 

T. +66 44327061 / +66 861465089 

F. +66 44327239 

E. buafoam@gmail.com 

www.e-d.co.th / www.buabau.com 

ELITE DECOR 

 

EPS 

 

EPS 

 

 

 

 

 

EPS 

 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

 

• 

• 

• 

 

• 

 

• 

• 

• 2,4 

• 

()

HISTORY 

RETHINKING 'SINO-PORTUGUESE' 

ARCHITECTURE IN PHUKET 

 

TEXT+PHOTOS 

Surapong Sukhvibul 

86 ASA HISTORY

19 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Sino-Portuguese) 

 

 

 

500 

 

 

 

 

 

20 450 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- 

 

 

 

 

150 

 

 

 

 

2 

 

 

4 

 

 

 

 

17 

 

18 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

19 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HISTORY ASA 87

( 

) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IT IS NECESSARY TO UNDERSTAND THE 

REAL MEANING OF SINO-PORTUGUESE 

ARCHITECTURE, AS THE NAME DOES NOT 

TRULY REFERENCE THE HISTORY THESE 

STRUCTURES ARE BUILT UPON. 

Nowadays, there are very few people who do not 

know what Sino-Portuguese architecture is, the old 

buildings commonly referred to as old architecture that 

have become one of Phuket’s unique sources of identity. 

However, while many believe that the name has been 

around for a long time, it actually came to be just some 

30 years ago. 

The Sino-Portuguese architecture in Phuket has 

some details that are similar to 19 th century Western 

architecture, but other elements are decorated in a 

Chinese architectural style. This variety is due to the 

fact that, in the beginning of the Thai reign, (during the 

Qing dynasty period) many Chinese people had already 

immigrated into Phuket, Phangnga, Krabi and other 

countries such as Singapore and Malaysia. These Chinese 

people were primarily from Fujian province or were 

Hokkien people who had immigrated in search of jobs. 

Many worked as laborers and brought their influence of 

Chinese culture with them, the results of which can be 

seen in the architecture around Phuket Island. 

However, the word Sino-Portuguese refers to China 

and Portugal, which is not relative to the history of that 

time. The Portuguese were the first country that sailed 

to trade with the Western Asian countries some 500 

years ago during the beginning of the Ayutthaya period. 

Furthermore, the Portuguese seized Goa (a state of India) 

and Malacca (the southern region of the Malay Peninsula) 

contributing to trade and the dispersion of the 

Christian religion in Southwest Asia. Moreover, the 

Portuguese also seized Macao Island as their colony 

making trade with the Chinese and Japanese easier. 

Macao Island remained under Portuguese rule until 

the end of the 20 th century some 450 years later; 

meanwhile, other Western countries: Spain, Holland 

88 ASA HISTORY

(Netherlands), France and England also competed 

to expand their power in trade, military power and 

religious influence following the Portuguese. 

Later, Holland or the Dutch countries conquered 

the Portuguese and took over trade to Indonesia Island 

while England slowly occupied India, Burma, the area 

south of the Malay Peninsula and Singapore. For Phuket 

Island, the French held governing power during the period 

of King Narai of the Ayutthaya period meaning that the 

power of the Portuguese over these provincials lasted 

for just some one hundred years. Following, the Portuguese 

remained in control of Goa in India and Macao 

Island only. Nevertheless, the architecture that is referred 

to as Sino-Portuguese architecture in Phuket was built 

during the beginning of the Rattanakosin period and 

even more so during the end of the Rama IV period, after 

which there is no evidence that the Portuguese had influence 

over the architecture in the kingdom, including 

Phuket Island. However, England expanded its power 

during that time through diplomacy and trade, seized 

Singapore during the reign of King Rama II and also 

sought to liberalize foreign trade in Siam, succeeding in 

reaching an agreement during the King Rama IV period 

known as the Bowring Treaty. The significant sources 

of trade consisted of mining in the south of Siam and 

along the Malay Peninsula. Other Western countries 

aside from England also asked for the mining of tin in 

areas where the resource was found such as Ranong, 

Krabi, Phangnga and Phuket. Later, in the middle of 

the 17 th century, tin came to be an important and huge 

resource within the Siam trade industry, with the tin 

can being invented during the18 th century. Western 

foreigners were the owners of mining technologies 

and employed the Chinese people who had immigrated 

to Siam as laborers as a resource for constructing different 

kinds of products including houses. 

The characteristics people have come to refer to 

as Sino-Portuguese architecture goes not only against 

the history, but is also different from the development 

of architecture on Phuket Island during that time. The 

residences of the foreigners working as the capitalists 

of the mining businesses were called ‘Ang-Moh-laow’ 

by the Chinese, a phrase that means ‘the foreigner 

building.’ These buildings were constructed by brick 

and concrete and designed in a fashion similar to mansions 

in Western countries. However, these building 

were modified to correspond with the Malay Peninsula 

weather known for its plentiful rain and sunshine. The 

walls were constructed to be less thick than those in 

cold countries, and the gable roof was chosen to support 

the building during the rainy seasons. Furthermore, 

an awning was added at the lower level of the building 

to protect against rain splashing into the building. Thus, 

the form of the buildings was not exactly similar to 

Western buildings of the 19 th century, and the decorations 

in some parts of the structures tended towards the 

Chinese style reflecting the ancestry and knowledge 

of the craftsman who built them. Later, the Chinese 

laborers were able to collect a lot of money and establish 

their own mining businesses employing low cost Chinese 

laborers and making those Chinese owners out to be 

new millionaires. This development brought about the 

 

 

 

 

Chinese millionaire who lived in the ‘Ang-moh-laow’ or 

mansions and added more Chinese decorations to the 

structures. 

Therefore, while the shophouses in Phuket are 

summarized as Sino-Portuguese architecture, they were 

actually developed differently from Ang-Moh-Laow or 

foreigner residences. Those shophouses were actually 

called ‘Tiam Chu’ and imitated Chinese shophouses and 

buildings rather than Western influence. The side lengths 

of those shophouses (in Malay Peninsula and Phuket) 

were longer than the shophouses in Bangkok, but the 

front lengths were shorter. Before people could walk 

into the front door, they would have to pass the alley 

under the second floor called Koh-Kaki. This was created 

to protect the interior from rain and sunshine. The interior 

further housed a hole and pond in the middle of the 

building allowing for sunlight to be let into the house 

and providing an area for people to collect water from 

the rain. These shophouses indicated the characteristics 

of Chinese buildings in China that often embrace a pool 

in their center. 

In conclusion, it is necessary to understand the real 

meaning of Sino-Portuguese architecture, as the name 

does not truly reference the history these structures are 

built upon. Shophouses in Bangkok are in a similar state 

and people often refer to them in a manner that is quite 

different from their true history. It is therefore challenging 

for the historical architect to research deeply into the 

Chinese and Western influences that are involved in 

Malaysian and Singaporean architecture. People typically 

refer to these architectures as being of a Colonial Style, 

a characteristic that actually means that the architecture 

is Western. However, the appearances of buildings in 

these continents are different, as they have imitated 

the typology and climate of the countries they reside in. 

In fact, the word Sino-Portuguese architecture should 

refer to the architecture in Macao Island, mirroring 

history and the land’s timeline. 

 

HISTORY ASA 89

ORGANIZING 

COMMITTEE 

’ 58 

: | | | | | ... 

| .. | | | | | 

: | .. | | | | .. | 

. | | . | | | | 

| | | | | | 

| | | | | | 

| | ... . | | | . | | 

. | . | . | .

EXHIBITION 

DESIGN 

 

- 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- 

 

‘ ’ 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- 

- 

 

 

 

2558 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- 

 

 

 

 

‘ 

’

’58 ‘ASA NEXT | ’ 

28 – 3 2558 

1-3 

 

’58 

1 2558 09.00 . 

 

 

- 

 

 

2529 ‘’29’ 

( 

2533) 

28 

2558 

2557-2559 

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3 2558 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(THEME) 

2015 / ASA NEXT 

 

 

 

‘’ 

‘’ 

 

 

? 

? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 


‘’ 

 

1. 

2. ASA FORUM 


 

 

3. ASA International 

Design Competition ‘Density | 

Dense City’ 

4. 

5. 

6. 

 

 

7. 

 

8. 

 

 

 

 

. 0-2319-6555 113 

0-2319-6419 

email. ratiratasa@gmail.com 

 

www.asa.or.th | FB: asafanpage, 

ASAArchitectExposition

60 

‘’ (The world through 

H.R.H. Princess Maha Chakri 

Sirindhorn’s eyes) 

 

 

- 

 

 

- 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘’

100 selected projects

‘ASA NEXT | 

’ 

 

 

 

 

 

‘’ 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 

 

1 

 

(NEXT)

CAN Community Act Network

MEMBERSHIP 

 

• 

2 

• 

 

1 

• 

( 

asa center 5) 

• 

 

 

 

WEBSITE 

• asa web 

www.asa.or.th 

• asa webboard 

 

 

• - 

2 

• 

 

 

10 

• 

asa cup ( 

8 ), golf asa, 

badmintion asa, asa night 

• 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• asa club asa club 

 

• asa shop 

 

 

 

 

 

( vat 7%) 

100 

- 400 535 

- 5 1,800 

2,033 

[]- 900 

1,070 

[]- 200 

321 

 

500 

2 8,000 8,500 

 

 

02 3196555 109 

E-mail : memberasa@gmail.com 

 

: 

() 

() : 

: : e-mail : 

‘’ 

(3 ) 225 (6 ) 500 

(3 ) 225 (6 ) 440 

() 

: : 

 

() 9 

713-2-02232-6 

 

- - 

02-3196419 0-2319-6555 109 

- 

90

DETAILS 

PATANA GALLERY 

STUDIOMAKE 

- 

3 

 

- 

2 

 

- 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(doublelayer) 

 

 

 

façade 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Studiomake 

1 

1 

1 

3 

3 

DETAIL 

1 Bracket 

2 Wide Flange 150x150 

3 Expanded Steel Mesh, White 

Color, Powder coat finish 

4 Expanded Steel Mesh, Black 


2 

2 4 

4 

104 ASA DETAILS

1 

2 

3 4 

5 

SCREEN WALL TYPICAL PLAN 

1 Expanded Steel Mesh, White 




3 Steel Tube 125x75x3.2 mm 

4 Brackets 

5 Wide Flange 150x150 

SCREEN 

(screen not shown) 

NOT SHOWN 

SCREEN WALL 

(SOUTH ELEVATION) 

1 Brackets 



3 Concrete Slab 

4 Steel Beam 

01 faÇade 

 

 

SCREEN 

NOT SHOWN 

(screen not shown) 

1 2 

BUILDING TYPE 

Multipurpose Building 

LAND AREA 

1,500 sq.m. 

DURATION 


CLIENT 

Faculty of Art and Design, 

Faculty of Digital Art, and 

Faculty of Architecture at 

Rangsit University 

LOCATION 

Rangsit University, 

Pathumthani 

ARCHITECT 

Studiomake 

CONTRACTOR 

New Star International 

3 

4 


The 3-story Patana Gallery also functions as a gate 

and entrance leading people to the original 9-story 

Art & Design, Architecture, and Digital Arts building 

situated at the back of the site. The building is located 

horizontally along the east and west axes and includes 

two main zones: 1. a closed or opaque area that is 

located at the north of the building housing a meeting 

room, library and office 2. a multipurpose area located 

to the south that emphasizes the flow of ventilation 

and sunlight within the building. These ideas of movement, 

ventilation, and spatial fluidity also informed 

the architect’s choice of materials. A skin of doublelayered 

powder coats the expanded steel mesh lightly 

enveloping the building. The screen is black on one 

side, and white on the other, exaggerating the resulting 

moire pattern that dances and walks with you 

as you move through the space. Depending on your 

relationship to the building (whether you are at ground 

level, above, viewing it directly or diagonally) this skin 

takes on varying levels of translucency and color-- at 

times black, at times white, at times grey. Furthermore, 

the moire of this skin material makes the space 

of the building seem to be a semi public and private 

space at the same time. Although people from outside 

the building cannot see through to the inside clearly, 

people inside experience a sense of privacy and comfort. 

This duality further peaks the curiosity of people 

walking past the building to want to know the story 

playing out inside. Another interesting fact about the 

materials is that the architect refrained from hiding any 

of the joints or installation details, a characteristic that 

might indicate the truth of Studiomake’s ability to use 

materials well. 

 

DETAILS ASA 105

MATERIALS 

PLYBOO 

Plyboo 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Plyboo 100% 

8 2 

 

48 x 96 3/4 

plyboo.com 

FABRICOIL 

Fabricoil 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3/32 5/8 

 

 

 

fabricoil.com 

SABI CLADDING 

wabi-sabi 

 

Sabi 

 

 

 

 

 

4 1/2 x 8 1/2 

4 

windfalllumber.com 

106 ASA UPDATE MATERIALS

REVIEW 

UNEVEN GROWTH: 

TACTICAL URBANISMS 

FOR EXPANDING MEGA- 

CITIES 

TITLE 

Uneven Growth: Tactical 

Urbanisms for Expanding 

Megacities 

EDITOR 

Pedro Gadanho 

PAGE 

176 pp. 

LANGUAGES 

English 

ISBN 

978-0-87070-914-2 


 

 

http:// 

uneven-growth.moma.org/ 


“ 2030 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

” 

Uneven Growth: Tactical Urbanisms for Expanding 

Megacities 

MoMA 

22 2014 10 2015 

Pedro Gadanho Phoebe Springstubb 

 

MoMA-The Museum of Modern Art 

MAK-Austrian Museum of Applied Arts/ 

Contemporary Art 

 

Foreclosed: 

Rehousing the American Dream (2012) 

Rising Currents: Projects for New York’s 

Waterfront (2010) 

 

MoMA 

- 

 

 

1960-70s 

 

 

 

 

 

108 ASA REVIEW

MoMA ‘ 

’ 

‘’ 

 

Uneven Growth 

 

 

 

 

 

Tactical Urbanism 

 

( 

) 

 

 

 

 

6 

 

6 

 

 

14 

 

 

6 

- New York SITU Studio New 

York Cohabitation Strategies (CohStra) 

Rotterdam New York 

- Rio de Janeiro RUA Arquitetos 

Rio de Janeiro MAS Urban Design 

ETH Zurich 

- Mumbai URBZ: user-generated cities 

Mumbai Ensamble Studio/MIT-POPlab 

Madrid Cambridge 

- Lagos NLÉ Lagos and Amsterdam 

Zoohaus/ Inteligencias Colectivas Madrid 

- Hong Kong MAP Ofce Hong 

Kong, Network Architecture Lab Columbia 

University, New York 

- Istanbul Superpool Istanbul 

Atelier d’Architecture Autogérée Paris 

6 

 

 

uneven-growth.moma.org 

 

 

 

Richard 

Burdett (LSE) David Harvey (CUNY) Saskia Sassen 

(Columbia University) Nader Tehrani 

(MIT, NADAA) Teddy Cruz (UCSD, Estudio 

Teddy Cruz) 

 

 

 

Uneven Growth 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

. 

- 

 

 

 

 

02 

Rio de Janeiro 

RUA Arquitetos 

Rio de Janeiro MAS 

Urban Design ETH Zurich 

03 Tactical 

Urbanisms 

 

02 

03 

 

REVIEW ASA 109

PRODUCT 

NEWS 

02 


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W: starflextile.com 

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SHERA EAVES PRO 

 

 

 

- 

4 1 

2 

 

 

 

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Cement Co., Ltd. 

T: +662 291 2888 

F: +662 291 1435 

E: sheracallcenter 

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W: SHERAsolution.com 

MACTAC 

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03 

110 ASA PRODUCT NEWS

CARTOON 

SRV 

112 ASA ASA CARTOON

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Ucrete ® 

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40 

 

() 

TEL : +66 2 769 8564, FAX +66 2 769 8584 

www.ap.cc.basf.com Email:infotmc-ap@basf.com

ASA Journal 01/58

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