SOM Designs a 16-Hectare Mixed-Use Development in the Heart of Bangkok
Thailand-based TCC Assets Limited and Frasers Centrepoint Limited have revealed plans for a new 16-hectre mixed-use development in Bangkok. The new development ‘One Bangkok’, which is to be located at the heart of the Thai capital, will be the country’s largest private-sector development up to this day. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) is collaborating with local and international architects to design a complete vision of this major development, which will include hotel residential, office, retail, and public spaces. It is expected to house 60,000 people when completed in 2025.
Courtesy of SOM
The released renderings of the new project unveil SOM’s vision of a “vertical village” with welcoming streetscapes and outdoor spaces which include public plazas and greenery. The plans aim to promote a sense of well-being and belongingness between the inhabitants of the new district. “Bangkok is one of the world’s most dynamic, energetic cities, with an exceptionally vibrant street life,” said SOM Design Partner Scott Duncan. “Our vision for One Bangkok seeks to capture that energy, extending the vitality of the city’s streets through the district and then upward, weaving green, outdoor spaces into the fabric of the towers as they rise. Inside and out, places for collaboration, socializing, and relaxation cultivates community in a vertical environment.”
Courtesy of SOM
In addition to the social aspect, ‘One Bangkok’ developers will be addressing the environmental aspect by targeting a LEED Platinum Certification of Neighborhood Development, for the first time in Thailand. “The architecture and landscape respond to and embrace the tropical climate and ecology, utilizing sustainable design approaches and technologies to significantly reduce energy consumption and water use,” says the designers. The district’s masterplan features centralized energy and water-management systems for maximum efficiency. Also, the vast green spaces will absorb water, reducing runoffs and filling up the groundwater resources.
SOM is working, with the design team of one Bangkok, to shape the built environment of the new district. The renderings reveal various towers with distinct characters, featuring roof gardens, latticed screens, and atriums. The positioning of those buildings is carefully planned to reduce their ecological footprint and adapt to them to the local tropical climate.