This creative learning and recreation center of Thailand will be a new platform in order to closely “support” the communication with the society in a friendly manner and to interact more with every sector by which this will concern 5 topics as follows.
1. Connect to the city
This creative learning and recreation center of Thailand must not be just building for activities, but it must be a new public “place” of the city merging harmoniously into the lifestyle of the people/ community as a factor that makes people’s life better. It is a place that is not only beneficial to Bank of Thailand, but it also benefits the overall society in which this is also a main principle of the organization. Its task is not only to be a learning center and a museum, but this learning center acts as a public square for interaction and meeting of the people, a transferring point for land, water and bicycle transportation, contemporary cultural activities, and a scenic point of the city. The construction of this “place” is not just to create a relationship between the organization and the people but it will create the sustainability of the “place” where the people will participate together in the construction, protection, and maintenance.
2. Connect to the history
With the valuable and long history of Bank of Thailand, the original building is still stand elegantly next to “Bang Khun Phrom Palace”. This new learning center will bridge to the past and emphasize distinctively on the value of the history to be seen more by the people both in daytime / nighttime aspects connecting also to the empty space. Moreover, this first note printing building of Thailand also has the architectural value in the modern time reflecting the actuality in the use of structure, materials, and proportion that are simple and reasonably. This will be resurrected in response to the modern and future use with respect principally to the history and old spirit of the building.
3. Connect to green space
For the construction of organization and learning of economic stories and duties of Bank of Thailand that can occur everywhere in this place, it is not displayed just inside of the building but the outside area is also another learning space creating thought exchanges between the people through the culture and at the same time, it can occur in the space under the building, staircase, walkway next to the lawn, and space between buildings.
4. Connect to the learning space
A characteristic of the space that stimulates the best creative learning is a characteristic of the space that is not formal but must be friendly and relaxing without a fixed pattern. It must also be flexible to the change of use in the future suitable. This concept may be seen in the areas such as markets, public parks, and playgrounds. The area inside of this creative learning and recreation center of Thailand is created by using the mentioned concept for the arrangement of the space and furniture in order to stimulate the learning and interaction, to create variety of group meetings without inflexibility, to combine Information Technology as an element of the space by maintaining the material characteristic of the old building as an evidence to tell the stories of the building and history. The museum in the “Mankong room” area is designed to create a credible image of the organization, “Stand upright with vision” as the main national economic principle. This will be reflected through the wall materials, use of light, and stories told inside.
5. Connect to nature
The building in the present and future must answer the challenge of the environment and demand of energy for building management sustainably for the long term. The building therefore is in need to have a design that is conformed to the natural factors. Light channels are created in order to receive more natural light combining with a sun screen in suitable areas to limit the amount of light from the west. Ventilators are created in order to ventilate naturally in the staircase area, elevator hall, multi-purpose area, and under the building. This is to let the wind from Chao Phraya River to bring in the humidity to the building and the area inside. Moreover, it helps to eliminate the heat from the building. For the selection of materials for each area outside of the building, the materials must not absorb water and heat. The old eaves of the building are used, and trees are used to provide shade in the open area outside of the building.
Entrant office name: Shma Company Limited
Role of the entrant in the project: Director
Website: www.shmadesigns.com/
Other designers involved in the design of landscape:
Project Team:
Design Director – Yossapon Boonsom
Landscape Architect – Worawee Jamsomboon
Horticulturist – Panita Onsaeng
Client & Developer: Bank of Thailand
Architect: Creative Crews
Design Collaboration: Somdoon Architects
Interior Designer: Architectkidd
M&E: GEO Design & Engineering Consultant.,LTD
C&S Engineering: Warnes Associated Company Limited
Contractor: Powerline Engineer
Photograph Credit: Wison Tungthunya, Chakkraphob Sermphasit
Project location (Street, City, Country): Bangkok, Thailand
Design year: 2014
Year Built: 2017
