MahaNakhon / Ole Scheeren, OMA

Jul 2009

By Karen Cilento — Filed under: News , Skyscrapers , Bangkok, Ole Scheeren

Ole Scheeren, a partner for Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) and project leader of the recently completed Beijing’s CCTV Tower, considered among the world’s most imaginative contemporary architectural feats. With the tower complete, Scheeren has moved to design his first skyscraper, entitled MahaNakhon, “a dazzling, pixelated 77-storey tower,” that will rise to be the tallest building in Bangkok. With approximately 150,000 square meters, MahaNakhon will include a lush urban oasis with public gardens and a major transportation hub, luxury retail, residences, a new public square, and a five-star hotel created by New York’s Ian Schrager.

More images and more about the skyscrapper after the break.

Mahanakohn’s “distinctive sculptural appearance” offers a pixelated effect as the solid tower is carefully carved into. These spaces become “excavated portions of the elegant glass curtain wall to reveal the inner life of the building metaphorically and actually an architecture that encloses and protects its inhabitants while revealing the inner life of their city.” The protrusions create beautiful balconies with uninterrupted views over the city as well as larger areas for greenery.

In addition to the tower, a smaller freestanding 7-storey building, known as the cube, offers multi-level indoor/outdoor terraces with an extensive mix of dining and leisure facilities. These facilities activate the lower levels as the general public will have access via a direct above-ground pedestrian link.

The skyscrapper is due to be completed by 2012.

51 comments »

YS says:

what a cliche…this form

# July 23, 2009 at 23:12

Kiko Sanchez says:

It looks just like Herzog & de Meurons bldg design for Leonard Street NYC… or Axis Mundi new Moma tower conceptual scheme… BLAH!

# July 23, 2009 at 23:34

Lathos says:

Dont think so, if you check better, the others copied that scheme

# September 6, 2009 at 15:00

public eye says:

Cliche or whatever, I love it. Not closely that much, but from far away.

# July 23, 2009 at 23:35

Lindsay says:

It’s a little like the Best box stores by SITE (James Wines) but much, much bigger.

# July 23, 2009 at 23:50

imagine says:

Really great and amazing. Decontruction form
somehow it reminds me about the broken down bricks in the elevation of Best shop (designed by SITE in 70’s)

# July 23, 2009 at 23:51

vortekxt says:

When you click through, the highest-res image posted is of Ole’s face…nice bldg though, even if quite reminiscent of H&DeM’s Leonard St. tower as mentioned above.

# July 24, 2009 at 00:11

Remkool says:

Herzog & De Meuron…?

ah ah ah !!!!

# July 24, 2009 at 03:28

Dustin says:

I really like it. Does the “deconstructed” part actually spiral up the building?

# July 24, 2009 at 03:35

kiron says:

i like the window opening part.
rest is only imagery.

# July 24, 2009 at 04:07

melih says:

i remember a retail-park project by Hans hollein; the building has ash-like corners…this building has the same openings i think.

# July 24, 2009 at 04:18

ps says:

i’d live there. if i could afford it. i think bangkok desperately needs some top tier world-class architects to build there. 90+% of the hi-rises there are just banal buildings. other than the “robot” building, nothing is memorable and nothing stands out. kudos.

# July 24, 2009 at 05:30

archilocus says:

Totally agree. I think it’s due to the rather protective market there; almost impossible to work there as a “farang”. I hope such buildings could make BKK more attractive to tourists, bringing more international culture and dimension… In Bangkok only shopping malls are full of westerners, which is anyway ridiculous compared to the beaches in southern Thailand.

# July 24, 2009 at 10:28

Lucas Gray says:

It is definitely not an architectural wonderland but there are some nice smaller designs. Bed Supperclub (if it is still existing) comes to mind as do some other bars/clubs and restaurants. There are also some nice houses but too often these are obscured by protective walls.

Didn’t Future Systems (or what has become of it) design a new tower/mall for Bankok recently?

# July 26, 2009 at 05:14

Rhodgeer says:

I really like the form, at first I thought the building was on fire and was structurally failing!

# July 24, 2009 at 05:52

IMHO says:

tower from H&deM is based on diferent concept. this is the spiral and tower from H&deM is something like disappearing gradient..
anyway.. who will build it first, that will winner :]

# July 24, 2009 at 06:30

tropicalismo360 says:

This building looks like it has a flesh eating virus.

# July 24, 2009 at 09:17

Alec Murgia says:

Is awful, the metaphor of the tower destroyed.

# July 24, 2009 at 10:22

guusfraba says:

I like it, but who´d live in a traditional building when you can do it in protrusions that create beautiful balconies with uninterrupted views over the city as well as larger areas for greenery? Its interesting the way in which instead of questioning the traditional skycraper it compares both proposals in one building.

# July 24, 2009 at 11:02

batman says:

Looks like a roast beef sandwich with some mozzarella….hey ohhhh

# July 24, 2009 at 11:35

Alex says:

wonderful

# July 24, 2009 at 19:06

Travis says:

Louis Kahn wanted to make beautiful ruins….

# July 24, 2009 at 20:16

Juni says:

Last picture is really bad: looks like a 1500meters tall seagram bilding wrapped into H&dM Leonard Street.
However, great design, with purpose (so rare) even if i’m usually not fan of “boxes”. Interiors are nice and it’s mostly thanks to the great job on the windows. Nice work.

# July 24, 2009 at 21:17

armeyn says:

no more diagrams???

# July 24, 2009 at 23:36

NIM says:

It’s more like a renewed design of a tower in tokyo 2004, more than the one by h& dm

http://www.oma.eu/index.php?option=com_projects&view=project&id=570&Itemid=10

# July 25, 2009 at 01:56

Pi says:

Inspired by Star Wars under-construction Death Star!?

# July 25, 2009 at 05:59

Witkowski Boguslaw says:

It is really frightening still to see such concepts developed by many architects. The lack of sustainable architecture education and the underdeveloped cultural background are the main reason of this poor result shown in the presented example. This is the continuation of the XX century trends…and what about the new ideas for to answer to the global warming problem?
These nice 3D images are the lost of time…Please leave it for the “Stars”.

# July 25, 2009 at 11:07

In general I think this is a nice design…at least compared to the usual banal towers flying up around the world. This is far better than any of the designs for the freedom tower I have seen and would be a welcome addition to any skyline in my opinion.

# July 26, 2009 at 05:17

Baoan says:

I agree with Lucas for that this is a “nice design…at least compared to the usual banal towers flying up around the world », however still backward architecture and selfish, mainly showing the architects EGO concept…

# July 26, 2009 at 05:41

GeorgeFP_SA says:

Absolutely Beautiful! Nice to see the typical tower typology challenged, deconstructed and redefined!

# July 26, 2009 at 06:10

Ivan says:

What will it take to reduce the use of curtain wall for every god damn building. Classic developer project with a twist, as seen so many times before. I expected something more inspiring…

joe says:

H&deM,yes
Daniel Liberskind,yes

# July 27, 2009 at 04:58

mario 12 says:

this is a spectacular building, has a great sense of expression and its fragments (modules) which tend to miss as the building goes up. great work by great architects.

# July 27, 2009 at 06:09

ru.bot says:

while i find the concept very one liner and i’m not sure what would happen if i full opened my folding windows on the 55th floor (actually i think the wind will help reorganize my living room for me) i’m excited to see an OMA project in bangkok. i’d be excited to see anything half way decent in this city, which right now it all seems to be typical crappy towers or direct interpretations of robots/elephants. this building, regardless of how you feel about the design, could do a lot of good for the thai architecture scene. it is much needed, hope it really happens.

# July 27, 2009 at 07:06

sirisha bysani says:

it is like WORLD TRADE CENTER after the incident

# July 27, 2009 at 07:36

corto says:

this is really nice…
how can you exceed yourself after CCTV?

this is one of the peak points of this style (post-post-post modern)of designing.

# July 29, 2009 at 02:08

Yes, the WTC just after…tunami resistant, just for to change in the thaï architectural landscape you says?

# July 29, 2009 at 10:17

PRISCILA BELLAS says:

I like too much this shape… Congratulations!

# July 29, 2009 at 19:13

chuck says:

Looks like termites has eaten the building. Perfect for termite infested city like Bangkok.

# July 29, 2009 at 22:10

Sonic says:

http://cheungvogl.com/alexander_house_ny.htm
fits great in the rectangular cluster of new york, and the scale might be more reasonable…
still, i like the oma design.

# July 31, 2009 at 14:27

Oma is great Oma is Grand Mother ha!ha! In de Platte Land van Kaas

# July 31, 2009 at 16:20

mujahideen_y says:

the cube

# August 12, 2009 at 02:04

Maybe more spiritual: Kaba? I love OMA’s sense of humor!

# August 12, 2009 at 04:30

Museves says:

first thing that came to my mind is….
TERMITE INVASION!

# August 29, 2009 at 21:53

Bamboo skys says:

This is the rightway to go for skyscraper in Bangkok.
OMA can find the concept of building.Because they understand lifestyle of people who live in this city.Maby this is the best thaistyle skyscraper not of form or element .But from fully thaispirit in the heart of building.

# September 8, 2009 at 07:47