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Architects: Arsomsilp Community and Environmental Architect
- Area: 59000 m²
- Year: 2019
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Photographs:Landprocess Co. Ltd., Pat Phuchamni, Srirath Somsawat
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Manufacturers: Holcim, A.P.K. Dawkoo, BPK brick, COTTO, Gyproc, Lysaght, SCG, ZILLION INNOVATION
“ Freedom is the soil, air and fertilizer that will grow the flora of thought and when bringing thought to ideal, the ideal can only happen when people in society are able to think freely.”Puey Ungphakorn , 1974
Thammasat is a long-established university in Thailand, formerly named “The University of Moral and Political Sciences”. This project was initiated in 2016 in the occasion of the 100thanniversary birthday of Prof. Dr. Puey Ungphakorn, the 10th chancellor of Thammasat university. He was named by UNESCO as one of the world's most important people for his "impeccable ethics". He dedicated his life for the importance of the environment, quality of life and the health of the people in his homeland. To truly reflect his spirit, this project is placed on the university’s main axis from Phahonyothin Road as a landmark and public park that serves as the lung of Thammasat’s community and the people of northern Bangkok.
The design is inspired by his name, “Puey” meaning earth mound that nourishes, cultures, and strengthens a tree from its base, reflecting how he devoted his whole life to the importance of environmental ecology within his homeland. The design combines harmoniously the relationship between architecture and landscape architecture (Land Process) to engage the community with functionality and leisure space by designing a green vegetation roof covering the whole building. The plants growing on the green roof are all edible to educate the university students about agricultural practices, and sufficient economies and to build up environmental awareness which corresponds with Thammasat University’s intention to manage their own food source. The surrounding landscape areas are used as gardens, recreational areas, and four large pools functioning as a drainage basin and natural water treatment reservoir.
In a tropical climate, the curved structure of the building exposes the roof fully to direct sunlight and sun radiation, the green vegetation roof acts as a buffer absorbing the heat and radiation. The roof structure is designed to be a double slab to prevent the humidity from the plants to cause damage into the building. The 1.5m in-between space allows for convenient maintenance and lessens the heat entering the building and overall decreases energy consumption from the air conditioning system and maintains a pleasant internal atmosphere.
Bricks are a sustainable material that provides strength and security whilst showing integrity in its design and it allows the interior spaces to keep a pleasant microclimate throughout the year. The bricks interact with natural light to create the spatial experience of light and shadow along the passageways that connect the inside space to the outside space.
The building is located at the center of the campus, being the main landmark and community learning hub there are multiple entrances opening access to the different activity spaces for students to socialize and network.
The design encourages multidisciplinary learning, to nurture a new generation of teachers and academics to believe in social development and continuous learning, the overall design of the project creates a learning community. The educational space promotes interactions and learning exchanges in a variety of styles while encouraging a sense of community. The building also provides different learning environments, from private spaces for reflection, self-study, or small groups to social spaces for learning through interaction to communal spaces where learning happens through discussion and conversation. The overall space is flexible enough to accommodate different types of learning activities and emphasize the prayer room as an example of critical learning within the organization. The column-beam system is employed for most of the structure. The post-tension structure of the 1st to the 3rd floor of the building accommodates a variety of functional spaces, with the concert hall connecting the 3 floors.
