With the growing concern for the environment, a zero waste public space is a great strategy to help ease the effects of climate change. For Thailand, the HAS Design and Research Studio collaborated with Bangkok Design Week (BBDW), to create a zero waste public space called High Line Bangkok.
HAS Design and Research is a Thai architectural firm established in Bangkok and Shanghai by architects, artists, and educators Jenchieh Hung and Kulthida Songkittipakdee. Both of them are renowned architects who have gained international acclaim through winning competitions and designing spaces with Asian roots found across China and Thailand.
This year, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and the Creative Economy Agency commissioned HAS Design and Research to design the public space—a zero-waste pavilion in Bangkok’s Phra Nakhon district. To the locals, this location is known as the People Square Pavilion, which holds importance as a third space for locals to gather. The architects involved made sure to design the pavilion taking into account Bangkok’s architecture, art, culture, and urban thinking. With this, a design was created that could shade the locals during the day when the heat is at its peak, encouraging people to gather together at the area for community activities, or just to hang out.
The zero-waste aspect comes into play with the minimal materials they used to set up the pavilion. The foundations made use of existing streetlights along the plaza for the structural framework. From there, the pavilion was designed to look like a rainbow-like installation, using multiple colors that play with light and shadow for a dynamic atmosphere. At night, the pavilion becomes a beacon of light that extends into the square, with the streetlights reflected on the strips of fabric, amplifying it within the area. All in all, the design was created to enhance urban infrastructure aesthetically and incorporates shading, ventilation, and arcade-like spatial conditions perfect for Thailand’s tropical climate.
Visit the plaza in front of Bangkok Metropolitan Administration City Hall (Bangkok City Hall) to experience this space firsthand.