Located within the city’s Central Business District, Foster + Partners’ Bangkok office is on the 10th floor of the Park Ventures building, overlooking a 142-acre public park.
The Bangkok team divides their time between the office, project sites, and client meetings. They often socialise together outside of work and volunteer at an elephant sanctuary, which rescues the endangered animals from the logging and tourism industries.
The team’s work is informed by an in-depth understanding of traditional Thai architecture, which learns from nature and provides protection from the extreme climate. In 2014, they began work on The Forestias masterplan, which dramatically increases the amount of green public space within the city.
Situated on the outskirts, the residential-led masterplan provides a template for future urban living in Thailand and focusses on three primary themes of serving the community, promoting intergenerational co-living, and connecting with nature. As Thailand is an aging society, the design focuses on accessibility, providing ‘caretaker’ spaces, community integration, and proximity to healthcare.
Through its local entity, the practice is designing approximately 90 individual buildings within the masterplan, from skyscrapers to residential villas. They include unique and climate-responsive structures such as the Forest Pavilion, an exhibition space that also acts as a gateway to the masterplan’s newly created forest, and the Mulberry Grove Club House, the largest glulam grid shell structure in Thailand.
