Timeless designs

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From Bangkok Post

Standing alongside Wat Mahathat Yuwaratrangsarit and Sanam Luang, the historical Thaworawatthu Building was ordered to be built during the reign of King Rama V to serve as a supplementary edifice for HRH Prince Maha Vajirunhis' royal cremation ritual.

The construction, completed in the reign of King Rama VI, later transformed into the Hor Phra Samut Samrap Phra Nakhon (Library for the Capital City) before being developed into the National Library, allowing the public to access its services.

As part of the "King Chulalongkorn The Great (Rama V) Memorial" exhibition, it is now opening its chambers to showcase a rare collection of 47 classic gilded black lacquered cabinets to highlight Thailand's first-class craftsmanship and local wisdom.

Aiming to conserve Thai art and promote its values to young artisans, King Chulalongkorn collected the cabinets from various places to use as bookcases in the Hor Phra Samut Vajirayana Samrap Phra Nakhon (Vajirayana Library for the Capital City), all of which were crafted in the Ayutthaya, Thon Buri and Rattanakosin periods.

Over the last century, the collection has grown from 130 to more than 390, with the majority currently kept at the National Library of Thailand on Samsen Road. This exhibition is arranged in six themes to display the cabinets, the majority of which are from the series "Gold-Motif Cabinets Books By The Office Of National Library".

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https://www.bangkokpost.com/life/arts-and-entertainment/2209439/timeless-designs

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From Channel News Asia

Thailand’s Kotchakorn makes mark at global climate change talks

The rooftop garden of Thammasat University is the largest in Asia. (Photo: Land Process)

GLASGOW: David Attenborough was in the middle of arguably one of his most important public calls to action. To more than 100 world leaders, on the biggest stage at the opening of global climate change talks in Glasgow, he called on delegates to rewrite the human story in the face of a monumental challenge.

As he paused, for a moment, another face appeared onscreen with a decidedly different accent.

“Can we fix the climate problem in one generation? My answer would be yes. We have to,” said Kotchakorn Voraakhom.

The video excerpt was from an interview Kotchakorn had done in the lead up to COP26, a short film in a YouTube series sharing the voice of the people on the frontline of climate change. 

Kotachakorn was last year named a United Nations Global Climate Action Award winner for her transformative work building innovative landscape solutions for urban resilience in Bangkok.

That recognition gave rise to her attending COP26 in the UK, which began on Nov 1. Given the logistical difficulties, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the apparent limited access to the conference from attendees from the Global South, she admitted that she felt fortunate to even be there.

The 40-year-old’s work has made an impact in Bangkok, where she founded her urban design firm, Landprocess. She has been a leading voice promoting functional green spaces in Bangkok’s new developments and converted spaces.

Her sights have been set on sustainable green infrastructure that makes the city more liveable, walkable, and suitable for its future and new uncertainties to come.

At a campus for Thammasat University, Kotchakorn’s designs have given birth to Asia’s biggest rooftop garden, a place with incredible aesthetics and true function.

The 22,000 sq m space recreates a rice terrace, includes micro-watersheds from its cascading roof and has expansive areas for students to grow organic vegetables and herbs. It has aesthetics but more critically, purpose.

Opened in 2017, Chulalongkorn Centenary Park is a critical piece of functional architecture that reduces inundation risk in the city during periods of heavy rain, by collecting, treating, and holding millions of litres of water, reducing pressure on sewage infrastructure.

Bangkok is one of the world’s most vulnerable cities to climate change impacts. The megacity is slowly sinking, just as sea levels rise. It means much of the city could be underwater within decades and increasingly exposed to dangerous flooding.

The looming crisis, and the chance to witness global talks up close, has given Kotchakorn more perspective about the need for greater action, the inequalities that exist and the frustrations of political negotiations.

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https://www.channelnewsasia.com/sustainability/cop26-climate-change-thailand-kotchakorn-landscape-architect-2292241