The creative management of chaos

Founded in 2008, all(zone) is a Bangkok-based collective that goes against expectations and clichés by venturing into the chaotic streets of the metropolis to transform urban disorder into an act of creativity.

This article was originally published in Domus 961 / September 2012

Within the social context of a developing country such as Thailand, the routine of people's everyday life is filled with diversity, complexity and mutation. There is a paradoxical desire to be global and modern human beings, while at the same time lingering in local familiarity and nostalgic memories of the past. For example, one may encounter a chic office lady holding a luxury handbag while waiting for her papaya salad from a street food stall, or the shrine of a household god standing in front of a middle-class family's Roman-style house, or rural dwellings whose owners have replaced deteriorated clay roof tiles with prefabricated roofing coloured super-bright blue so as to show off how rich they have become.

Everything is a cluster of mundane projections of the chaos that exists in global yet local Thailand. Many Thai architects choose to turn their backs on this typically Thai context where everything happens in a disorderly and complex manner. They shy away from the hectic and noisy streets to build their own urban utopias: sanctuaries where everything is controlled, neat and quiet, in an attempt to tame the country's distinctive characteristics. In this atmosphere of dazed confusion, the architects at all(zone), meanwhile, choose to wander the streets and have fun trying to understand Bangkok's chaotic paradox. They set out to structure the chaos and prevent it from becoming too much of a problem for everyone, without abandoning the characteristically playful spirit of the city's urban vivaciousness.

Manifesting their interest in vernacular urban materials and patterns, all(zone) focus on local materials that can be sourced, produced and used in construction within the city. They strive to develop creative solutions where practicality and the physical context of a place collide harmoniously. Their two latest projects — an open-air market and the Act Naturally installation at Jim Thompson Farm — reflect their identity perfectly.

Top: Pitched roofs articulated
on different levels distinguish
the open-air market recently
completed in Bangkok by the
Thai group all(zone). Above: The <em>Act Naturally</em> installation
explores the theme of social
aggregation. A lightweight
sheet of fabric defines a space
in nature, where people can
gather and eat together — Top: Pitched roofs articulated on different levels distinguish the open-air market recently completed in Bangkok by the Thai group all(zone). Above: The *Act Naturally* installation explores the theme of social aggregation. A lightweight sheet of fabric defines a space in nature, where people can gather and eat together

The open-air market project consisted in the reconstruction of an informal local market, which originally served workers who were building the country's new Suvarnabhumi Airport. Later, when the suburban area expanded and the number of residential projects for middle-class dwellers increased, the market's owner decided to reconstruct the entire market with the aim of targeting the area's wealthier newcomers, while still catering for the old lower-income customers. Doing away with the market's rammed-earth floor and a temporary tent structure with unhygienic conditions, it was subsequently equipped with improved sanitation, decent lighting, natural ventilation, systemised and standardised circulation, security and, above all, the same old open-air market ambiance that continues to attract the original low-income buyers.

However, since the new image was created to attract middle-class shoppers, the design team transformed the simple gable roof — inspired by Bangkok's well-known traditional Chatuchak Weekend Market — into a unique zigzag pattern with a lightweight and ingenious structure set on different levels, which helps to bring in natural light and increase natural ventilation. It is interesting to observe how, with its apparently simple structure, from afar the zig-zag pattern lends the roof a more impressive and complex appearance. Similarly, the roof's interior structure reveals such a fascinating intricacy that it almost seems difficult to conceive how this amazing dimension was created by simply reorganising a straightforward gable roof.

(all)zone, <em>Act Naturally</em> installation — (all)zone, *Act Naturally* installation

A great variety of goods for both low-income and middle-class consumers are displayed and sold within the open-air market's dynamic and comfortable atmosphere, which does not alienate the poorer people despite its new look. The stalls and shops are appropriately divided by the span of the columns with standardised modular dimensions of 1,5 x 1,8 metres, which is the size of the smallest stalls at the original market. The areas for retail shops are divided according to category and size by walls and foldable steel doors. There are also shops for wholesale merchants that have no walls or doors, with wooden cabinets that function as both stalls and storage. In addition, the market features an open-plan space for registered street vendors who take turns and sell their products in shifts. Consequently the building accommodates a wide range of local-global commercial activities, from street vendors to food and general goods stalls, and from food courts to a minimart franchise, therefore reproducing a mixture of the city's economy. The 24-hour Tesco supermarket, located at the front, ensures that the entire market remains lively throughout the day and night.

Despite its vernacular appearance the project feels contemporary, standing out without having to make loud or bold statements. It is a crystallisation of ideas, the result of hard, serious and fun collaborative interaction among all the members of the all(zone) design team

The materials used for the construction — concrete and steel — are simple and familiar to the city's local builders. All(zone) designed the greyish structure with the intention of providing a neutral background for all the colourful patterns of the stalls and products on display. As a result, the open-air market embraces the everyday chaos with carefully considered design strategies.

Another project where everyday objects are reinterpreted in a highly creative and refined manner is the Act Naturally installation that all(zone) realised for Jim Thompson Farm in Nakhon Ratchasima Province in Northeast Thailand. The design team was tasked with defining a temporary "place" for dining in a natural environment, where people can sense such a special atmosphere that it makes them want to sit down and enjoy a meal, while also inducing them to interact and converse. Nonetheless, the special quality of this place has been conceived to resonate harmoniously with the surrounding context without disturbing the serenity and beauty of nature.

This new structure replaces
a previous market that
had sprung up informally
to serve workers building
Suvarnabhumi International
Airport. The architects
worked on the traditional tent
roof type, interpreted in a
contemporary key — This new structure replaces a previous market that had sprung up informally to serve workers building Suvarnabhumi International Airport. The architects worked on the traditional tent roof type, interpreted in a contemporary key

The project was inspired by the traditional paper-cut decorations known as Mahot, which are hung from ceilings during local festivals. These decorations were adopted as a starting typology for the form of the structure, which is accordingly something with which most Thai people are already familiar. However, rather than being used for their customary ornamental purposes, their scale was enlarged as a means to define the space. The thin, lightweight fabrics in different colours were selected as the material, and all(zone) conducted extensive experimentation in order to identify the new geometry, cutting pattern and most suitable weight.

Their research has resulted in a simple yet lively design, with a distinctive structure that moves in unison with the breeze and plays with the light. Everything is harmonious, unique and special. Despite its vernacular appearance the project feels contemporary, standing out without having to make loud or bold statements. It is a crystallisation of ideas, the result of hard, serious and fun collaborative interaction among all the members of the all(zone) design team. And the outcome is a manageable form of local and global chaos, so simple yet well thought-out, transmitting great intensity with remarkably subtlety. Supitcha Tovivich, Architectural lecturer at Silpakorn University, Bangkok

Form and structure
coincide in the market’s
design to generate a
single element: a space
where natural lighting and
ventilation are enhanced
by openings and skylights.
Painted in a uniform grey
colour, the new structure
offers a neutral backdrop
that contrasts with the bright
colours of the merchandise — Form and structure coincide in the market’s design to generate a single element: a space where natural lighting and ventilation are enhanced by openings and skylights. Painted in a uniform grey colour, the new structure offers a neutral backdrop that contrasts with the bright colours of the merchandise

The creative management of chaos

Founded in 2008, all(zone) is a Bangkok-based collective that goes against expectations and clichés by venturing into the chaotic streets of the metropolis to transform urban disorder into an act of creativity.

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