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.
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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- Supitcha Tovivich
- 12 September 2012
- Bangkok
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.
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.
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