GOALS & OBJECTIVES

Park Silom is a real estate projectat the heart of Bangkok’s CBD, Silom area. It sits along the Silom Road andimmediately connected to the BTS (Bangkok Skytrain) Sala Daeng station. Theproject is positioned as a mixed use land plot—containing a high rise officebuilding, where lower floors will be commercial, and a public plaza at thefrontage of the land.

SITE CHARACTER & ANALYSIS

Transformed from the paddy field inthe past, the current urban fabric of Silom is packed with office buildings.Nowadays, Silom is packed with people at all times, lacking of open space wherepeople could relax. Since high rise office buildings are dense in Silom,ventilation is poor. Hardscape has taken up the majority of the urban space,leaving very limited greenery in this area. Without sufficient streetscapeplanting and poor drainage of the Thon Buri clay in Silom, not only air qualityis poor in this district, it also induces problems such as flooding. Moreover,the site is shaded by the adjacent sky train railway , leaving the land withlimited natural light during the day.

Detail analysis has been carriedout for Park Silom project. We have analyzed the sun and shadow condition,rainwater and water runoff volume, and potential spatial usage of the site atdifferent occasions throughout the year. We believe a comprehensiveunderstanding of the site will generate the most effective outcome of thelandscape which can then benefit the local community.

DESIGN CRITERIA & CONCEPT

Under these circumstances, we havetaken this chance to create an open space that can benefit the local community.To do this, we have set up certain design concept of reclaiming of green area.So the property of Park Silom will be an additional, rewarding green space tothe client, future users, and the community.

First, we will create an open plazathat can separate the chaotic streetscape to this landscape. So people can havea decent area to relax even in this busy CBD. Second, this open plaza willbalance the need of social space and green area. Although the client aimed tocreate a people place for activities that gather all walks of life in thisplaza, our team has a greater vision to introduce a sustainable green space asa complimentary feature to the landscape. Third, we will utilize the watersources on the site, and help alleviate the pressure on the local drainagesystem. During the rainy season, flooding is a major issue in this area. Thus,we will provide landscape treatment to slow down runoff and encourage effectivedrainage system.

LANDSCAPE DESIGN &PROGRAMMES

Seeing that the public pedestrianwalkway is narrow and crowded, we have come up with the solution to widen thepedestrian walkway to enhance the current condition. The governmentalrequirement of the right of way of this particular district is to setback theproperty 4m from the road. However, we have given way to double the width ofthe pedestrian walkway to 8.4-9m. By doing this, not only the public will havea more comfortable walking experience in front of the property, it will alsoprovide a pleasant open area with green for the street trees to give naturallight and shading for the pedestrians, and help collect rainwater and waterrunoff.

Planting has been carefully chosenfor this project. Hopea odorata, a native tree species of Bangkok hasbeen widely used throughout the site. It is a tall tree that will not block thefaçade, while providing sufficient shading for the plaza. The use of Hopeaodorata and other native plants will become a signature of Park Silom, andopen an opportunity for the public to learn about our indigenous plants. At thesame time, Axonopus compressus has been chosen for the detention lawn,which is a grass species that requires low maintenance and is a tough plantthat can is favorable for activity lawn.

The volume of water runoff exceedsthe capacity of the drainage system for an urban area like Silom can take.During rainy season, the great volume of runoff frequently caused the issue offlooding in Silom. In view of this, we have created a detention lawn, where adepth of 4m underground Aqua Tank will facilitate the interim detention of thewater before being discharged into the public sewage system. Hence, it willhelp relieving the flooding hazard in Silom and achieve the sustainable designstandard of zero runoff.

In addition, in order to promotevarious types of open activities space, a flexible paving system has been used.In Thailand, the multi-culture environment has given a diversity of socialactivities in a year. A flexible plaza with removable pavers will allow theplaza to accommodate different activities according to the specific settingrequired.

Besides the ground floor, therewill also be sky gardens on 28F, 30F, 32F, and 37F. They will be private skygardens designed exclusively for office workers, who can take a break from workand enjoy the panoramic city view.

CONCLUSION

The Park Silom project is a projectbeyond urban plaza that the local can enjoy while taking part in improving theenvironment of Silom. To us, it will be a prototype of livable streetscape andsustainable public space design that will light up the Silom as a livable area.We hope Park Silom will be a pioneer project that set up a precedent to thefellow designers and developers in Silom and other dense street areas in theirdesign, and together we will create more quality public space for the streetlife in the future.

GOALS & OBJECTIVES

Park Silom is a real estate projectat the heart of Bangkok’s CBD, Silom area. It sits along the Silom Road andimmediately connected to the BTS (Bangkok Skytrain) Sala Daeng station. Theproject is positioned as a mixed use land plot—containing a high rise officebuilding, where lower floors will be commercial, and a public plaza at thefrontage of the land.

SITE CHARACTER & ANALYSIS

Transformed from the paddy field inthe past, the current urban fabric of Silom is packed with office buildings.Nowadays, Silom is packed with people at all times, lacking of open space wherepeople could relax. Since high rise office buildings are dense in Silom,ventilation is poor. Hardscape has taken up the majority of the urban space,leaving very limited greenery in this area. Without sufficient streetscapeplanting and poor drainage of the Thon Buri clay in Silom, not only air qualityis poor in this district, it also induces problems such as flooding. Moreover,the site is shaded by the adjacent sky train railway , leaving the land withlimited natural light during the day.

Detail analysis has been carriedout for Park Silom project. We have analyzed the sun and shadow condition,rainwater and water runoff volume, and potential spatial usage of the site atdifferent occasions throughout the year. We believe a comprehensiveunderstanding of the site will generate the most effective outcome of thelandscape which can then benefit the local community.

DESIGN CRITERIA & CONCEPT

Under these circumstances, we havetaken this chance to create an open space that can benefit the local community.To do this, we have set up certain design concept of reclaiming of green area.So the property of Park Silom will be an additional, rewarding green space tothe client, future users, and the community.

First, we will create an open plazathat can separate the chaotic streetscape to this landscape. So people can havea decent area to relax even in this busy CBD. Second, this open plaza willbalance the need of social space and green area. Although the client aimed tocreate a people place for activities that gather all walks of life in thisplaza, our team has a greater vision to introduce a sustainable green space asa complimentary feature to the landscape. Third, we will utilize the watersources on the site, and help alleviate the pressure on the local drainagesystem. During the rainy season, flooding is a major issue in this area. Thus,we will provide landscape treatment to slow down runoff and encourage effectivedrainage system.

LANDSCAPE DESIGN &PROGRAMMES

Seeing that the public pedestrianwalkway is narrow and crowded, we have come up with the solution to widen thepedestrian walkway to enhance the current condition. The governmentalrequirement of the right of way of this particular district is to setback theproperty 4m from the road. However, we have given way to double the width ofthe pedestrian walkway to 8.4-9m. By doing this, not only the public will havea more comfortable walking experience in front of the property, it will alsoprovide a pleasant open area with green for the street trees to give naturallight and shading for the pedestrians, and help collect rainwater and waterrunoff.

Planting has been carefully chosenfor this project. Hopea odorata, a native tree species of Bangkok hasbeen widely used throughout the site. It is a tall tree that will not block thefaçade, while providing sufficient shading for the plaza. The use of Hopeaodorata and other native plants will become a signature of Park Silom, andopen an opportunity for the public to learn about our indigenous plants. At thesame time, Axonopus compressus has been chosen for the detention lawn,which is a grass species that requires low maintenance and is a tough plantthat can is favorable for activity lawn.

The volume of water runoff exceedsthe capacity of the drainage system for an urban area like Silom can take.During rainy season, the great volume of runoff frequently caused the issue offlooding in Silom. In view of this, we have created a detention lawn, where adepth of 4m underground Aqua Tank will facilitate the interim detention of thewater before being discharged into the public sewage system. Hence, it willhelp relieving the flooding hazard in Silom and achieve the sustainable designstandard of zero runoff.

In addition, in order to promotevarious types of open activities space, a flexible paving system has been used.In Thailand, the multi-culture environment has given a diversity of socialactivities in a year. A flexible plaza with removable pavers will allow theplaza to accommodate different activities according to the specific settingrequired.

Besides the ground floor, therewill also be sky gardens on 28F, 30F, 32F, and 37F. They will be private skygardens designed exclusively for office workers, who can take a break from workand enjoy the panoramic city view.

CONCLUSION

The Park Silom project is a projectbeyond urban plaza that the local can enjoy while taking part in improving theenvironment of Silom. To us, it will be a prototype of livable streetscape andsustainable public space design that will light up the Silom as a livable area.We hope Park Silom will be a pioneer project that set up a precedent to thefellow designers and developers in Silom and other dense street areas in theirdesign, and together we will create more quality public space for the streetlife in the future.