MahaNakhon

MahaNakhon is the vision of Ole Scheeren, which was developed by a team of Thai architects and designers at Buro Ole Scheeren Group / OMA

MahaNakhon is a new 77-storey high-rise complex located in Bangkok’s Central Business District, with a direct link to the Chongnonsi BTS Skytrain station. The development of more than 150,000 square meters will be comprised of a landscaped public plaza; a multi-level retail centre with restaurants, cafes, and 24-hour marketplace; 200 serviced apartments operated by the Ritz-Carlton; the Bangkok Edition, a 150 room boutique hotel in collaboration with Marriot International and Ian Schrager; and a rooftop Sky Bar and restaurant. MahaNakhon will be the most ambitious complex of contemporary architecture and urbanism in Thailand and the tallest building in Bangkok.

The design of MahaNakhon dismantles the typical tower and podium typology, creating a skyscraper that melds with the city by gradually ‘dissolving’ as it flows downward to meet the ground. A series of cascading indoor/outdoor terraces at the base of the tower accommodates retail and entertainment facilities, evoking the shifting protrusions of a mountain landscape. An adjacent freestanding seven-storey building – the “Cube” with corresponding terraces creates an expansive outdoor atrium – forming a valley and network of social, dining, and leisure spaces that serve the residences and the public. MahaNakhon Square, at the front of the tower, is designed as a dynamic public plaza, a spot for planned and spontaneous cultural events, a landscaped retreat for the city’s inhabitants, and a rare venue for cultural and social interaction.

Mahanakhon Tower has been carefully carved to introduce a three-dimensional ribbon of architectural pixels that coil up the tower’s full height to reveal the inner life of the building. This generates a set of specific features – projecting glass skyboxes with sweeping views and generous indoor/outdoor spaces – uncommon to high-rise living, but well-suited to the tropical climate of Bangkok. The pixels have been designed to maximize unobstructed panoramas and offers rare birds-eye views of the city and Chaophraya River. Residences located in the non-pixelated area of the tower enjoy a parallel innovation: double-height living spaces equipped with multiple bays of full-height bi-fold balcony windows – sections of facade that fold inwards and upwards – transforming living areas into indoor/outdoor environments. The top of the tower houses a three-floor Sky Bar and restaurant with double-height spaces and an outdoor rooftop bar with 360° views, floating 310 meters above the city.

DESIGN TEAM:
DESIGN ARCHITECT: Buro Ole Scheeren Group
Buro Ole Scheeren (Thailand) Ltd., Registration no. น.014-58
Hok Lok Siew Design Co., Ltd. (HLS), Registration No. น. 008-54
PARTNER IN CHARGE: Ole Scheeren
PARTNER (ADMINISTRATION): Eric Chang
MANAGING DIRECTOR: Jaturon Kingminghae
REGISTERED ARCHITECTS: Wisutr Weerasilp (SA 311), Pisit Chirdkiatisak (PA 2153), Major Poonpien Thiensiri (AA.187), Jaturon Kingminghae (AA. 9854)
TEAM (A-Z): Benjamin Ahrens, Brian Fung, Bruno Zhao, Dan Cheong, Francis Young, Fred Zhou, Jaeyoon Kim, Jasmin Delic, John Lim, Joyce Chang, Kevin Park, Lelia Ku, Leonard Wong, Marcel Holmberg, Mike Taylor, Mintra Maneepairoj, Phittawat Chittapraneerat, Sebastian Liszka, Supasai Vongkulbhisal, Sun Shuo, Timothy Archambault, Tomohiro Sugeta, Tool Nampanwiwat, Yanyadech Phornphong; with Kevin Ou, Kathrin Hasskamp
STRUCTURE: Arup, Beijing/Hong Kong; Bouygues Thai Limited
MEP ENGINEERING: Aurecon Group, Bangkok; Palmer & Turner (Thailand) Ltd., Bangkok
FACADE: Front Inc., New York; Façade Associates Co.,Ltd., Bangkok
TOP OF TOWER GLASS STRUCTURE: Buro Happold, Beijing/London
TOP OF TOWER VERTICAL TRANSPORTATION: Movveo, London
BUILDING VERTICAL TRANSPORTATION: Arup, Beijing
LIGHTING: Isometrix, London /Hong Kong; Seam Design, London
RETAIL CONSULTANT: Husband Retail Consulting, Hong Kong
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT: Landscape Architects 49 Ltd., Bangkok
PEOPLE FLOW: Arup, Hong Kong
GRAPHIC DESIGN: 2x4 Inc, New York; JWT Thailand, Bangkok; Pentagram, New York
MULTIMEDIA CONSULTANT: Bit Studio, Bangkok
PROJECT DOCUMENTATION: Buro Ole Scheeren Group; OMA Beijing; Seventh Art, New York; Crystal CG, Beijing; Frans Parthesius, Rotterdam

[IT]
La Mahanakhon Tower è un grattacielo di 77 piani nel cuore del Central Business District di Bangkok. Si tratta del più ambizioso complesso di architettura contemporanea e di urbanistica della Thailandia, nonché dell'edificio più alto della capitale. L’area di sviluppo, più di 150.000 metri quadrati, sarà composta da: Mahanakhon Square, una piazza pubblica paesaggisticamente d’effetto; le MahaNakhon Terraces, un centro commerciale di lusso di 10.000 mq con sontuosi giardini e terrazze che si svilupperà su più livelli con ristoranti, bar e un mercato aperto 24 ore su 24; il Ritz-Carlton Residence a cinque stelle con 200 appartamenti straordinari, ognuno dei quali con skybox; The Bangkok Edition, un hotel firmato con 150 stanze, frutto della collaborazione tra Marriott International e il rinomato hotelier Ian Schrager; uno sky-bar e un ristorante in copertura con ampie viste a 360° sulla città, a 310 metri di altezza. Con il suo caratteristico aspetto scultoreo, MahaNakhon è stato accuratamente “scolpito” introducendo una sorta di nastro tridimensionale di 'pixel' architettonici che circonda l’intero perimetro della torre, come se si fosse scavato nelle eleganti facciate in vetro per mostrare la vita interna dell’edificio. Quest’area è composta da un insieme di skybox, parallelepipedi in cristallo aggettanti con ampie vedute e generosi spazi interni ed esterni con piscina e terrazze di grandi dimensioni – tipologia non comune per una metropoli, ma adatta al clima tropicale di Bangkok. Il 'pixel' sono stati progettati per massimizzare gli affacci panoramici per le residenze, che offrono tutte viste a volo d’uccello sulla città e sul fiume Chaophraya. Allo stesso tempo, i residence situati nella zona non pixellata della torre godono di una innovazione assoluta per un grattacielo: le unità a un piano e quelle duplex posseggono ampi soggiorni a doppia altezza con finestre-balconi a tutt’altezza che, ripiegandosi verso l'interno, consentono di aprire completamente gli spazi interni vivendoli come se fossero esterni. Alla base del MahaNakhon, che con terrazze e giardini degrada gradualmente verso terra, vi sono spazi commerciali, di intrattenimento e una zona di verde lussureggiante, una sorta di oasi urbana, che offrirà riparo dall’intenso clamore della grande Bangkok.