In 2014, Foster + Partners established F&P (Thailand) Ltd and set up its Bangkok office in the city’s Central Business District. The studio is located on the 10th floor of the Park Ventures building, overlooking Suan Lumphini, a verdant 142-acre public park - the first of its kind in Thailand.
The Bangkok office is currently working on The Forestias masterplan, which learns from and increases the amount of green public space within the city. Situated on the outskirts of Bangkok, the residential-led masterplan has a new forest at its heart. It provides a template for future urban living in Thailand and focusses on three primary themes of serving the community, promoting intergenerational co-living and connecting with nature.
Sunphol Sorakul, Partner and Director of the Bangkok office, said: “Re-establishing connections with nature to enhance wellbeing is central to the masterplan concept. We are working closely with our landscape consultant, TK Studio, to create new outdoor spaces with diverse flora and fauna. The masterplan gives back to the city by providing 100,000 square-metres of additional green space - half of which is accessible to the public.”
Through its local entity, the practice is designing approximately 90 individual buildings within the masterplan. They include unique and climate-responsive structures such as the Forest Pavilion, an exhibition space that also acts as a gateway to the masterplan’s newly created forest, and the Mulberry Grove Club House, the largest glulam grid shell structure in Thailand.
The masterplan also features a number of large developments such as Mulberry Grove Villas, a residential development that has been designed for intergenerational living; the Whizdom condominium, a 192-metre high-rise residential building for young families, couples and pet owners; and the Six Senses Residences, a luxury residential development that enhances health and wellbeing.
To ensure that the masterplan is cohesive, the team meet every morning to discuss their work and share ideas before visiting the site. They also spend time socialising together outside of work and have volunteered at an elephant sanctuary, caring for elephants that have been rescued from the logging and tourism industries.
