Insightful Design: These Bangkok Architecture Firms Are Raising the Bar

Beyond the pages of glossy magazines, architecture has long been a fixture among humans. We can even say that it's one of the earliest types of evidence of human existence and intelligence, from the Stonehenge during the Neolithic period and the ziggurats of Mesopotamia to King Louis XIV's Palace of Versailles and the Taj Mahal in Agra, India, to name a few.

Architecture usually mirrors the cultural context it is set in, including the people that interact with it or occupy it. More than beauty and utility, architecture is also concerned with the contexts of a site's surroundings or environment. These days, moving towards sustainability is not the trend but the befitting direction for the discipline.

Architecture firms abound in Bangkok, most of which have taken the move towards sustainable, intentional practices. Here are five architecture firms in the city that you should know for their insightful design and innovation.

Onion

Onion is an architecture and design studio established by Siriyot Chaiamnuay and Arisara Chaktranon in 2007. Known for its fresh, innovative takes on architecture and design, the firm engages with artisans and craftsmen to breathe new life to local materials and create beautiful spaces suited for contemporary living. 

One of its projects in 2020, the restaurant and eight-room hotel Baan Pomphet, is a brick and cement fortress, with the handmade bricks coming in four different sizes. Meanwhile, the colour of the hotel restaurant is described as a "grilled river prawn fat orange," which goes with the exterior brick's hue. Other Onion projects include the Central Ayutthaya Facades, Roukh Kiri, Samyan Mitrtown Convention Hall, Boonthavorn, Niko The Secret Bar, and more.

Location: Onion, 28 Pitak Court, 43 Soi Atthakan Prasit, Thung Maha Mek, Sathorn

IDIN Architects

IDIN Architects, founded by Jeravej Hongsakul in 2004, stands for "Integrating Design Into Nature." The firm regards nature as "the ecology around us" but also as various mannerisms and personalities and believes in melding these "natures" with the aesthetics of architecture. Coincidentally, "idin" in Thai also describes the endearing scent that soil releases after the rain. Aside from aesthetics, IDIN also places practicality at the forefront of its practice.

Choui Fong Tea Café, one of its projects completed in 2015, is a beautiful three-building structure built on the rolling hills of northern Thailand. Purposively designed to "create a natural feel," the café incorporates pine and steel into the main design to achieve that sense of nature and rawness. The café has gone on to win multiple architecture awards, such as the German Design Award 2018 by the German Design Council, the Architizer A+ Awards 2017, and the American Architecture Prize 2017, among others.

Location: IDIN Architects, 4 Soi Inthamara 26/1, Sutthisan Road, Din Daeng

MakeAscene

As its name suggests, architectural and interior design studio makeAscene believes architecture is like "creating a scene" with people in it – a definition of the "human-space relationship." The firm highlighted the importance of harmony between the needs of the space's user, the architecture, and its aesthetics. In the past, makeAscene has done projects for housing, residential development, hospitality, and commercial, such as the Casa Pattaya, ARNA Ekamai, Palmsquare, Bestwestern BLUphere, and more.

Location: makeAscene, 9/F Srifuengfung Building Rama 4 Road

Stu/D/O

Stu/D/O is a young design company focused on architecture, urbanism, and sustainable design. Founded by Chanasit Cholasuek and Apichart Srirojanapinyo in 2010, the studio believes in taking into account the "layers of physical and cultural distinctness at each site to invent new possibilities for the buildings’ function, context, and space, while integrating passive sustainable design in every process." 

This, in turn, has allowed the studio to create intentional designs that are at once beautiful, practical, and original, as well as sustainable to the communities around them. Stu/D/O's works have garnered awards through the years, including the Inter-Crop Headquarter in the 2018 Office Building Category and the Naiipa Art Complex in the 2017 Mixed Use Category of the World Architecture Festival, among others.

Location: Stu/D/O, Central Station Tower 5/F, 23/34-35 Trimitr Road, Samphantawong

ASWA

ASWA, which stands for the Architectural Studio of Work - Aholic, was founded by Phuttipan Aswakool and Chotiros Techamongklapiwat in 2013. The studio's designs focus on experimentation and, eventually, harmony with materials, form, and interior spaces, while also innovating on techniques to bring out a space's natural lighting. As is the trajectory of architecture – sustainability – ASWA believes in studying a project's surroundings first and foremost before "[translating it] into its architectural language."

Some of its projects include the Seven Lakes Office, Khao Niao Restaurant and Onda Café, and the Take a Breath Café, to name a few, all of which were nominated for ArchDaily's 2023 Building of the Year Awards.

Location: ASWA, 31/1 Phaholyothin Soi 2, Samsennai Phayathai