White frames, vertical and angular, dance in a green landscape! Megapark unveils a geometric exposition immersed in natural vegetation. Designed by Architectkidd in partnership with landscape architects’ Landscape Collaboration, the Megapark infuses a recreational and retail centre for a shopping complex in Bangkok.
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The architecture of Megapark exudes as a green scaffold. Vertical vegetation courses the structure with the planting and landscape design. They form an environmental filter between the interior and exterior zones. Set within a tropical climate, the design invites daylight and natural ventilation to stream into the building.
Megapark’s design comprises an elevated platform connecting the shopping centre towards the exterior landscape. The architecture acts as a conduit and a public space enriching outdoor areas and gardens with a vibrant atmosphere.
The architects composed the prime material of the design using 20cm x 20cm galvanized steel columns, spaced 1-meter apart in rhythmic progression. The steel columns deliver structural support for walkways, canopies, systems, and event spaces. The ceremonious and repetitive spacing of the structural strips avoids typical large-scale construction grids and formwork used in commercial buildings.
Local footbridges and pedestrian infrastructures informed the use of steel found in Bangkok. Architectkidd and structural designers Aurecon transformed this precedent into an open framework, integrating an architectural expression that lodges public events and activities. The program facilitates communal amenities, parks, shopping, and recreational areas, flooring three levels to the existing shopping centre. The design challenge transformed a formerly closed commercial space into a more extroverted one for the community.
The steel frames elate in a natural rhythm, widening upon widths and heights, trailing up in a way that ebbs and flows throughout the site. The design captures a novel public presence, coherent and serene. The architectural fluidity and natural approach weaved more intimate spaces on a human scale.
It’s been over 10 years since they built the original shopping centre housing the first IKEA in Thailand. Then on the retail and urban environment in South East Asia has evolved significantly. Architectkidd’s Megapark truly brings forth a vision of adapt the experience of the shopping centre and the act of shopping itself. Megapark channels an opportunity to experiment with alternatives that synchronize the commercial with the public community.
Project Details:
Architects: Architectkidd
Area: 15000 m²
Photographs: Wworkspace, Panoramic Studio, Ketsiree Wongwan
Manufacturers: ALPOLIC, American Standard, Atlas Schindler, COTTO, WE-EF, T-Rex Steel, TOA, Taiyo Kogyo
Design Consultant: Deline Architects, Jutharat Thatprakob
Structural Engineer: Aurecon
MEP Engineer: Aurecon
Landscape: Landscape Collaboration
Construction: Future Construction
Landscape Construction: Ped Garden Co.Ltd
