* DESIGN OF
THE YEAR 2009

The Met in Bangkok, Thailand is the latest notable project from the team at WOHA. The project comprises housing, hotel and retail space in the heart of Bangkok.

The innovative building design is based on the concept of an indoor-outdoor environment in the sky, and explores strategies of high-density living in a high-rise tropical environment. It was inspired by the concrete jungle of Bangkok, the forms of traditional Thai decoration and textiles, by ideas of comfortable living in tropical Asia, and the urban aspects of high-rise buildings. Says WOHA, “The Thai real estate market is very adventurous, we thought that having penthouses every five floors would appeal to them … We had developed over several theoretical projects the idea of using the outdoor spaces in between high-rise towers in the tropics. This project was a chance to build some of these in reality.”

High-rise designs have traditionally followed temperate models, which were developed in New York or Chicago with cold weather and strong winds. This resulted in apartments that are compact, insulated from the exterior and without sun shading or overhangs. In this typology, buildings are protective shells designed to shield the inhabitants from the harsh weather.

By contrast, design for the tropics should take advantage of year-round warm weather, capture breezes, and be laid out for crossventilation, incorporating outdoor spaces, verandas and gardens. In this context, buildings are framing devices of minimal environmental devices for an indoor-outdoor lifestyle.

The concept for The Met is to develop an advanced form of high-rise living for the tropics, developed less from western temperate models than from research on possibilities of low-wind, tropical climate in dense urban conditions. This project implemented several ideas developed originally for a competition in Singapore for public housing.

Explains WOHA, “Our solution is very different from the preconceptions of a Western culture high-rise tower. Western high-rises are impervious, sealed city-objects and this model was being imported to Asia and constructed everywhere. The incorporation of the Asian notion of dwelling – an indoor-outdoor compound, where the spaces between buildings is very important – into a high-rise form is important, and will affect how people enjoy living in rapidly growing, dense Asian cities.”

WOHA’s concept for The Met was designed from first principles to create a better lifestyle for central city living in the tropics. Going high in the tropics means cooler breezes, less dust, more privacy, more security, less noise, and better views. To take advantage of these conditions, the design incorporates a staggered arrangement of blocks that allows cross-ventilation, views to both the city and the river, and enhances the gentle breezes by funnelling them between towers. The gaps between the towers are bridged with sky gardens that provide exterior entertaining areas directly off living areas, including pools and gardens. The orientation of the staggered blocks allows the sun to penetrate daily between the blocks on its regular tropical sunpath.

The apartments’ interiors interact strongly with the exterior, with full-height glazing, balconies, sky gardens and sky terraces. Sun shading and overhangs provide weather protection and screen and filter the strong tropical light. Walls of greenery provide sun-shading that converts heat into oxygen, improving local air quality.

Common areas are spread throughout the towers, offering inhabitants a variety of experiences, from the intricately designed carpet of water, stone and vegetation at ground level, to the extensive indooroutdoor facilities at the pool level, to libraries, barbeques, and function areas at sky terraces.

The hotel block explores related ideas, providing guests with huge outdoor balconies incorporating water features and trees, staggering up the façade to provide a layer of interlocking external spaces.

As with any innovative project, the team encountered various challenges along the way. WOHA says, “Bringing this idea into reality was technically challenging, as highrise buildings have many technological constraints. Keeping the concept intact, while resolving many technical and budgetary issues, was the biggest challenge.” The end result, however, is stunning, and demonstrates WOHA’s belief in innovative design. Says WOHA, “Innovation is how our future world is shaped. We have a responsibility to innovate a better world for ourselves.” The Met also reflects WOHA’s flair for creating spaces that delight the end-user and enhance the environment. The external spaces between the towers are dramatic, and the scale and drama of these spaces are unheard of in a residential tower. WOHA comments,

“Adding a new high-rise building to a city is a big responsibility as it affects so many people, so seeing it achieve the original vision is very satisfying.”
The WOHA team is gratified to be recognised once again for its work, this time for a project outside of Singapore. “It is a very great honour to have this Award. Our team morale is hugely lifted by such prestigious peer-reviewed, external validation.”