Assistant Professor Boonserm Premthada, who sparked the conscience of architecture
As widely reported in the media, architect Assistant Professor Boonserm Premthada of Bangkok Project Studio recently received international acclaim as winner of an international award for his design of “The Wine Ayutthaya.”
Basic innovations here were the use of plywood as a primary structural component and one-millimeter-thick PVC sheets as surfacing and building covering to create a fascinatingly unique space. The building also functions as a “node” for the community, stimulating tourism in Ayutthaya and enhancing the surrounding area for local entrepreneurs to sell original and antique merchandise to tourists.
Professor Boonserm is deeply interested in creating links between architecture and society which rise above mere architectural value. This is clearly seen in the Kantana Institute, an earlier work which helped bring him worldwide fame.
Here, too, he stressed relationships among materials, location, and people. More than half a million bricks were used to build it, produced by an old-fashioned brickworks that is currently being shut down. This major project of his has helped continue the work of the skilled artisans working in that factory and given new life to the factory’s fast-disappearing traditional folk knowledge, enabling it to return stronger than before.
Interested in participating in a discussion and exchange of ideas with Assistant Professor Boonserm Premthada, founder of Bangkok Project Studio? You can reserve a free place at “Social Design,” at the Third Room x Living ASEAN Design Talk Seminar, “Conscious Design,” October 28 from 2:00 to 4:00 PM. Just visit www.baanlaesuan.com/designtalk-register.