ARCHIVE STUDIO

WORKING ACROSS VARIOUS DESIGN DISCIPLINES, ARCHIVE STUDIO IS A DESIGN OFFICE THAT PRACTICES ARCHITECTURE, LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE, INTERIOR, EXHIBITION AND PRODUCT DESIGN, RESULTING IN A MIXED COMPILATION OF WORKS THAT, WHILE WIDE-RANGING IN SCALE AND MATERIAL, SHARE A COMMON STARTING POINT THROUGH THEIR INTENTION TO SYNCHRONIZE SOCIAL, ECONOMICAL AND CONTEXTUAL CONDITIONS INTO DESIGN OUTCOMES.

 

What is the concept or working philosophy of your studio? 
Our office focuses on the creation of practical green spaces. We used to like structure and hardscape, but after a while our interest shifted towards the kind of design that brings value to the space, something that makes the space functional. We stopped following what was popular in Europe or the West, because it’s a completely different climate. The design would be too dry and too hot for Thailand. We do not approach design only as a designer but also as a customer, and the actual user as well. It allows us to think from a different point of view, rechecking whether we would be willing to pay this amount of money for this work if we were in the position of a client, and how we would want to use the space. It’s a collective consideration of all the elements.

 

What are the projects that best describe the character of your studio?
We don’t have that many completed projects yet, but one of the most successful ones that we really like is The Connect 38 by Prueksa. It’s a communal park of a gated community and it was our first project working with a big developer. In most cases, the communal area of a middle-segment residential project is pretty much an empty field of grass with a moderate amount of trees and perhaps a pavilion. And most of the time, the space is rarely used. Thai people are less participative with communal space. You see everybody in a public park, avoiding the use of an open space and looking for the corners that are more private. So for this project, we created a large massive green space and divided it into four smaller masses using walkways to link them all together. Each mass has this wall that creates its own room. There is this sense of privacy in the use of public space that stimulates people to use it more, kind of like a private corner in a public park.

 

In your view, what should the role of a landscape architect be?
We have to be an appropriate mediator. We receive a brief from a client for a very commercial project but at the very same time, there’s this expectation from the users’ side for the space to contribute something that can improve their quality of life while it is also our wish to create more green space. At the end of the day, I think the role of landscape architects is about finding the right balance, putting everything where it should be. We haven’t thought about it at the social scale, but at the very least, these small spaces we have created are parts of a bigger development and they are gradually expanding.

 

What are your thoughts on today’s landscape architecture industry in Thailand?
It’s booming. Thai landscape architects are becoming more reputable in the global market. As for Thailand, landscape architecture is more recognized than it was before. 10 years ago, people thought that we were just someone who chose trees to be planted in a garden. The role of landscape architecture in residential projects is growing and it’s marketable because it’s one of the project’s selling points. And as a result, people recognize and accept our profession more than they ever had in the past.

 

What is Archive’s future direction?
We want to keep our position as a small design studio. We want our designers to be unique in their own ways. Basically, our system is that we have to be able to produce works to our desired level of quality while working with the quantity and amount of people that we have. The projects we want to do are condominiums, or public parks as well as other types of urban spaces.

 

What is your definition of “landscape architecture”?
It’s a living space that has no frame. We think of it as a living space because it’s usable, it gives people comfort and there are all kinds of activities happening. It’s like you’re inside a piece of architecture but there’s no definite frame or boundary.

www.archivestudio.org