CU CENTENARY PARK

FIVE YEARS AFTER A DESIGN COMPETITION WAS HELD IN 2012 BY CHULALONGKORN UNIVERSITY, THE 11-ACRE LAND IN THE SOUNLOUNG-SAMYAN NEIGHBORHOOD HAS FINALLY BEEN TRANSFORMED INTO CU CENTENARY PARK

The new green space is a gift from Chulalongkorn University to the society on the occasion of its 100th anniversary. The project has Kochakorn Woraakhom and the team of landscape architects from LANDPROCESS behind it with N7A Architects being responsible for the design of the multifunctional building. While the area is listed in the new Master Plan’s commercial district, the requirement for the project to maintain the continuity of the Green axis, which originates from the Two Kings Monument located on the ‘main side’ of the campus, gave birth to the public park, following the Smart Inclusive Society strategy. This urban forest hopes to become a new oasis for the people of Bangkok with its program that hosts spaces for various types of activities. What the project also reflects is Chulalongkorn’s vision and determination to contribute something to the society that will last for another 100 years. As a result, the design of the project’s landscape architecture is not just about choosing the right trees or creating a beautiful landscape, for it encompasses the design of a new environment that will become the city’s retention area, which relies on the presence of a rain garden, wetland, retention pond and detention lawn. The space will ultimately help to withstand the changing climate of the city in the future. Hearing this kind of makes us want to live for another 100 years to see what CU CENTENARY PARK will become and what benefit this gift will bring to Bangkok’s urban society. Considering how 100 years from now the city’s natural environment will never be the same, all we hope is for the society to, by that time, change for the better.