Photo: Ketsiree Wongwan LOOK AT THE NEXT STEP OF OPENBOX WITH ITS SIX VETERAN ARCHITECTS PROMOTING TO THE STUDIO’S ASSOCIATE TEAM, UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF THE TWO FOUNDERS, RATIWAT AND PRANG SUWANNATRAI
TEXT: PRATCHAYAPOL LERTWICHA
PHOTO CREDIT AS NOTED
(For Thai, press here)
From the humble beginnings of a studio co-founded by Ratiwat (Nui) and Prang Suwannatrai in 2004 to today, Openbox Architects and Openbox Group now stand at the forefront as an architectural practice with exceptional expertise and professionalism.Their portfolio includes works of various styles and scales, ranging from residential projects like the Marble House and the Senior Living – Jin Wellbeing Country, to designing a parking area with a solarcell roof structure that has now become a landmark like Power Wing, or upscale condominiums such as Saladaeng One, to a high-rise mix-used building in Bangkok’s city center operated by the world-renowned brand, Aman. Their excellent corpus of work has earned them accolades such as the A+Firm Awards Special Mention in the Best in Asia from respected architectural publication, Archittizer, which has introduced OPENBOX to projects in countries around the world.
Saladaeng One | Photo: DOF SKY|GROUND
Marble House | Photo: W Workspace
Today, OPENBOX is ready to take the next step by promoting its six veteran architects to the studio’s associate team, where they will work under the guidance of the two founders. Ratiwat and the six associates spoke with art4d about this significant milestone and the future of OPENBOX.
art4d: What is the goal after taking this next step?
Ratiwat: Since we’ve been able to work on such a diverse range of projects, I realized the company needed to expand, both in terms of design scope and development into other businesses. But, in order for the company or the work to grow, human resources are always at the heart of everything. The people who work for the company must also grow. That is why we have promoted the six brilliant and highly experienced individuals who have been with us through thick and thin to be the associates who will help OPENBOX move forward.
Ratiwat Suwannatrai | Photo: Ketsiree Wongwan
art4d: How will the responsibilities of these six associates change?
Ratiwat: They will be able to make their own decisions in a broad range of matters. These individuals have always been such great supporters of our company; the majority of them have been with us for over 10 years, and I’ve trusted all of these associates to attend meetings and discuss projects with our clients. Their performances have also been very satisfying.
art4d: What makes you believe OPENBOX is ready for the next step?
Ratiwat: Based on the amount of time we’ve spent working and going through everything together, I believe our team is ready. Another factor is that we have just rebounded from the pandemic. We were almost ready for this next stage, but it was halted due to COVID-19, but now that everything is back to normal, it feels like a fresh start for the world, and I believe it is just the ideal time for us to take the step.
from left, Pruchya Yatha, Wannapat Jenpanichkarn, Sudatip Pipatthakorn, Ratiwat Suwannatrai, Nattawan Supanan, Theerawat Prakrittikul, Apiwat Limpananakthong | Photo: Ketsiree Wongwan
art4d: Would you mind introducing yourself and your team’s responsibilities?
Wannapat: Wannapat Jenpanichkarn is my name. My responsibilities include the interior design of the company’s projects. Some of the projects I’ve worked on include Marble House, Woodsmith Center, REDD Premium Self Storage, CHEVALA Wellness Hua Hin, and the cooking school, ENDL, at Park Nai Lert.
Pruchya: My name is Pruchya Yatha. Saladaeng One, Rhythm Estate, The Line Sukhumvit 101, Jin Wellbeing County, including The Base Phuket, and some of the company’s projects in Bangladesh, China, and Pakistan are among the high-rise projects under my purview.
Apiwat: Hello, I’m Apiwat Limpananakthong. The majority of the projects I manage are high-rise and low-rise condominiums, as well as smaller-scale residential projects like La Habana Hua Hin and Power Wing. The projects I’m currently in charge of are large-scale private residences.
Nattawan: My name is Nattawan Supanan. Most of the projects I’ve worked on have been residential projects in Thailand and abroad. Marble House is one of the projects I was in charge of, and it’s also one of my favorites.
Theerawat: Hello, my name is Theerawat Prakrittikul. I work mostly houses, both large and small scale. I’m also in charge of real-estate development projects. The Sathon-Yen Akat SOL Residence is one of them.
Sudatip: Hello, I’m Sudatip Pipatthakorn, and I oversee the Corporate Communication Department, which is primarily responsible for the promotion of all Openbox Architects and Openbox Group projects on various social media platforms and media outlets, as well as the presentation of the company’s profile to potential clients.
Jin Wellbeing County | Photo: Panoramic Studio
Power Wing | Photo: Panoramic Studio
art4d: What difference has the associate role made in your position and contribution to the company?
Wannapat: We are now given more responsibility for communicating with clients, contractors, and other parties involved. Our duties have expanded, but we continue to maintain the same degree of professionalism and concentrate on creating works with the same amount of attention to detail as we did when we were a small studio.
Pruchya: That is accurate. The work process remains largely unchanged but it’s our power to make decisions that has changed.
art4d: What are your plans for moving OPENBOX forward?
Sudatip: For me, whose role and responsibilities include communication, I strive to make our office even more well-known, both in Thailand and abroad. One of the things we will be working on is expanding our ventures outside of Thailand. The pandemic made us realize that the traditional methods of communication we had used might no longer be the best option. The next challenge is determining how to broaden the scope of our work while communicating to potential clients that we have maintained a high degree of professionalism despite the disruption. We are now working to improve our communication skills and to learn more about media design and usage.
Pruchya: I have thought about how we can streamline our team’s work process and improve the skills of our employees. We may not have had people who could properly show us how things should be done, but we now provide proper training for our junior staff and readjust the process to be more concise so that everyone can work faster and more effectively. By doing so, we can improve our work/life balance or discover things that interest us. It also helps team members improve their abilities and advance in their areas of expertise.
Wannapat: My goal for the interior design department, which I lead, is to broaden our skills to include new genres and styles. In addition to what we’ve been doing, we’re now working on wellness clinics, which makes us want to go even farther and work on larger-scale projects like hospitals or other wellness facilities.
Nattawan: My ambition is for OPENBOX to take on more international projects. I want our works to be an international source of inspiration for everyone, just as I wish to see buildings designed by architectural masters.
Apiwat: I want to see the diversity of our works. I want to provide everyone with the opportunity to experiment and share their ideas, as well as to develop and express their own. It will result in a greater diversity of our works, and as an organization, we will be more inspired and exciting since each team will be able to develop works that are different and unique, and there will be a constant creative exchange.
Teerawat: As an associate, I want to see everyone grow and flourish in their roles.
art4d: When people think of OPENBOX, they immediately think of the two founders; how much of that image will remain after this next step?
Apiwat: I believe the image of OPENBOX with Nui and Prang managing the broad picture will remain intact, but it will be reinforced by all of us, who will now have more involvement in the company’s development. We’re now like a group of sculptors working together to construct this artwork, and Prang and I will be leading the team with our ideas and inputs, ensuring a beautiful end result.
Photo: Ketsiree Wongwan
art4d: Do you have any words for those who are following your next move and growth?
Nattawan: Whether in the past or in the future, every work we have done and will continue to perform will be the result of our best efforts and abilities. I wish everyone ongoing confidence in and support for the OPENBOX team.
Let us look forward to Openbox Architects and Openbox Group’s next steps as they enter their 20th year, as well as the works they will offer to Thailand’s architectural sector and the extension of their body of work, which will no longer be limited to Thailand or what we have known them for.