Re-integrating the Phadung Krung Kasem historic Canal into the urban life of Bangkok through hybridizing urban, rural, social and cultural typologies; creating a new lifestyle adaptable to the changing needs of the city.
Different segments along the canal are designed to address three types of activities: Exchange (ports, markets), Haven (Wats, orchards, public open spaces) and Transportation (car, train and subway infrastructure, water based services).

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Our proposal introduces new urban design Thai-pologies, generated through hybridizing programs, spaces and activities, and drawing from existing potentials of different sites along the canal. Site designs become resilient, exploring fluctuation of use over time in response to changes in urban loads/priorities. Adaptations of the sites to alternating stable states reflect back on the larger system. As a complete system, these alternating stable states result in sustainability of the urban environment, conforming to King Bhumibol’s Sufficiency Model of a self-sustaining yet adaptable system.

Living Thai-pologies is a student project designed with Matt Thomas and Yuka Terada in the Urban Design studio at Columbia University GSAPP. The full studio catalog titled “The Carbon Studio: Bangkok” can be found here.