It’s now possible to hover above the pixellated form of Ole Scheeren’s MahaNakhon Tower on a glass deck over 300 metres above ground level.
January 17th, 2019
If you’ve travelled to Bangkok in recent years, there’s no doubt your eyes have been transfixed on the emerging pixellated form of Büro Ole Scheeren’s MahaNakhon Tower. The opening of an observation deck – a 4.5 by 17.5-metre walkable glass platform dubbed the ‘Skytray’ – at its peak marks the completion of the tower 11 years after it was commissioned.
The Skytray hovers 314 metres above ground level and offers 360-degree views of the city to anyone unshaken by vertigo.
MahaNakhon, which translates to ‘great metropolis’, has an urban spirit at its core. “The idea behind MahaNakhon was to take the life of the city and bring it up the tower in a dramatic, spiralling movement,” says Ole Scheeren, Principal of Büro Ole Scheeren, of the 77-storey complex.
He adds, “Even the very top of the tower is surrendered to the public, so there is not only a public square at the ground, but human activity rises along the pixelated shaft to the top floors of the building which are given back to the public domain.”
MahaNakhon contains 200 homes and serviced apartments, as well as a 150-room hotel. Retail spaces, cafes, restaurants and a landscaped public plaza comprise the 150,000-square-metre complex.
The tower has the look of being eroded. A pixelated ribbon coils around the tower, its glazed skin peeling open to reveal terraces and balconies – and signs of human life. The podium is similarly prised open; it is split into two parts that define the outdoor public plaza.
Says Scheeren, “The building is an exploration of bringing the inside and the outside closer together and to create living spaces that float high above the city. You can step out onto the terraces and transition to the open air, as people in the tropics live in a fluid condition between interior and exterior spaces. We are literally carving those possibilities into the tower and make these qualities accessible at staggering heights.”
MahaNakhon was commissioned in 2008 by Pace Development, and was the vision of Scheeren who was Partner-in-Charge at OMA at that time. It was developed over the last decade by Büro Ole Scheeren Thailand and its subsidiary HLS.
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
The American Hardwood Export Council promotes the works of next-gen designers through Discovered Singapore exhibition happening from 16 to 22 May at Red Dot Design Museum Singapore.
‘The Elevation of Gravity’ installation was an immersive showcase of innovation that heralded the debut of Gaggenau’s groundbreaking Essential Induction cooktop.
Suitable for applications ranging from schools and retail outlets to computer rooms and X-ray suites, Palettone comes in two varieties and a choice of more than fifty colours.
Bangkok gets its own Jaime Hayon-designed hotel with The Standard, Bangkok Mahanakhon.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
July has arrived in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane and this exemplary luggage brand has a new home that ticks all the boxes.
Kate Goodwin, curator and Adjunct Professor (Architecture) at the University of Sydney, reports back from the AIA Conference in Melbourne.
Welcome to the year of the Design Effect. This year’s theme aims to showcase the profound ripple effects that exceptional design can have on people, place and planet. Join in shaping this narrative by contributing your perspective before May 3, 2024, and become a part of the Design Effect movement.