Amata Luphaiboon, one half of Thai-based multi-disciplinary studio Department of Architecture Co., reflects on his years of practice and what defines South East Asian design.
January 2nd, 2020
Amata Luphaiboon: Department of Architecture practises architecture, interior design, landscape design, and other related design disciplines in a broad range of programmatic requirements and scales.
We aimed to focus on developing ideas in architecture, research on social, cultural, and physical context, as well as taking on an exploration for alternative material utilisation. Our design principles have not changed since the beginning.
However, there was a significant change on the location of our projects. At the start, most of our works were located in Thailand, with a few exceptions. During the past five years, more than 70 per cent of our projects have been located aboard; namely China, Philippines, and Indonesia.
For most parts of the world, we have well passed the time of economic boom. Now, we are in a slower pace mode. This is great in terms of architectural design that we, as architects, do not have as much pressure of timing that used to force us in the past. This means we can take the time and effort the architecture deserves, and build them within reasonable budget and resources.
Individual, Sophisticated and Sensible.
Read our other interview with Department of Architecture here.
INDESIGN is on instagram
Follow @indesignlive
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!
In this candid interview, the culinary mastermind behind Singapore’s Nouri and Appetite talks about food as an act of human connection that transcends borders and accolades, the crucial role of technology in preserving its unifying power, and finding a kindred spirit in Gaggenau’s reverence for tradition and relentless pursuit of innovation.
Schneider Electric’s new range are making bulky outlets a thing of the past with the new UNICA X collection.
In design, the concept of absence is particularly powerful – it’s the abundant potential of deliberate non-presence that amplifies the impact of what is. And it is this realm of sophisticated subtraction that Gaggenau’s Dishwasher 400 Series so generously – and quietly – occupies.
Architectkidd brings curves, texture, warmth and dynamic details into the interior design of the Kuwait Embassy in Brunei.
Dusit Thani Bangkok has reopened with a contemporary interpretation of its heritage by André Fu Studio, blending Thai cultural influences with modern design.
Inspired by a forest of stone, and created as a place to showcase the iconic Italian furniture brand Zanotta, this retail space is unconstrained in its vision of what a new-age shopping experience should be.
As an architecture practice, HAS design and research is leading the way, creating inspirational projects with ingenuity and originality. They are projects that always amaze and The Glade Bookstore in downtown Chongqing is no exception.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
Milan Design Week amounts to so much more than product launches, so here are a few installation and exhibition highlights that we stumbled across in 2025.
Muuto CEO, Anders Cleeman, speaks on the five principles that shape Muuto’s neuroaesthetic approach to designing new products and creating spaces that speak to our humanistic needs.