Supermachine Studio

Bangkok 2082, the project from Supermachine Studio’s initiation to explore the visionary image of Bangkok in the future. We believe that our city is built from imagination as much as social, political & financial factors. As a architect, it’s our obligation to depict that kind of vision whether it is right or wrong. This project is also a criticism to Thai history of ill effort to publicly discuss Bangkok’s future which leads to tons of weak development policies. Our future shouldn’t be relied on stupid and corrupted Thai politicians.

It is done in colaboration with 3 other young architectural offices (Phd. Studio, S+PBA, Aposthropy’s). The project is part of the exhibition called Bangkok 226 (Bangkok is 226 years old this year) at Bangkok Art and Cultural Center (BACC.)

We devide downtown area of Bangkok into 4 parts each of which is 1.5km.x1.5km. The different part of the map is given to different group of designer to be given their vision upon by making physical model on top of it. There is no other rules about the making of the model but time retriction that it will be Bangkok in the year 2082 to garantee that each group can express their future view of Bangkok freely. The 4 physical models are juxtaposingly connected in the exhibition to illustrate different scenarios of the futurist Bangkok. 

Within the modern movement of Bangkok as a city, visionary discussion over the future image of the city itself barely exist. With 10 million inhabitants, Bangkok can be considered as a metropolis, the Asian metropolis that has unique beauty, lives and problems of its own. A metropolis without fantasy dream of its’ future, Bangkok has only vague images described by politicians. That’s it!!! We believe that the discussion over the future of our living environment should be done seriously, and in broad scale including many practices such as writers, architects, movie makers, politicians, artists etc.

Reference image: image of future London by Grey’s cigarete company (beginning of last Century)

In our version; in 2082 Bangkok will be a metropolis of 40 million population (4 times of what it is at the moment.) Fossil fuel has been vanished. All automotives are Hydrogen based so Bangkokian are using cars still. The 30th phase of express way is under construction (4th phase at the moment). It is 7 storey stacking on each other, the tallaest in the world. The governvent build social housing towers for the residents. They are 250 storey, 800 meters high. The tallest building in Bangkok is 1,500 meters high, the 3rd tallest in the world.

The entertainment business reaches its top level; the drive-in cineplex shows 50 movies in the same time stacking 200 meters from the ground. Casino and massage palours have been legalized. There are intertwined with the highway system. The city finally found the great idea, expanding the existing public park 20 times bigger than it is. No one can build on it. (The idea is taken from Central park in New York City) However, the luxury big and small projects are protuding, overhanging, overlapping with the city’s man made nature. 7-Eleven spread like virus over everything.

In 2082, Bangkok is still a city in super congestion condition. Bangkokian are still happy people like who they are.

PHD Studio’s version of Bangkok