flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Bangkok’s tallest tower is also one of its most unique

High-rise Construction

Bangkok’s tallest tower is also one of its most unique

At 1,030 feet tall, MahaNakhon Tower’s height is only outdone by its arresting design.


By David Malone, Associate Editor | September 12, 2016

Image courtesy of OMA/Ole Scheeren

Construction on The MahaNakhon Tower, Bangkok’s tallest building, may have recently been completed, but for anyone looking at the massive skyscraper, they may be left wondering, has that building finished downloading?

A unique façade of spiraling cube-shaped balconies provides the building with its eye-catching look, one that brings a pixelated aesthetic into the real world. The 1,030-foot building is the work of Büro Ole Scheeren, an international architecture firm with offices in Hong Kong, Beijing, Bangkok, and Berlin.

The building’s design, according to architect Ole Scheeren, is meant to reflect the city in which it resides. In an interview with CNN, Scheeren says, “MahaNakhon is a vision of a tower that is very much about process, about becoming, about developing." And the building certainly captures that idea, as, even in its completed form, it seems unfinished and still in the building process, as if you will blink and upon opening your eyes, the jagged building will have completed its rendering process and appear crisp and clear on the Bangkok skyline.

Oddly enough, however, it is the fictional version of the “completed” MahaNakhon Tower that would appear out of place. Currently, the building fits right in with the other futuristic and architecturally unique buildings comprised in the Bangkok skyline (such as one meant to resemble a robot and another meant to mimic the appearance of an elephant).

The mixed-use building includes retail space, a hotel, and 200 condo units that are under the management of Ritz-Carlton Residences.

 

Photo courtesy of Kyle Hasegawa, Wikimedia Creative Commons

Related Stories

| Apr 23, 2014

Developers change gears at Atlantic Yards after high-rise modular proves difficult

At 32 stories, the B2 residential tower at Atlantic Yards has been widely lauded as a bellwether for modular construction. But only five floors have been completed in 18 months.

| Apr 9, 2014

5 important trends shaping today’s hotel construction market

AEC firms, developers, and investors worldwide are bullish on hotels. Our hospitality Giants share what’s new in this fast-morphing sector.

| Apr 9, 2014

Steel decks: 11 tips for their proper use | BD+C

Building Teams have been using steel decks with proven success for 75 years. Building Design+Construction consulted with technical experts from the Steel Deck Institute and the deck manufacturing industry for their advice on how best to use steel decking.

| Mar 25, 2014

World's tallest towers: Adrian Smith, Gordon Gill discuss designing Burj Khalifa, Kingdom Tower

The design duo discusses the founding of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architects and the design of the next world's tallest, Kingdom Tower, which will top the Burj Khalifa by as much as a kilometer.

| Mar 24, 2014

Frank Lloyd Wright's S.C. Johnson Research Tower to open to the public—32 years after closing

The 14-story tower, one of only two Wright-designed high-rises to be built, has been off limits to the public since its construction in 1950.

| Mar 21, 2014

Forget wood skyscrapers - Check out these stunning bamboo high-rise concepts [slideshow]

The Singapore Bamboo Skyscraper competition invited design teams to explore the possibilities of using bamboo as the dominant material in a high-rise project for the Singapore skyline. 

| Mar 19, 2014

Federal agency gives thumbs up to tall wood buildings

USDA's support for wood projects includes training for AEC professionals and a wood high-rise design competition, to launch later this year.

| Mar 18, 2014

Koolhaas, OMA selected to design San Francisco high-rise residential tower

The project includes a 550-foot residential tower on one end of the block and two podium buildings and a row of townhouses filling the remainder of the property.

| Mar 17, 2014

Rem Koolhaas explains China's plans for its 'ghost cities'

China's goal, according to Koolhaas, is to de-incentivize migration into already overcrowded cities. 

| Mar 13, 2014

Austria's tallest tower shimmers with striking 'folded façade' [slideshow]

The 58-story DC Tower 1 is the first of two high-rises designed by Dominique Perrault Architecture for Vienna's skyline.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




Curtain Wall

7 steps to investigating curtain wall leaks

It is common for significant curtain wall leakage to involve multiple variables. Therefore, a comprehensive multi-faceted investigation is required to determine the origin of leakage, according to building enclosure consultants Richard Aeck and John A. Rudisill with Rimkus. 

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021