Thomas Heatherwick认为泰国的传统建筑文化底蕴深厚,但是曼谷城市中的新建现代建筑却形式单一,并没有传承其文化底蕴。所以,Heatherwick建筑事务所将本项目中的建筑设计融入泰国本土传统文化,实现古与今的对话,为该城市重新注入活力。
Heatherwick Studio reveals the design for Hatai, a mixed-use development in Bangkok, marking the firm’s first project in Thailand. Situated on the site of the original Narai Hotel in the city’s Silom neighborhood, the scheme integrates two new hotels with a public plaza, canal restoration, and open-air community programs.
The architecture draws from the material and symbolic qualities of traditional Thai lanterns. Vertical structures are conceived as stacked volumes, their surfaces textured and articulated to diffuse light and soften the development’s silhouette against the city’s sharp commercial skyline. The composition introduces a layered rhythm that contrasts the blank, repetitive facades common in the area.
‘There’s a richness to Thailand’s culture and historic architecture, but the anonymous, blank severity of many so-called modern buildings in Bangkok does not speak to this at all,’ Thomas Heatherwick explains. ‘We wanted to do something that connects with the country’s heritage in a deeper way and builds detail, feeling and story back into the city.’
Hatai will house both a new Narai Hotel and a Six Senses hotel, totaling over 300 guest rooms. Amenities include a wellness center, ballroom, and conference facilities. The upper volumes are designed to appear light and luminous, while the lower levels are rooted in a denser program of activity that ties into the surrounding street life.
At ground level, the design by Heatherwick Studio prioritizes public access and engagement in Bangkok, Thailand. The open plaza is shaded by a wide canopy structure and interspersed with native planting to create a more temperate microclimate within the dense urban setting. A once-buried canal is set to be restored, reintroducing flowing water into the landscape and offering a contemplative counterpoint to the city’s pace.
Additional elements in the public realm will include a shrine, event space, children’s nursery, and a traditional open-air market. These programs reflect the studio’s intent to embed civic infrastructure within the development, allowing it to serve as more than a hospitality project.
▲ 该项目的设计灵感来源于传统的泰国灯笼,主要借鉴其工艺美和光影效果
the architecture is inspired by the craft and glow of traditional Thai lanterns
Thomas Heatherwick解释说在事务所接到这一项目委托时,便对泰国的传统建筑和文化进行了研究,目的是改变该城市日益同质化的现代建筑形式,为人们提供一种新的建筑建造形式。Hatai项目的建造形式借鉴了当地传统的手工艺,并在此基础上加入现代的建造技术,使建筑在满足复杂功能需求的同时,还能对传统手工艺进行另一种形式的传承。
According to Thomas Heatherwick, the studio approaches the commission with sensitivity to Thailand’s architectural heritage, aiming to offer an alternative to the region’s increasingly homogenous high-rise developments. The design of Hatai is shaped by local craft traditions while incorporating new construction methods to support complex mixed-use functions.
A network of elevated walkways will further integrate the site into the surrounding neighborhood, improving pedestrian movement and offering shaded paths between buildings. With 5,200 square meters of new public space, the project is framed as both an architectural gesture and an urban intervention. Hatai is currently under development and is expected to open in 2028.
▲ 建筑外观为多个方形体块叠加而成,外表面安装有灯管可发光,边角为弧形,柔化了建筑整体外观,也柔化了曼谷城市的天际线
a stacked composition of illuminated forms softens the outline of the Bangkok skyline
▲ 场地内设计有公共活动广场,其中种植有本土植物,丰富了广场的景观,设计师还将被填埋的运河重新修复,为场地内添加水景
the ground level features a green public plaza with native planting and a restored canal