Architecture Gate Chulalongkorn University

Boat Vitthawin Sukarom

• Architects

Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Architecture was founded in 1930. As the oldest and most important architecture faculty in Thailand, it has not only cultivated a series of famous architects but also continues to give back to society through its academic influence. In 2022, the Chulalongkorn University Architecture Alumni Association invited HAS Design and Research to design the Architecture Gate Chulalongkorn University.

photo_credit Boat Vitthawin Sukarom — Boat Vitthawin Sukarom

The Gate will serve as the most popular urban marathon event of Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Architecture in 2023. The concept of the event is not only to build a healthier city life through running, but the fees obtained will also be donated to charity, helping homeless people achieve a better urban environment.

Hung And Songkittipakdee (HAS) continues the Chulalongkorn University Architecture Alumni Association's vision of an ideal city and contributes to society through its architectural profession. The project site is located in the green space in front of the Faculty of Architecture at Chulalongkorn University. The design uses a slender and tall silhouette to preserve the existing trees on the site, and through its iconic form, it is a metaphor that the building will connect the homeless people and provide them with a better life.

The Architecture Gate Chulalongkorn University forms a perfect relationship with the existing old building. The design continues the historical axis of the Faculty of Architecture at Chulalongkorn University, and the building is controlled at a ratio of ten meters high and four meters wide, forming a unique framed view that provides students and visitors with multiple perspectives to appreciate historical buildings.

In order to save donated construction funds, the design minimizes the building itself. The north side uses recycled strings to connect the Faculty of Architecture at Chulalongkorn University, forming a rainbow-like natural phenomenon in the sky. On the south side, the open space is extended to the lawn, providing students with more abundant resting places and forming a natural effect like a shadow on the ground.

The Architecture Gate Chulalongkorn University is a social project that transcends the meaning of the building itself and connects the relationships between the school's faculty and the public. Thousands of people participated in this event, and not only did the city move towards a more ideal lifestyle through public welfare activities, but it also raised social issues through architecture.