Foster + Partners has revealed design for a new residential-led masterplan for Bangkok, which will feature a large forest at its center. 

Called The Forestias, the masterplan will be located on the outskirts of Bangkok and will be "the pioneering development" that addresses the growing disconnect between contemporary city life and family traditions, underpinned by the idea of health and wellbeing.

The masterplan will focus on the themes of serving the community as well as promoting multi-generational family co-living and reconnecting with nature, providing a template for healthier and happier urban living in Thailand. 

Foster + Partners' new designs scheme will be based on "smart city principles" and will incorporate autonomous vehicles, smart meters and sensor networks throughout the masterplan. The project has been designed by Foster + Partners' local studio F&P (Thailand). 

"Traditional Thai families often have strong intergenerational ties that are being strained due to the demands of urban life, with the younger generation moving to the city for work while the children and the older members of the family remain at home," said Sunphol Sorakul, Partner and Director, F&P (Thailand). 

"The Forestia’s masterplan takes inspiration from the layout of traditional Thai houses to create a contemporary interpretation in the form of a flexible community spaces, focussed on health and nature, that can expand and adapt as the needs of the family grow," added Sorakul.

Foster + Partners divides the site into two zones: while the northern areas will contain more city level public functions, the larger southern portion will comprise primarily residential functions in nature. 

At the heart of the site, the Foster + Partners studio will design "a large forest" that define the essence of the development, this forest will showcase the positive relationship between our built and natural environments and a focus on healthy living in harmony with nature. 

In the masterplan, there will be a plenty of lush greenery that will surround the entire development with a range of different planted areas offering a variety of experiences and functions within the forest. 

"As residents and visitors travel through the site, they are surrounded by denser green spaces offering a sense of escape into an urban oasis," said Foster + Partners. 

"The idea of healthy living has been brought into sharp focus by the Covid-19 pandemic." 

"Establishing a positive relationship with nature is the key element that underpins the design of The Forestias masterplan. The main entrance gives visitors a glimpse of how the development sits in harmony with nature," added the studio.

The masterplan will also contain "The Forest Pavilion" which will be an ‘experience centre’ showcasing the vision of the project’s concept through immersive and interactive experiences designed to evoke The Forestias lifestyle. 

The pavilion will feature a canopy walk – an elevated platform that extends into the central forest green, allowing people to get up close and personal with nature. As the studio explains, The Forest Pavilion links the more public-orientated northern area of the site with the residential south.

On the southern portion of the site, there will be a range of different housing types from high-rise to villas, catering to a varied market. This portion will also include three ‘Whizdom’ high-rise condominium buildings that are designed to perfectly suit smaller family units. 

The plans will offer ‘Mulberry Grove’ low-rise condominiums that bring residents close to nature, as well as ‘Mulberry Grove Villas’ cluster-home residences for extended, multi-generational families who wish to live close together in multiple homes that are easily connected. 

Another residential types, called The Aspen Tree, are designed to suit the special needs of older residents, with lifetime care services.  Capping it all are super luxury villas called the ‘Six Senses’ residences.

"The blurring of boundaries at neighbourhood level is achieved by visually reducing boundary walls and hedges and creating shared facilities that encourage people to come together as a community," continued Foster + Partners. 

The design of the masterplan takes cues from the lively streets found in the traditional neighbourhoods, as the team explained, "the idea is to create an infinitely extendable diagram of buildings and social spaces." 

"For instance, in the Mulberry Grove villas, the basic building block – the courtyard – is at the heart of every home." 

"This allows the buildings to define the street edge," added the firm.  

The intersections of these streets form plazas for the neighbourhood, and multiple neighbourhoods are focussed on a large public space that is a shared resource for all.

Foster + Partners recently completed an office tower clad by triangular pieces of copper in Yekaterinburg and a new library and culture centre with large floating roof in Sharjah. 

All images courtesy of Foster + Partners.

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