Unitopia

Unitopia :Unit + Utopia. According to Oxford Dictionary, one definition of “unit” is an individual thing or person regarded as single and complete but which can also form an individual component of a larger or more complex whole. Utopia means an ideally perfect place, especially in social, political, and moral aspects. Unitopia combines the terms, unit and utopia, to create new kind of city patchwork that forms an ideal city. In Unitopia, ecological walls called The living skins cover building surfaces in the city like skin of living organism. The living skins are consisted of not only the units of natural material produced by technological method and primitive process but also human behavior and local culture.Bangkok, the capital city and the largest urban area of Thailand, is taken to be the testing ground of Unitopia. Known in Thai as Krung Thep Mahanakhon – City of the Deity, it is the location of cultural landmarks and attractions. Its history that associates with the rapid modernization is reflected in its cityscape and the urban society. The hybrid development in recent years lets the city growing up without planning, the local and natural approaches of material using and construction method have being overshadowed by the modern technology. Although they are precious representations of the country’s identity, they are going to be abandoned. The Unitopia tries to merge local identity and natural unit to everyday life by the transformation of natural form. Not only do the desalination system in building part under the river but also Hydronic and ventilation method are composited in the façade gradations of fish scales and bird feathers. These units can be also adapted and spread out through the city to become the Unitopia. From a small point to a big scale of the city such as the ship bollard, interior wall, exterior wall, roof, bridge, and the skyscraper can become the part of ecological interface with hoping to change the hybrid city to be the local town that people can touch it more closely.

Project: Unitopia
Location: Bangkok, Thailand
Design: 2010
Project Brief: Sustainable, Ecological, New Materials
Material: Natural Material
Site Area: Infinity