Prioritizing public space

The block-long site of One City Centre—located between the Phloen Chit skytrain station and the U.S. Embassy and Consulate—presented an enormous opportunity. For a neighborhood with relatively little public space, the site became the perfect setting to create a new urban landscape. The project introduces terraced gardens, a reflecting pool, a waterfall, an herb garden, and tree canopies covering 4,800 square meters of outdoor space. Visitors and tenants enter the park directly from the skytrain, then walk through an oasis that cools temperatures in one of the hottest parts of the city. The tower is placed at the southern end of the site, occupying a fraction of the available land, and its triple-height lobby offers sweeping views of the embassy’s private park.

Creating a high-end office

Working with a team of local and international design firms—including Tandem Architects and Design 103, as well as landscape architects at SHMA and structural engineers at Meinhardt Group—SOM led the architectural and structural design of One City Centre. Flexibility guided the conception of the building’s floors; column-free and encompassing between 1,144 and 1,377 square meters each, these Grade-A offices have become one of the most sought after workplaces in Bangkok. To create clear spans, the project team developed a side-core structure on the west side of the building, pushing the bulk of the structural system to the edge. The offset core contributes significantly to the project’s LEED Gold certification, blocking the intense evening sun. The tower is clad in a perforated metal mesh, which lends an iridescence to the building—at different times and from different vantage points, the metal appears to change in color and texture. The remaining sides of the building, transparent in high-performance glass, offer 360-degree views of the skyline and the cityscape.

Drawing from Thai design

The architecture of One City Centre is rooted in Bangkok’s rich design traditions. Diagonal aluminum fins cascade across the facade and wrap around the corners of the building, creating an effect that evokes the patterning of traditional Thai silk weaving while shading the interiors.

The building splits at the crown, where a triple-height restaurant and rooftop provide one of the highest dining spots in a city known for upper-floor eateries. An open space in the center takes patrons up to the rooftop, which overlooks all of Bangkok to create one of the most memorable dining experiences in the city.