Ratchadamnoen Contemporary Art Center

RATCHADAMNOEN CONTEMPORARY ART CENTER PHRA NAKHON BANGKOK

BAWORN CHAIWAN

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TEXT Sasikan Srisopon PHOTOS Ketsiree Wongwan

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History can be remembered through places and architectural creations. The historical traces exist in the form of buildings and houses situated throughout Bangkok’s inner urban area. The environment and surrounding context changes over time and has been altered in response to social progressions. Ratchadamnoen Contemporary Art Center, a venue on Ratchadamnoen Road that chronicles the country’s historical and social narrative under its architectural structure, may be refurbished and conserved to almost its original condition, but it never stops evolving, as the new occurring activities help revive the presence of the building into a component of Ratchadamnoen’s dynamic energy. In the past, the building was one of the first shophouses on Ratchadamnoen Road, the road considered to be one of the most historically significant roads in Thailand inspired by the majestic Champs-Élysées of Paris constructed after King Rama 5 returned from his trip to Europe in 1897. The building, originally designed in a parallel fashion with Ratchadamnoen road, was constructed in 1937 and rented out to different tenants. The Western architectural style of the building, which was at the time considered modern, was designed by Jittasen Aphaiwong and the three-and-a-half-story structure and ornamentation of the building were configured based on geometrical forms. The uneven surface was painted in pastel yellow with concrete architraves and reinforced concrete cornices distinctively embellishing the presence of the windows. At the front, a three-step staircase leads visitors into the building’s interior. Standing grandly as part of the vibrant Ratchadamnoen Road, the building symbolized and represented the civilization, modernity, social and political sphere, as well as the modernized government of Thai society at the time. With its architectural style and historical relevance, the building is categorized as the type of architecture that has a high conservation value and such clas-

ARCHITECT

Baworn Chaiwan DESIGN TEAM

Sompoom Tangchupong Pornpas Siricururatana Sininart Kotruchin BUILDING AREA

5,600 sq. m. COMPLETION

2013

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sification later brought about the renovation plan for the building (rented from the Crown Property Bureau) into Ratchadamnoen Contemporary Art Center. Under the administration of the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture, the Ministry of Culture, the project was initiated in the honor of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, as a part of his 84th birthday celebration. It also strives to become an alternative urban public space, as well as a knowledge center and service provider of Thai Contemporary art, allowing the general public and pupils to have opportunity to learn more about art, while new generation artists are encouraged to use the center as their new artistic platform. The center hosts the overall functional space of around 5,600 square meters within its four-story structure. The building bares the approximate proportions of 90-meters long and 22 meters deep.The overall floor-to-ceiling height of the first floor is 6.50 meters, and 3.50 meters for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th floors with the original reinforced concrete building structure and wooden roof structure. The total 179 million baht budget for the renovation was set with the main task of refurbishing the building while preserving the original exterior and interior architectural conditions as much as possible in order to allow for the historical traces of the architecture to be followed into the future. As a result, the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture, the Ministry of Culture chose a design that took on a conservational approach in which the architectural originality of the building was purposefully preserved. With the intention of making only slight alterations to the physical appearance, the concept for the building’s interior architecture is ‘humble presence and purity of space.’ Such concept refers

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FIRST FLOOR PLAN 1 Exhibition Hall 1 2 Coffee Bar 3 Souvenir/Book Shop 4 Auditorium

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to the modest decorative composition that allows the architectural space to fully express its aesthetic beauty through the building’s original architectural elements. Since this is an approximately 70-yearold building, the renovation has to be done carefully and cautiously, with special attention paid to the original structure and weight support. With an average weight support of 300 kg/square meter, the design intends to eliminate unnecessary weight that would burden the building’s structure by stripping off the shabby surfaces of the walls and ceiling in which the materials were superimposed into an almost 15 centimeters. thick layer. The demolition of the surface revealed the building’s original materials and structure. The newly exposed brick walls, concrete surface with the visible texture of wooden formwork, exposed concrete columns and beams and steel pipes of the system work (properly reinstalled) all contribute to the emergence of a distinctive interior space that possesses its own historical value. The functional space of the building on the first floor area consists of two main entrances and lobbies (West and East), and the Exhibition Room 1 (300 square meters). The north wall adjacent to the road is composed of a combination between polished concrete, preserved exposed brick walls and a clear glass opening that interconnects the activities going on inside and outside of the building. The east and west walls are designed to be movable, offering flexible functionality to the exhibition space, which can be expanded to over 300 square meters. The area also hosts a screening room (the space can be adjusted and used for lecture sessions and a performance area), a coffee bar, souvenir/book shop (currently under redecoration), a dressing room, restrooms, electrical and plumbing room, and the building’s generator. The space flows continually to the mezzanine where the smaller Exhibition Rooms 2 and 3 are located. Each room takes up

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a space of around 55 square meters and is finished in painted white walls. The second floor area hosts Exhibition Room 4 where the 27-meter-long narrow plan of the room offers a total of 55.60 sqm. of functional space that includes the preserved original brick wall adjacent to Ratchadamnoen Road and an additional door that connects the exhibition space to the preparation room. Located next door is Exhibition Room 5, whose space is separated from Exhibition Room 4 with a 2.5-meter high white wall with an overall capacity of 315 square meters. The second floor is also where the library, art workshop and electrical and sanitary system rooms are located. The third floor consists of Exhibition Room 6 that covers a total functional space of 306 square meters. The north wall is the preserved original brick wall, while the south wall is opened into an interior walkway. The polished concrete east wall sets the exhibition area apart from the office space. With the same surface finishing, the west wall hosts the presence of a door that opens to the adjacent Exhibition Room 7. With the total functional space of 558 sqm, the north wall of this particular room is the building’s preserved original brick wall. The glass wall located to the west is visually connected to the workshop area down below. The south wall is situated next to the two staircases with a set of sliding doors controlling the accessibility and an additional door opening to the storage. In addition to the abundant natural light, another distinctive feature of the exhibition rooms on this floor is the visual presence of the building’s black wooden roof structure that creates a perfect contrast with the exterior view of the sky that is discernable through the sunroof. Just like the spatial program of the second floor, the third floor also accommodates an electrical room and restrooms. The 150 square meter area at the fourth floor is used as a special reception room and a multipurpose room with the additional spatial functionalities of a kitchen, restroom and rooftop area. One common characteristic of all seven exhibition rooms is the open, flexible space. It is intentional that the space be open to alteration in order to suit the different functionalities and installations of art pieces, including multimedia works. The curtain system is employed to control the amount of light coming into the space without overly or directly disturbing the artworks. A humidity control system is also installed in the exhibition rooms and storage area. Most of the spaces in the exhibition rooms are also able to maintain a sense of spatial flow, with the presence of massive doors, including a large moveable partition system that helps create flexibility of space. Some corners of the exhibition area are visually accessible from different angles, creating diverse perceptual dimensions that contribute to a more multi-dimensional viewing experience. Each floor maintains a vertical spatial continuity and can be accessed by either an elevator or exposed concrete staircase. With such composition, the exhibition space is automati-

cally accessible through the vertical circulation. The wooden handrails soften the solid mass of the bricks used for the balusters and overall structure of the stairs. The color tone selected for the exhibition rooms is humble and neutral, resonating with the surfaces and textures of other materials of the building such as the greyish concrete tone of the columns and floors. Even when combined with other architectural and spatial compositions, the exhibition spaces do not overshadow the presence of the displayed art works. The project exemplifies the design concept of an art space where a building’s spatial beauty does not only embellish the presence of artistic creations on display, but also, through its architectural compositions and program, allows for its own historical narrative to be told. Nevertheless, the renovation of the building’s interior and landscape is yet to be completed and the renovation plan and budget for the year 2014 is currently being processed with future construction plans underway. The understanding of and appreciation for the value of old buildings has turned Ratchadamnoen Contemporary Art Center into an architectural creation whose historical memories are impressively conveyed. Its presence reflects the respect the building has for the past and the way it harmoniously evolves along the changing spatial context. Beautifully captured and materialized are delicate, humble, yet meaningful thoughts that revivify this fraction of Thailand’s architectural history. Ratchadamnoen Contemporary Art Center is the embodiment of old buildings; cherished, glorified, and presented under a new given value, standing gracefully and appositely as a part of the new social, cultural and urban context of Bangkok.

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