Seoul, South Korea
Samut Prakan, Thailand
Tawatchai Kobkaikit and his landscape team at TK Studio Co., Ltd. have shaped “The Forest Pavilion” as the essential landscaping for ‘the Forestias,’ a multi-generational neighborhood designed by Foster + Partners.
The Forestias is located adjacent to the Bangna-Chon Buri Expressway, 20km away from the Suvarnabhumi Airport.
The site of The Forestias is relatively flat and is surrounded by residential areas.
With the existing clayey and poor drain soil on site, several design measures have been applied as solutions for the site constraints—including flood and water tolerant plants, and tree pits have been designed to ensure an effective sub-drain system.
Plant species has been meticulously selected to ensure that they will thrive successfully at the project site, and some tree have been planted on berms to have their root balls raised above the underground water table.
The Forest Pavilion is also an entrance gateway to the broad forest zone of The Forestias, providing a prototype of living with nature.
The project is to support happiness and wellness of the users and create an immersive experience of living with nature, which achieved by utilizing the research as design strategies.
From those findings, the designers decided to dedicate majority of area as green space that can be seen from every angle of the Forest Pavilion, and demonstrates potential benefits of nature that integrates and encourages users to access to nature to support human interaction with nature.
The landscape concept is “Symbiosis with Nature” which embraces three objectives: planting the future of symbiosis with nature, immersing the wilderness, and balancing human activities and the growth of urban forest – by transforming rigid form of pavilion into the natural freeform of central forest, maximize privacy for all users and residents, provide the authentic experience of living in the forest, and provide happiness of living with nature.
The Forest Pavilion is intended to be a testing lab for symbiosis with nature, so the essences of nature have been integrated with landscape design at the Forest Pavilion, where users can have a unique experience of nature in an urbanized form.
Plus, delightful walkway and skywalk are designed to attract people go outdoor and to enjoy the quality of natural environment with tranquil picturesque landscape.
At Forest Pavilion, the scale of natural environment here has been extended further beyond any typical urban environment.
To maximize the privacy for visitors and residents within the Forest Pavilion, dense vegetation along the site boundary and landscape elevation have been incorporated to create a visual buffer for the best exclusivity.
The Forest Pavilion is surrounded by eco forests with balanced light and shade areas, and also provides interactive landscape for benefits from being outdoors.
Hence, the conditions of the site have been carefully analyzed and make the most out of those conditions in order to design a landscape that attracts people go outdoor and to enjoy the quality of natural environment.
As visitors arrive the Forest Pavilion, they will come in at the canopy tree plaza or reach the parking area with EV charging stations.
When they enter the grand drop off plaza, visitors can see the special pavement design of leaves-shaped tiles imprinted on the plaza pavement, which represent the falling leaves from the feature trees—scattered and mark the threshold to the urban forest, with the background of the iconic building.
The south wing will be used as reception lobby and administration; while the north wing will be used as show units of Mulberry Grove Condominium, Whizdom, and the Aspen Tree residence.
At the Forest Pavilion, people will have a glance of the prototype of living with nature. We value the opportunity to design this landscape for showcasing the benefits of living with nature.
The iconic sales gallery building with the shape of Sala Thai (Thai style pavilion) and butterfly roof structure represents the mixture of local culture and nature.
Inspired by the form of architecture, the main landscape design idea is to transform and soften the rigid form of an architectural grid into the natural freeform of the urban forest.
Consequently, the butterfly-shaped building will be brought to life with the natural landscape setting, revives to the delightful form of nature.
The glass cladded building will provide panoramic nature views looking out from the Forest Pavilion building.
Nature will be reflected on the glass cladded building, seamlessly connecting the space indoor and outdoor.
Meanwhile, the glass cladding of the building allows abundant natural light into most spaces of the Forest Pavilion.
Landscape elements, such as plaza, water feature, open lawn, and step have been simplified from the form of architecture to the loose form of nature, resulting a seamless flow of design between architecture and landscape.
Residents will enjoy a refreshing living experience with nature among the urban fabric, which integrated sustainable design with high-quality modern lifestyle.
Happiness—a simple yet powerful manifesto advocated in The Forestias.
It is the ideal living sanctuary that demonstrates happiness of dwelling within the urban forest.
A good quality of environment will lead to good health and longevity of residents, and it also create a kind and warm society for generations of families.
Residents will share mutual benefits with nature harmoniously, learning to be part of nature and raising awareness to create a better and more sustainable world.
Project: Forest Pavilion
Landscape Architects: TK Studio Co., Ltd.
Design Team: Tawatchai Kobkaikit, Nantawan Sirisup, Punyada Klinpaka, Passaporn Shompoopun, Nottaporn Gatewattanatorn, Patcharanat Phokhinthanasiri, Nikom Mangiew, Sirikun Thirawatthanaset, Tummanoon Jaitheing, and Wasin Somsak
Architect: Foster + Partners
Local Architects: D T Designs Corporation Limited
Sustainability Consultants: Atelier Ten
Hardscape Contractora: Christiani & Nielsen
Client: Magnolia Quality Development Corporation Limited
Photographers: Rungkit Charoenwat, Weerapol Singnoi, and Anong Chanamool, Research and Innovation for Sustainability Center (RISC)
