FROM SUVARNABHUMI AIRPORT TO BUS STOPS

LOOKING FORWARD TO THAI DESTINY… FROM SUVARNABHUMI AIRPORT TO BUS STOPS

 

By ... Professor Dr. Suchatvee Suwansawat, the president of the Innovation Institute of Smart Community, and the President of KMITL.

 

...Bangkok is a city of great arts and culture but the unique architecture of both public and private office buildings could hardly be seen...

 

        For the point of view on the design of the extended passenger building at Suvarnabhumi Airport Similar to the model from Japan, it should be a story that must be proven to the fact. However, for the issue of the uniqueness of Thai architecture, it should be more considered. It is because the domestic terminals in Thailand, whether in Bangkok or in other important major districts such as in Chiang Mai, Khonkan, Hatyai, Phuket, and other minor ones, all look similar without reflection of national identical local cultures of impressing. Even the office buildings of the Thai government considered from the city halls of the provinces, the judiciary court buildings of the provinces where almost are the same; no provincial cultural identities could be visioned, even though each province of Thailand has its own identity worthy to reflect on the architectural style able to be sensationally touched. Comparatively, while other countries around the world try to reflect their cultures of the countries in the architectural style, for example, when we go to Bali, Indonesia, when the plane lands and we look throughout the window, we can feel the sense of Bali at the first sight suddenly; this is Bali.  The roof designs of the terminal buildings are the Balinese architecture notably seen. Or at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, It has the Petronas Twin Towers, the highest skyscraper in the world. Even the design and construction were done by foreign companies, the cultural design of Islamic architecture could still be prominent complete of unique beauty and could have been proven by the world prize. I used to write about the story of Master Chullathat Kitibutr, the National Artist in the Architectural Arts who created the famous Lanna Thai architecture. He had presented the interesting idea that Thai architecture has long been the dignity of Thai hood, the identity of the nation. Integration with modern contemporary architecture can be uniquely done perfectly. It has been considered as the art attractive to the attention of foreign tourists and to the pride of the nation, as well as Bali architecture, which has been worldwide accepted.  When looking back to Bangkok’s, the great city of arts and culture, we can see that more than 22 million visitors per year from over the world have been traveling to; it has become the most attractive city of the world with the highest number of tourists.  Bangkok, the city of the great arts and culture but the unique architecture of both public and private office buildings newly constructed could hardly be seen. Even thousands of bus stops around Bangkok, they always appeared almost identical design of no uniqueness of contemporary Thai styles. If any local public bus stop were identical to local architecture’s, It will be a wonderful miracle of Bangkok all visitors will take pictures with their admiration and they will post theirs to the Instagram or Facebook. Being guaranteed that Bangkok’s styles must be the famous miracle to the world absolutely. Comparatively, it must be like that of the London public red Post Box, even no phone installed, more and more ones need to take their photos with always. Or even double-decker bus or London taxi, the uniqueness of the English nobility, or even the buildings of leading universities around the world, they must have their uniqueness as well. Oxford, Harvard, and Stanford Universities could be seen and then immediately recognized.

 

        Fortunately, we can be delighted for the fact that many Thai universities are still be preserved and built to be able to reflect the Thai identity, such as the valued building of Chulalongkorn University, valued Dome building of Thammasat University. Or even at King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, there still have been the Innovation Buildings in the architectural style of that of the reign of King Rama IV, designed by Master Pinyo Suwannakhiri, the national artist, as well. “Ars Longa, Vita Brevis; the arts are always staying long while the life is always staying shorter”, the motto of the Ex-Professor Silp Peerasee of Silpakorn University; it must be best reflecting all I wrote.