Bangkok's Newest Ecological Urban Park

Chulalongkorn Centenary Park brings sustainability back to Bangkok

Chulalongkorn Centenary Park is the first critical piece of green infrastructure in the city of Bangkok. It’s designed to mitigate detrimental ecological issues and add much-needed outdoor public space to the climate-vulnerable city. The park, which contains the largest green roof in Thailand, is designed to face future uncertainties of climate change and will therefore be an invaluable addition to the local environment.

It also addresses major environmental issues facing Bangkok as a rapidly-developed, hard paved city: water management and the urban heat island effect. The design and environmental effects of the park reach beyond its boundaries into the surrounding neighborhood: a pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly road extends beyond the park in both directions, linking major roadways directly to the park’s walkways, and water from neighboring areas is treated by the park’s filtration system. Located on a large university campus in central Bangkok, close to residential, entertainment and major retail facilities, The Centenary Park is a showcase for the ecological and social impacts of landscape architecture in dense urban areas.

Design challenges

Landprocess and N7A Architects were tasked with designing this new public park after they won a competition for the honour. “We had to ask critical questions before the beginning design process,” explained the lead designer. These included: “What will Bangkok be like in the next 100 years from now? How can this green public space in the heart of Bangkok address the water and environmental challenges we are confronting? How can green city space help its citizens’ quality of life and how will Bangkok change climatically?

Bangkok: grey city to green city