Bangkok City Architecture
“We travel for romance, we travel for architecture, and we travel to be lost.”
-- Ray Bradbury
Calssic Linearism mixed with the beginning of curves and circles.
Bangkok is a delta city and grew from there into what it is today.
Starting out centuries ago, Bangkok was developed originally as twin cities by the Siamese monarchy separating the indigenous from the Chinese. Today, these racial differences in locality are rarely seen with the notable exception of the Chinatown area.
As Bangkok grew, the city developers utilised a linear urbanism concept not unlike many other cities around the world. Buildings were also linear in their architecture.
Classic linearism at its finest in the design of the streets as well as the buildings. Note the difference in color of the buildings as well as the reflectivity of the glass - this is a subtle difference in an otherwise normal and usual linear setting.
Unlike many cities, though, Bangkok started small and has grown both horizontally and vertically, yet, has not eliminated the small from its cityscape. What's more, as the city has aged, the old sections remain stuck in the time they were developed - no modernization. You want upgrade or modern, build it new then!
Stuck in time
One blogger out there, who is an architect, noted that Bangkok is a "beautiful mess." It ins't unusual in this city to see an old small building sandwiched in between two massive modern monstrocities. Nor is it unusual to see a small "soi" (alley) nestled right up to a major and extremely busy road.
Bangkok must be given credit here: They've held on to their past with the smaller buildings being preserved and Buddhist Temples & Shrines being protected and progressed from the classical linear larger structures into the modern skyscrapers of the current day. All of this can be found . . . and sometimes all together in the same place. There is no rhyme nor reason to the mixing off styles. There is not a modern part of the city nor an ancient part of the city.
The architect blogger had it right - it is a beautiful mess.
Walking around or looking from on high, Bangkok is this beautiful mess of styles and architecture; moreover, it is a bit captivating - more than one would usually think. Imagine sandwiching a Da Vinci and a Rembrandt within a Picasso and Dali. That's a display I want to see in a gallery!
The Beautiful Mess - Old, New, and everything in between!
Cities generally have sections - you are in the new secion or the old section. It is rare to see everything, seemingly everywhere, mixed and mashed up. But, in Bangkok, it works.
More photos below - enjoy!!!
A very modern building in Bangkok surrounded by classical and old buildings. This design stokes the imgaination - is it a man, is it a fish, is it a mid century modern rendition of a rocket ship? Or is it something else? What do you see?
Linearism
Bangkok's use of colors in their materials provides an interesting and visceral twist whilst walking through the city.
Modernistic design with a nod to classic.
Modernistic design full on!
A battle between lines and curves.