Dramatic atriums define Bangkok shopping centre by Linehouse

Chinese studio Linehouse has designed the interiors for Bangkok's Central Park shopping centre, which are centred around three atriums clad in silver, copper and bronze.

Adjacent to Lumpini Park, Thailand's first public park, Central Park is a mixed-use development located on the historic site of the Dusit Thani Hotel.

The development comprises three towers – one housing a hotel and the others private residences and offices, respectively. These sit on top of a six-storey retail podium, which is crowned by a green rooftop overlooking Lumpini Park.

Linehouse designed the interiors of the 40,000 square-metre shopping centre, which has four lower levels for fashion retail and two upper restaurant levels.

"The design responds to Bangkok's unique context, a city defined by contrasts where past and present, sacred and commercial, local and global coexist," Linehouse said.

"These juxtapositions shape the city's culture, architecture and daily life and informed the project's narrative."

The interior was laid out around three atriums, or voids, each of which has been clad in a metal – silver, copper and bronze – that is seen as prosperous and auspicious in Thai culture.

Upon entering Central Park at street level, visitors first come across the Silver Void, which was designed to evoke a sense of calm through the use of a neutral palette and reflective surfaces that contrast the bustling street outside.

Meanwhile, the Copper Void, in the centre of the building, serves as the community hub. Its cladding shifts in tone from dusty pink to reddish copper in response to natural light from above.

The atrium steps back on each floor plate to reveal overlapping, illuminated escalators designed to create a sense of movement and encourage people to connect and interact.

The final atrium, called the Bronze Void, features vertical bronze panels and lighting strips.

According to Linehouse, the interior of the shopping centre was designed to change from calm and restorative to lively and energetic. This transition was expressed through the changing characters of the three atriums, as well as the use of different materials and forms on each level.

On the ground floor, tethered ceiling coffers and intricate floor motifs reference the historical Dusit Thani Hotel, which was built in 1970 by Japanese architect Yozo Shibata and was informed by Wat Arun, one of Thailand's most iconic Buddhist temples.

"By weaving together motifs from the Dusit Thani with dynamic expressions of nature, culture, and city life, the project creates a layered spatial journey that is both restorative and energetic," said Linehouse.

A series of oak timber coffers defines the ceiling of the first floor. On the second floor, which has sports and lifestyle retail, the studio added a gridded timber ceiling lined with corrugated aluminium panels and exposed lighting tubes.

On the third floor, which houses technology retail, Linehouse used concrete ceiling coffers in a nod to the urban context.

The fourth and fifth floors were conceived as an alfresco dining experience within a lush green park, connecting directly to the rooftop garden.

Here, Linehouse added restaurants with double-height timber facades that extend upwards to form a sweeping wooden canopy with a central skylight.

Green trees and plants were placed in large pots clad in glazed green tiles that form casual seating areas.

Linehouse has also recently designed a few food markets in China, including Ink Ink Market in Shanghai with a translucent sloping facade and Kam Pek Market in Macao, which was adapted from a historic art deco building.

The photography is by Depth of Field.

Project credits:

Area: 40,000-square-metre retail common area, 80,000-square-metre including leasable area
Client: Central Pattana
Design principal: Briar Hickling
Associates in charge: Ricki Van Het Wout, Cindy Pooh
Design team: Regina Tandoko

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