CHULALONGKORN UNIVERSITY CENTENARY PARK
Chulalongkorn Centenary Park is the first critical piece of green infrastructure in Bangkok to mitigate detrimental ecological issues and reduce urban flood disaster risk.
By harnessing the power of gravity, the park is able to collect, treat, and hold runoff
A Green Model for Bangkok´s Future
Project Details
Client
Chulalongkorn University
Typology
Master Planning, Landscape Architecture
Status
​
Completed March 2017
Power of gravity
For the first time in 30 years of rapid urban development, an invaluable property at the heart of Bangkok—11 acres of land and 1.3 kilometers avenue — was not turned into another commercial use. Instead, it is transformed into a public park.
By harnessing the power of gravity, The park is able to collect, treat, and hold runoff. Sitting on a three-degree angle—leaving not a single drop of rain wasted, the park is able to hold up to a million gallons of water during heavy rainfall.
Transformation into a public park
Not wasting a single drop of water
Sitting on a 3-degree gradual incline, the park equipped with several ecological components-consisting of the green roof, wetlands, detention lawns, and retention pond-leaving not a single drop of rain wasted. The rain and runoff are pulled down through the park‘s topography to generate a complete water circulation system. Taking into account a 50-year return period precipitation intensity, during heavy rainfall-oftentimes when the public sewage system is overwhelmed-the park is able to hold up to a million gallons of water.
Flooding
"As our constantly-fluctuating climate causes rising sea levels, storm surges, and unexpectedly heavy rainfall, low-lying cities across the globe are bracing for urban flooding disaster. As concrete infrastructure multiplies, Bangkok is sinking two centimeters every year."
Kotchakorn Voorakhom
Founder and CEO
Retention pond
At the lowest end, this pond can store excessive water by expanding into the park’s main lawn. Visitors can hop on water bikes, using their exercise to keep park water aerated.
Water Bikes
The first of its kind in Bangkok, the 1.3-kilometer road was redesigned to prioritize pedestrians and cyclists over cars. Reducing four traffic lanes to two and adding wide, shaded rain-garden corridors transformed the once congested street into a walkable, bike-friendly link connecting surrounding neighborhoods and major city destinations.
Pedestrian road
Pedestrian Road
Making a difference
The Chulalongkorn Centenary Park gives us a spark of aspiration in how we can choose to handle our threatening future while allowing room for newfound landscape architecture potential to emerge. As new challenges present itself, we can only see new opportunities sprung up for us to make a difference and save our sinking home.
