The Opus
The project is materialized from the owner’s wish to refurbish the exterior of the seven-story building in Bangkok’s Thonglor neighbourhood. The design introduces a new and modernized look, corresponding with the interior functional program of the building’s 1st-3rd floors, which is transformed into a retail space housing a number of shops and restaurants. By borrowing the image of a ‘gas mask’, Vaslab develops an architectural metaphor that revivifies The Opus’s appearance and spatial program.
The gas mask’s quality as a tool that prevents its wearer from toxic substances gets translated into the facade whose sleek, futuristic form wraps almost the entirety of the building’s interiors, implicating the connectivity between the existing and additional elements. The glass walls contribute to the facilitation of the visual connection between the interior space, users and the outside surroundings.
There are functional purposes behind the facade’s striking appearance made of perforated steel sheets and expanded steel meshes. It’s the part of the building where the majority of air compressors are installed, and another flight of stairs is situated, serving as an additional functionality of the new program. With the combined aesthetic and functional qualities, the architectural mask that Vaslab crafts for The Opus does its job in providing not just a symbolic meaning but also aesthetic and functional merits.
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Completion
2011 -
Area
5000 sqm -
Location
2011