MahaNakhon skyscraper by ole scheeren opens as thailand's tallest building

designed by ole scheeren, MahaNakhon is a 77-storey high-rise complex located in bangkok’s central business district. the scheme, which recently opened as thailand’s tallest building, also comprises a landscaped public plaza and a multi-level retail center, which includes restaurants and cafés. the skyscraper also accommodates 200 serviced apartments and a 150-room boutique hotel. a direct link to the chongnonsi BTS skytrain station is also provided.

the tower incorporates a three-dimensional ribbon of ‘architectural pixels’
MahaNakhon by buro ole scheeren group / OMA, photo courtesy of PACE (also main image)

buro ole scheeren’s 314 meter-tall design (1,030 feet) seeks to dismantle the typical tower and podium typology in order to create a skyscraper that gradually dissolves as it flows downwards. cascading indoor/outdoor terraces — accommodating retail and entertainment facilities at the base of the tower — have been conceived to evoke the shifting protrusions of a mountain landscape.

referred to as the ‘cube’, an adjacent freestanding seven-storey structure with corresponding terraces creates an expansive outdoor atrium. in turn this forms a network of social, dining, and leisure spaces that serve both residents and the public. at the front of the tower, MahaNakhon square is designed as a public plaza for planned and spontaneous cultural events.

projecting glass skyboxes offer sweeping views across the city
MahaNakhon by buro ole scheeren group / OMA, photo by alexander roan

the tower incorporates a three-dimensional ribbon of ‘architectural pixels’ that coil up the tower’s full height and reveal the inner life of the building. this gesture results in projecting glass skyboxes with sweeping views, as well as generous indoor/outdoor spaces suited to bangkok’s tropical climate. the pixels have been designed to maximize unobstructed vistas over the city and chaophraya river.

at 314 meters, the skyscraper is thailand’s tallest building
MahaNakhon by buro ole scheeren group / OMA, photo courtesy of PACE

residences located in the non-pixelated area of MahaNakhon enjoy double-height living spaces equipped with multiple bays of full-height bi-fold balcony windows — sections of facade that fold inwards and upwards. the top of the skyscraper houses a three-floor sky bar and restaurant with an outdoor rooftop bar that offers panoramic views 310 meters above the city.

project info:

project: MahaNakhon
type: mixed-use, high-rise
status: commission 2008/2012; completion 2016
client: PACE development co., ltd.
location: bangkok, thailand
site: narathwas ratchanakharin road adjacent to chongnonsi sky train station
scale: 150,000 sqm
program: tower residences 67,000 sqm, residential amenities 4,400 sqm, hotel 16,600 sqm, hotel amenities 11,600 sqm, retail 5,900 sqm, sky bar 3,500 sqm MEP 5,200 sqm, parking 10,400 sqm. retail cube: retail 9,000 sqm, MEP 1,000 sqm, parking 5,400 sqm; offsite parking 8,300 sqm

design architect: buro ole scheeren group
partner in charge: ole scheeren
partner (administration): eric chang
managing director: jaturon kingminghae
registered architects: wisutr weerasilp (SA 311), pisit chirdkiatisak (PA 2153), major poonpien thiensiri (AA.187), jaturon kingminghae (AA. 9854)
team (A-Z): benjamin ahrens, brian fung, bruno zhao, dan cheong, francis young, fred zhou, jaeyoon kim, jasmin delic, john lim, joyce chang, kevin park, lelia ku, leonard wong, marcel holmberg, mike taylor, mintra maneepairoj, phittawat chittapraneerat, sebastian liszka, supasai vongkulbhisal, sun shuo, timothy archambault, tomohiro sugeta, tool nampanwiwat, yanyadech phornphong; with kevin ou, kathrin hasskamp
structure: arup, beijing/hong kong; bouygues thai limited
MEP engineering: aurecon group, bangkok; palmer & turner (thailand) ltd., bangkok
facade: front inc., new york; façade associates co.,ltd., bangkok
top of tower glass structure: buro happold, beijing/london
top of tower vertical transportation: movveo, london
building vertical transportation: arup, beijing
lighting: isometrix, london /hong kong; seam design, london
retail consultant: husband retail consulting, hong kong
landscape architect: landscape architects 49 ltd., bangkok
people flow: arup, hong kong
graphic design: 2×4 inc, new york; JWT thailand, bangkok; pentagram, new york
multimedia consultant: bit studio, bangkok
project documentation: buro ole scheeren group; OMA beijing; seventh art, new york; crystal CG, beijing; frans parthesius, rotterdam 

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