The Most Interesting Buildings in Bangkok

The Most Interesting Buildings in Bangkok

Posted by Mark Philip

Image sourced from creativecommons.org

If we are talking buildings and Bangkok in the same sentence, you might not be the only one with images of temples, shopping complexes, hotels and condominiums coming to mind.

Which to many people is Bangkok in a nutshell –- well, maybe throw a bit of nightlife in there, and most visitors to the Thai capital would most likely be more than happy with that.  And why not?

However, temples and mega-malls are not the only impressive buildings in Thailand’s most developed region.

The skyline of modern-day Bangkok is defined and dominated by some amazing-looking towers and huge skyscrapers, which these days come with increasingly modern, innovative, and often unique designs behind them.

In fact, if we were talking with an architectural slant, we might be noting the fact that the architecture in Thailand can undoubtedly be impressive in some very unique ways. This may be due to the fact that a lot of the highly sophisticated designs are influenced by aspects of the culture, or they aim to convey some deeper message or statement.

Image by Alex Qian sourced from pexels.com

It is also worth noting that some parts of Bangkok, such as the region known as the Old Town, contain quite a diverse mix of older structures including Thai-designed buildings of various periods in among other styles of construction influenced by various factors such as European (significantly Portuguese) and Chinese immigrants.

If you take a wander around the city with the idea of the diversity of some of the buildings in mind, you will likely soon come to realize that Bangkok is home to an impossibly wide range of interesting buildings that bear significantly different styles of architecture, from 16^th-century temples to cutting-edge modernism in the form of high-rise office blocks.

Modernist architecture first began to appear in Thailand after World War II, courtesy of Thai architecture students who had studied abroad in the U.S. or U.K. At that particular time there was something of an economic expansion occurring which was fertile ground for the new waves of creative young individuals wanting to make their mark.

Some of Bangkok’s iconic present-day structures would have gone up during this time, but that particular building ‘boom’ crashed with the economy in 1997.

However, once the recovery of the economy had taken a foothold, the quest to build some of the city’s most prominent constructs resumed, and it continues today as Thai designers constantly try to take things one step further than their contemporaries.

Image sourced from creativecommons.org

So if you do fancy yourself as a bit of an architecture buff, or perhaps you are just enthralled by cities like Bangkok that have an interesting mix of both past, modern, and futuristic flavours -– check out our guide to some of the most interesting buildings in Bangkok today.

1. The Elephant Building

Possibly one of the most unique and well-known designs of any building in Bangkok is the Elephant Building. As you might gather from the name, this 100-metre-high building is meant to resemble an iconic Thai emblem – the elephant.

Image by mominnz sourced from wikimedia commons

Located in the Chatuchak district (not too far from the huge and impressive park of the same name), this stand-out office and residential structure was certainly one of the first innovative buildings in the city of Bangkok (being built in 1997), and it captured the hearts and imagination of the people (and many other aspiring architects).

Location: Phahonyothin 26, Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900

BTS: Phahonyothin 24 (walking distance)

2. The Robot Building

Now we move from elephant designs to robot designs, this time by way of The Robot Building, another innovative and inspiring addition to the urban scenescape of Bangkok.

Image by jamet sumsai sourced from wikmedia commons

Initially commissioned by the Bank of Asia, this unique, 20-storey office tower is now inhabited by the United Overseas Bank.

Many people are of the opinion that this building was ahead of its time by indicating a move towards digital and A.I. methods of operation. And there may be some truth in that as apparently the bank who commissioned the structure wanted something to reflect their increasing inclination towards computerised banking systems. Voila!

The ‘head’ of the robot, complete with two ‘antennas’ made from lightning rods, has the bank’s logo plastered across the side. The circular windows form the eyes, and the block is akin to a pyramid in some ways in that the lowest parts are the widest and the top the narrowest, which all goes together in helping to form the ‘body’ of the robot.

Address: 191, South Sathorn Road; Bangkok, 10120:

BTS: Chong Nonsi

3. The G-Tower Building

As you might guess from the rather obvious clue in the name – this huge and incredibly modern-looking office tower looks like…a letter G.

There aren’t any particularly inspiring reasons for the G other than it being the first letter of the name of the company behind it — Grand Canal Land Public Company Limited, otherwise known as G-land.

This iconic and futuristic Bangkok building is a straightforward office block with both North and South wings which rise up in the city sky over the restaurants and parking lots.

Address: 9 Rama 9 Rd, Huai Khwang, Bangkok 10310

BTS: Saphan Taksin

4. The King Power Mahanakhon Building

The Mahanakhon Building became Thailand’s tallest skyscraper, at 314 metres, upon its completion in 2016, and is instantly recognisable from its ‘pixelated’ appearance.

Image by Khun Supanot sourced from wikimedia commons

The height of this building has since been topped by a stretch of high-end residences that form part of another iconic Bangkok building, IkonSiam (not featured in this particular post as we have opted instead for Bangkok’s first luxury mall.)

Translated as ‘Great Metropolis’ in Thai, this relatively-recent, 77-floor Bangkok landmark functions in a residential, retail, and hotel capacity, and has a much-visited observation level.

Situated in the heart of the Silom business district, the Mahanakhon is an interesting and innovative addition to the Bangkok skyline. This ultra-modern Bangkok building is an intrinsically-styled affair which was designed by a German Architect (Ole Scheeren).

The design of the building gives it a somewhat irregular appearance, as a result of it being built in 3 stages, and it seems almost three-dimensional due to the architectural ‘pixels’.

Image by Jimmy Teoh sourced from pexels.com

King Power Mahanakhon is now definitely one of the most iconic and well-known constructs in the city, mainly due to its distinctive exterior, but also in no small part due to its crowning glory — the sky-high observation deck and the accompanying Mahanakhon Bangkok SkyBar.

The SkyBar is absolutely Thailand’s highest bar and restaurant, and the observation deck is something else. Known as Mahanakhon SkyWalk, the tripled-floored observation deck is glass-bottomed – hence it is perhaps not for the faint of heart.

Duty-free giant King Power unveiled the 360-degree observation deck that sits 314 meters above the ground, and the first four floors of the building is actually home to the wares of the brand.

The higher floors are also where 200 Ritz-Carlton Residences are situated, and there is also an Orient Express Hotel somewhere within the confines of this highly-impressive Bangkok building.

To top it off there is a perfectly-landscaped square at the base of the huge tower, which also provides direct access to the BTS Skytrain system.

Location: 114 Naradhiwas Rajanagarindra Road, Bang Rak, Bangkok

Website: https://kingpowermahanakhon.co.th/

BTS: Chong Nonsi

5. The Bangkok Arts and Cultural Centre (BACC)

Bangkok art and cultural centre is a contemporary arts centre in Bangkok dedicated to hosting events related to art, music, theatre, film, design, and a variety of other culturally or educationally-related events.

The building is notable in that it was designed to include vast, open space with natural lighting, while honouring all aspects of Thai architecture and culture. The BACC has both exhibition and performance areas, and plays host to a variety of cafes, art galleries, bookshops, craft shops, and an art-themed library.

This centre of excellence apparently attracts close on 2 million visitors per year, and is worth checking out in order to experience yet more of the varying degrees of contrast between the buildings in Bangkok.

The centre is just a 5-minute walk from the popular and well-known shopping centre MBK

Address: 939 Rama I Rd, Wang Mai, Pathum Wan District, Bangkok 10330

Opened: July 2008

Hours: 10 am-7 pm

BTS: Siam

6. The Baiyoke Tower II

Certainly one of the most well-known and most-visited Bangkok buildings since its completion at the end of the 1990s, the Baiyoke Tower II, also known as the Baiyoke Sky Hotel, is an 85-story building constructed from high-strength reinforced concrete.

Image by christophe95 sourced from wikimedia commons

At the time of construction, the designers and developers behind the project were striving to create the highest concrete structure in the world. They never quite achieved that task, but this building was certainly the highest city-centre skyscraper until 5 years ago.

The tower was built in a bid to follow-on from the success of its predecessor of the same name. The (first) Baiyoke Tower though, was a mere 44-storey affair, whereas Baiyoke Tower II was in fact the first building in Bangkok to reach the lofty heights of more than 300 metres – actually standing at 304 metres..

It stood as the highest building in Bangkok until the completion of the King Power Mahanakhon Building in 2016, which actually measured in at around 10 metres higher..

Strategically located in the very centre of the city, this building is a familiar sight on Bangkok’s horizon to anyone even vaguely aware of the Thai capital. Again this construct is part hotel and part office space, although it is probably both most well-known and most-visited due to its 84^th-floor, 360-degree rotating observatory level.

Needless to say, the Baiyoke offers some of the most spectacular views across the expanse of the city.

Address: 222 Ratchaprarop Road, Ratchathewi, Bangkok.

BTS: Phaya Thai

7. The Rosewood Bangkok

This particular Bangkok establishment is a high-end hotel with yet more in the way of inspiring designs.

Designed by New York architectural exponents KDF and opened only in 2019, the building was obviously inspired by the Thai gesture the ‘wai’ – the placing of both palms together as a mark of greeting or gratitude.

Image by pieceofmetalwork sourced from wikimedia commons

So you could be forgiven here for wondering exactly how this was achieved – but the symbolism comes by way of two intertwined, diagonal structures with a sloping façade, which makes for yet another unique design, making it another landmark in the business/tourist district of Ploenchit.

Address: 38, Phloenchit Rd, Lumphini, Pathum Wan District, Bangkok 10330

Phone: (+66) 02 080 0088

Website: https://www.rosewoodhotels.com/en/bangkok

BTS: Ploenchit

8. The Church of the Blessed Sacrament

It’s not uncommon for visitors to be impressed by the temples of Bangkok – but what about churches? And more to the point, what about an ultra-modern church that doesn’t look anything like you’d expect one to?

In the Talin Chan area of Bangkok you can find a church that looks so modern and ‘untraditional’ – as churches generally go — that it could easily be missed or taken for some other kind of contemporary modern building with its smooth lines and curved roof.

Apparently the Thai architect behind the construct got the idea from the shape of the sacramental bread used in Catholic ceremonies, although many people actually think it resembles an art gallery

Seemingly quite a thoughtful designer to say the least, Mr. Sookchai also built in a sloped pathway to the entrance of the church. This was apparently inspired by the Catholic theology that man ‘comes from dust and goes back to dust’. The church’s cross tower is 50 metres high, which means that it can be spotted from a distance quite easily.

Address: 14/4 Ratchaphruek Rd, Taling Chan, Bangkok 10170

BTS: Talin Chan

8. Central Embassy

Obviously it wouldn’t be right to do a feature on interesting buildings in Bangkok without including at least one shopping complex.

Located in a region of the city where the (now defunct) British Embassy once operated, an obviously well-intended move by the developers, Central Embassy is undoubtedly one of Bangkok’s most striking and elegant buildings.

Although these days there now seems to be at least another one opening every year, this particular affair was the first of Bangkok’s high-end mall complexes. It was designed by a London architecture studio, and comprises an interesting, looped layout that combines seven floors of luxury shopping experience with a high-rise hotel.

Image by Wolfgang Weber sourced from wikimedia commons

Central Embassy is the Thai shopping giant Central Group’s first high-end shopping complex, playing host to household luxury brands like Chanel, Ralph Laurent and Prada, which the moneyed Thai classes go mad to be seen in, alongside the more ‘high street’ brands that are highly popular such as Zara, Uniqlo and Muji.

Of course you will find an abundance of eateries in the place as well, and the top levels of the building are comprised of the rooms and suites of the Grande Park Hyatt hotel.

Address: 1031 Phloenchit Rd,  Pathum Wan District, Bangkok 10330

Hours: 10 am-9 pm 

Tel: (+66) 02 119 7777

Website: http://www.centralembassy.com/

BTS Chit Lom