Striking Elephant-Shaped Skyscraper in Bangkok Graces Global Icon Status
In the thriving heart of Bangkok, you'll stumble upon an unusual sight - a massive elephant seemingly nestled in theChatuchak district. This architectural behemoth, dubbed the Elephant Building, is a eccentric yet practical work of art worth exploring.
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The Birth of an Urban Juggernaut
In the fast-growing 90s, architect Sumet Jumsai Na Ayudhya proposed a visionary, multifunctional construct destined to become a landmark in the Chatuchak district's landscape.
The idea of an elephant-shaped high-rise didn't stem from pure eccentricity. The elephant holds profound significance in Thai culture, symbolizing royalty, strength, and longevity. It also served as a source of inspiration for the iconoclastic Jumsai, an admirer of elephant figurines.
Jumsai, a Cambridge-educated architect captivated by Le Corbusier, always through away orthodoxy. His postmodern, irreverent style led him to design buildings that resemble mundane objects such as robots, birds, and even - in an unfulfilled project - a penis. Behind the apparent frivolity, Jumsai strived to incorporate Thai tradition into contemporary architecture, eventually earning international acclaim, from the Venice Biennale to the French Académie d'architecture.
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An Unidentified Architectural Curiosity
Completed in 1997, the Elephant Building immediately grabbed attention. The 32-storey edifice comprises three main blocks, resembling an elephant's legs and trunk. Two round windows serve as the eyes, balconies from the ears, and a vertical glass column symbolizes the tail. The building has passed the years praised as a national emblem and criticized as an architectural eyesore. Nonetheless, it proudly holds the title of the largest elephant-shaped structure in the world, far surpassing New Jersey's rain-drenched "Lucy the Elephant."
Life in an Elephant's Skin
Internally, the Elephant Building functions like a mini city, featuring offices, apartments, shops, a hanging garden, a swimming pool, a bank, and even a post office. It successfully encapsulates all the necessities required for modern urban life, while Le Corbusier's influence is evident - a "building-machine to live in" with a Thai flair and a hefty dose of humor. Despite its bizarre appearance, resembling a theme park exhibit, the building thrives, pulsating with the life of its inhabitants. It presents itself as a functional habitat cloaked in an elephant's excessive exterior.
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- Embracing the enigmatic urban landscape of Bangkok, one can find the Elephant Building, a testament to contemporary architecture and Thai lifestyle, offering home-and-garden amenities within its unique, home-like structure.
- Originally conceived in the 90s by architect Sumet Jumsai Na Ayudhya, the Elephant Building, a whimsical and culturally significant structure in the Chatuchak district, boasts a lifestyle space that imbibes modernity and tradition, making it a must-visit attraction for home-and-garden enthusiasts and architecture aficionados alike.
