Heavy industry and freight ports supported by foreign investment has turned the region into a settlement serving foreign businessmen and workers. Little has left for the local with golf courses and silos dominating the landscape.

Sandwiched between two major roads connecting the coast and hinterland, the elongated 4-hectare site stretches over 1km parallel to the train station. The site used to be the staff quarter for the train station is now clustered with dilapidated villas.

The project set off to regenerate the area by relocating the staff quarter and offering a mix of programmes. In the south, a 6-storey residential building as a replacement for the villas adjoins to the adjacent residential development as an attempt to rejuvenate the run-down commercial street nearby. In the north, another 6-storey building is proposed as a service apartment with visit towards the fields and training ground nearby. In-between, 2 to 3-storey timber structure modules are arranged to form streets and squares with direct connection to the train station and parking. The modules combine to form a double-height internal shopping streets with living units on the top overlooking the fields. Squares and piazzas of different scales facilitate interaction and appropriate separation among visitors, local and residents. 

So much as it adds to the life for the local, the project hopes to serve as a regional transit connecting Bangkok and Pattaya in the future.

Client: CRCCRE