MAHANAKHON – OMA / Buro Ole Scheeren

Project: MahaNakhon
Type: Mixed-use, High-rise
Status: Commission 2008/2012; Completion 2016
Architect: OMA, Buro Ole Scheeren
Client: PACE Development co., ltd.
Location: Bangkok, Thailand
Site: 114 Naradhiwat Rajanagarindra Rd, Silom, Bang Rak, Bangkok 10500, Thailand
Scale: 150,000 sqm

// PSEUDO-CODE

// CODE DEVELOPMENT

As I was trying to recreate the MahaNakhon tower, I started off with a square grid of the exact same proportions as the existing project. Selecting the points from this grid allows me to dispatch the points into two lists and also allows me to replace the geometry using a combination of Centerbox and Boxmorph as shown in the script below. Finally three sinusoidal curves wrap around the tower and dispatch the closest points into a separate list leaving the MahaNakhon tower in full view.

// ITERATIONS

Clear monolithic volumes are carved by a cutting geometry of the users choice. This script in particular produces volumes rather than two-dimensional facades and as such, numerous iterations can be produced on the fly based on open curves, closed curves and even surfaces.

// GRASSHOPPER DEFINITION

The grasshopper script follows the pseudo-code featured above with input items highlighted in orange. Base geometry creation is on the upper section and the carving geometry in the lower section.

// VISUAL EXPLORATION

// CITATIONS

Parametric Skins / MahaNakhon is a project of IaaC, Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia developed at the Master in Advanced Architecture in 2019 by:
Student: Rani Kamel
Faculty: Rodrigo Aguirre, Mohamad Elatab
Assistant: Ivan Marchuk, Oana Taut