Urban Placemaking

From the outset the goal of the S2 project was to go beyond creating merely a building. It was to provide Bangkok with a supreme, quality business and lifestyle hub – one that would revitalize the Silom area and provide Bangkok with a new iconic landmark.

The notion of working around the civic responsibility of placemaking took centre stage in the development of the design. Pushing the building back away from Silom Road resulted in the creation of a major urban plaza linked directly to the Silom BTS Station. This space brings to mind the great urban piazzas of the world, with exciting landscaping, abundant opportunities for public engagement and fronted by a dynamic building and facitlities.

Urban Permeability

The goal of the design was to allow the base of the building to encourage public interaction. Unlike many office towers, Silom Square has been designed to connect to the city with direct BTS bridges and a large urban plaza. The design fosters using the base of the building, not only as a destination, but also as a way to connect to other parts of the city. To this extent, pathways for different user groups (school children, office workers, retail visitors, etc.) have been studied and constructively integrated in the building planning. The key to this strategy was making the building contribute to the urban context, providing useful spaces and amenities that will enliven the site and the neighbouring areas.

The Future Office

The office tower has been designed to achieve the highest international standards being achieved in modern office buildings. This starts at the main lobby, which provides a suitably elegant arrival point – linked directly to a ground floor drop-off as well as a direct bridge link to the Silom BTS Station. The typical office floorplate has been designed with an optimum depth to window ratio, promoting good natural lighting opportunities. A high-performance façade will reduce energy loads and create ideal working conditions within. The large floorplate area has been laid out to facilitate a wide variety of tenancy layouts and sizes. S2 is also blazing new trails in terms of providing exciting new spaces within an office tower. Large, 4-storey atria punctuate the main façade. These landscaped spaces offer a unique façade to the city whilst providing the tenants with an exciting place to work.

A New Retail Hub

Linking the office tower to the expansive civic plaza is a retail podium. Arranged over 4 floors, S2 retail is set to become a new landmark with a dynamic collection of shops and dining opportunities. In today’s world of decorated retail boxes set directly onto the street, S2 will feel like a different world – fronted by an elegant, landscaped plaza with an active façade that engages the public. The retail areas have been designed to break down the usual segregation between the office lobby and the shops. Instead, it encourages a seamless relationship with cafés, restaurants and other functions being as much part of the office/lobby experience, as for pure retail destination purposes.