One Bangkok

Bangkok, Thailand

Wind engineering studies to affirm safety and comfort while making a project as economical and sustainable as possible

One Bangkok is a collection of 10 unique buildings, including a signature tower 430 metres tall, built on interconnected podiums surrounding a civic plaza. The project includes hotels, retail and office space, residential units, and a cultural centre, not to mention lots of green space.

Photos

One Bangkok Frasers Property Holdings Thailand
Image courtesy of Frasers Property Holdings Thailand
One Bangkok wind tunnel
A scale model of One Bangkok and surrounding area in an RWDI wind tunnel

Services provided

  • The Challenge

    The designers of One Bangkok wanted to ensure the safety and structural integrity of the buildings in Bangkok’s windy environment, particularly during wet season when wind speeds are highest. The incorporation of terraces, sky gardens, atria, and public plazas made pedestrian comfort and safety a key design concern as well. The designers knew that the more wind loading detail RWDI could provide, the more economical and sustainable the structure would be to build.

  • Our Approach

    RWDI’s multi-disciplinary team of climate and performance engineering experts:

    • Provided a screening-level estimation of potential wind conditions around the project via a desktop wind review.
    • Quantified these conditions and refined conceptual wind control measures by testing a scale model of the project and its surroundings in a boundary-layer wind tunnel.
    • Combined wind tunnel data with wind statistics from a local airport to assess the wind environment in and around the project in terms of pedestrian comfort and safety — checking for both safety exceedences and adequate wind flow.
    • Conducted cladding studies for each individual tower and a canopy over the town square to determine wind loads for the façades.
    • Studied the wind-induced structural responses of the towers to determine wind loads so the buildings could be constructed to safely withstand wind conditions in the area.

  • The Outcome

    RWDI’s testing not only enables One Bangkok to be built safely while maintaining occupant and pedestrian safety and comfort, it also allows the designers to optimize the layout of their development while being both cost effective and sustainable. Reducing the carbon footprint of the building through refining the amount of materials used saves money and results in reduced climate impact.