FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
nationthailand

Designing a digital future

 Designing a digital future

TCDC, the former tenant of the Emporium’s fifth floor, joins with mobile operator AIS in creating a home for start-ups and creative individuals

WHEN THE Thailand Creative and Design Centre (TCDC) relocated to its new premises at the Grand Postal Building on Charoen Krung Road, visitors were left wondering what the fifth floor of the Emporium – its home for 11 years – would become. That question was answered recently with the opening of the new creative space AIS D.C. – the latter initials standing for design centre.

Designing a digital future

TCDC's former home has morphed into a new creative centre called AIS D.C.

Officially opened last week, the space is being run by leading mobile operator Advanced Info Service (AIS) in partnership with TCDC to provide a full range of support services to start-ups and people with creative minds. The hope is that these will share their ideas, inspiration and knowledge, thus further sharpening their creative edge and setting up their own businesses.
Spread over the same floor area of some 4,000 square metres, though without the galleries and souvenir shop, AIS D.C. boasts a familiar entrance thanks to the presence of the gold-and-black-lacquer reception desk that’s been there from the very beginning. 

Designing a digital future

Bookshelves are crammed with more than 10,000 titles on art, design and technology.

The overall minimalist and modern decor of TCDC designed by architect Duangrit Bunnag hasn’t changed much either. High wooden bookshelves are still stacked with more than 10,000 titles beneath a black ceiling that adds a sense of depth to the long white reading tables and glass-encased meeting rooms available for rent. 
“AIS is a leader in innovative technology and TCDC is a design hub. We want this place to be a community for technology, design and business, a space that meets the needs of this digital age,” says Somchai Lertsutiwong, chief executive officer of AIS. 
“People today are eager to learn new things, get connected to the world and prefer to run their own businesses. We are providing a full range of support and services to start-ups and people with creative minds to help them do exactly that.”

Designing a digital future

Somchai Lertsutiwong, chief executive officer of AIS

Membership is required to make use of the services but the rate has been kept low – Bt1,200 a year for the public and Bt600 for students – the same as at TCDC. A one-day pass costs just Bt150. And in return for that small investment, AIS D.C. members can also use the facilities at every branch of TCDC.
Operated by TCDC, the library zone offers books, magazines and e-books from all over the world on history, geography, visual arts, graphics and design as well as technology and business. You can photocopy and take digital photos, but there’s no borrowing. High-speed Internet is available at no extra charge.

Designing a digital future

The “quiet” room is for people seeking for solitude.

Though the library has no “quiet please” signs and allows members to have conversations, most visitors tend to work silently at their laptops or grab a title from the shelves, settle in a comfy chair and become lost in their own private world. Those who yearn for even more solitude can wander into the quiet room, itself well equipped with books and magazines and comfy sofas. 
For a private discussion or a business meeting, six glass-encased meeting rooms that can accommodate from two to 10 people are available for rent at Bt150, Bt200 and Bt250 per hour depending on size.

Designing a digital future

The glass-encased meeting rooms are available for rent.

“I regularly visited TCDC when it was here and took full advantage of its large collection of art and design-based books and magazines and comfortable spaces for work. TCDC’s new site, however, is not easily accessible by BTS Skytrain and is quite far from where I live. AIS D.C. is pretty much the same as the former TCDC and the facility is better than many nearby co-working spaces. The price is affordable and I’m happy with it,” visitor Duangjai Phiewkarm tells The Sunday Nation.

Designing a digital future

The Playground room is a digital platform where program developers and start-ups can test and run simulations of their applications.

A first in Thailand and the centre’s pride is a space called the Playground room where program developers and start-ups are allowed to try the Application Program Interface (API) connection system on their products and services and seek advice from professional mentors. The zone also offers a simulation of the Narrow Band IoT (NB-IoT), a new low-power, wide-area technology on which program developers can test their IoT equipment and services. 
“When a developer creates an application either for Android or iOs platforms, he/she can test and simulate it to see how software components interact in real time. We provide 12 main APIs that are popularly used for building software applications such as payment systems, OTP (one-time password) and security and privileges,” Somchai explains. 
“If you have an idea but are unsure whether it will work or not, the facilities we provide at this centre can help you find the answer.”

Designing a digital future

Though the Playground is open to all interested persons, priority in making use of the full benefits will be given to those who pass the selection process of AIS the Start-Up project. The monthly pitches are open to every budding entrepreneur and provide an opportunity for a joint business venture with AIS. 
“Over the past six years AIS has provided a full range of support to the new generation through the ‘AIS the Start-Up’ project. Our close collaboration with start-ups has enabled us to understand the different desires and needs of various groups. One of these is a desire to access world-class infrastructure and supporting tools in order to turn creative ideas into reality and then get their businesses off the ground. 
“They also need mentors from various fields to share business management knowledge in marketing, human resources, public relations, law and more. They can enjoy the creative power of technologies, design and business ideas, all in one place,” adds acting chief marketing officer Pratthana Leelapanang.

Designing a digital future

The Showcase room displays a temporary show based on start-ups.

The room that formerly housed the Material ConneXion Bangkok, a branch of the New York materials library and home to a database of suppliers, has morphed into the AIS D.C. Showcase room and will house temporary exhibitions. Based on the theme “start it up”, the show will change every three months. The debut display tells the successful stories of three start-ups, namely Dropbox, Airbnb and Uber.
A personal cloud storage service, Dropbox today has 500 million users worldwide and 1.2 billion files being uploaded and retrieved. Airbnb, an online marketplace and hospitality service for people to rent out lodgings, has one billion users worldwide and operates in 191 countries. For its part, Uber’s car transportation mobile application has changed the taxi industry but is also the target of protests and legal action from – among others – taxi drivers and taxi companies around the world.

Designing a digital future

The photo studio and related equipment can be rented by the hour. 

AIS D.C. also has a studio available for hourly rent (Bt500) that comes equipped with everything you need for photo shoots including backdrops, lighting sets and cameras.
“You just need your own memory card. An amateur photographer who doesn’t know how to set up the lighting can just call on the studio’s crew for help and support,” Somchai says.
The former auditorium of TCDC hosts weekly talks and workshops. Today’s discussion is titled “Transform the Future”, with “Material Trends” following on Wednesday. Open to the public, both start at 6pm. Next month, the centre is holding classes in entrepreneurship, digital marketing and technology. 
Visitors can also relax with a good cup of coffee and freshly baked goods at the coffee corner operated by the Library Cafe.
“In the digital era, creators need to constantly update themselves on digital technology and also forecasts of future trends. Design, technology and business are thus three key words that we must be able to merge appropriately,” Somchai adds.

BOOKS AND APPS
AIS D.C. is on the fifth floor of the Emporium (BTS: Phrom Phong station). 
It’s open daily from 10.30am to 9pm. Call (02) 029 2299 or visit https://AisDc.ais.co.th.
The annual membership fee for the general public is Bt1,200 per person and Bt600 for students. A one-day pass costs Bt150.

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