Building a better world

Architect ’19 – Southeast Asia’s biggest architecture exposition of its kind – will fill the 60,000-square-metre Challenger Hall 13 at the Impact complex from April 30 to May 5, showcasing products, plans and services for erecting and improving buildings and interiors and shaping landscapes.
Ajaphol Dusitnanond, president of the Association of Siamese Architects under royal patronage (ASA), says his group has been hosting the annual expo since 1986. 
“The purpose is to be a stage on which potential and progress in the field can be displayed to the public. It also aims to create awareness about architectural practitioners’ social roles and responsibilities. Last year we had more than 400,000 visitors.”
He’s expecting to see 25 per cent more visitors this time, topping the half-million mark.
The concept changes every year to reflect shifts in global concerns. This year it’s “Living Green” with an endorsement of eco-friendly architectural design and sustainable living.

Ajaphol Dusitnanond, Dr Acharawan Chutarat and Sakchai Pattarapreechakul

“Irregular, extreme weather resulting from global warming has an adverse impact on the economy, society and quality of our lives,” says Dr Acharawan Chutarat, who chairs the Architect ’19 committee. “It’s one of our most pressing issues and requires experts, especially those whose work directly affects the environment like architects, to urgently find a solution – whether in design, materials or methods.
“Architect ’19 Living Green examines the idea of sustainability in architecture and design through thought-provoking exhibitions and activities,” he says. “It considers aspects such as the use of innovative and environmentally friendly materials and the combination of local wisdom and modern technology to hopefully find a solution suited to the current situation.
“The expo will offer a ‘green experience’ based on the idea of sustainability. Visitors can see eco-friendly materials and energy-efficient lighting in actual use, and see how we reduced the amount of paper used and more effectively manage the waste we produce.”

Dr Singh Intrachooto, Nopphon Pisutanon and Supawut Boonmahathanakorn talk about the “Living Green” concept.

Architect ’19 will have one area for exhibits – more than 850 brands will be represented – and activities such as a “Green Building Showcase”, “Wisdom from 3 Regions in the Modern World”, “Go Zero Waste” and “Innovative Green Products”.
Visitors can enter the ASA International Design Competition 2019 for a chance to win Bt280,000. The topic this year is “Uncanny Sustainability”.
They can also take part in workshops, enjoy live entertainment and discuss their homes’ structural or design problems with experts at the ASA Clinic (Mobaan ASA).
ASA Forum 2019, an international architecture conference, will feature speakers including Nico Kienzl of New York’s Atelier Ten, an expert in highrise technology, and representatives of Foster + Partners, Eco Architect, and S/T/U/do.
Supporting Architect ’19 are the Thai Health Promotion Foundation, National Innovation Agency, Australian Embassy, Thai Green Building Institute and several private partners.
Sakchai Pattarapreechakul, president of NCC Exhibition Organiser (NEO), which is handling much of the event’s arrangements, says 80 per cent of the hall’s 60,000sqm has been booked, accounting for 850 companies, both domestic exhibitors and those from as far away as the US, Germany and Australia. 
Other participants will come from nearer South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong, as well as from neighbouring Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, whose trade NEO targets. 
Brands to be displayed include Jarakae, L&E (Lighting and Equipment), Modernform, Hafale, Canon, Mitsubishi Electric, Bosch, 3M and Modern Glass.
A second crucial aspect to the exposition is facilitating exhibitors in their efforts to expand into Southeast Asia or, in the case of Thais and their neighbours, to export their goods and services to other regions. Several services have been prepared for B2B business-pairing and overseas buyers and associations have been invited to a networking event.
“The reputation and success of the Architecture Expo for more than three decades, together with NEO’s long-standing expertise in organising exhibitions domestically and internationally, instils confidence in brands around the world,” says Sakchai.
Preregister at www.ASA.or.th/architectexpo or the “ASAArchitectExposition” page on Facebook. 
Find out more about the design contest at www.ASACompetition.com.