Vin Varavarn Architects has used local materials and construction techniques incorporating bamboo and soil to design an agriculture learning centre in Thailand's Pak Chong District.
The PANNAR Sufficiency Economic and Agriculture Learning Centre is located on a formerly arid 14-acre (5.7-hectare) site that has been transformed with reservoirs and farming areas, based on the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy and New Theory Agriculture of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
The learning centre was designed by Vin Varavarn Architects
Thai studio Vin Varavarn's design, which has been shortlisted in the cultural building category of Dezeen Awards 2021, intends to promote how these ideas of self-sufficiency can apply to construction in rural areas, and not just be confined to traditional building types. Under a large faceted steel-framed roof clad with local bamboo shingles, the centre comprises a two-storey activity centre with meeting rooms for seminars and workshops, offices and a kitchen alongside an external canteen and gathering spaces.
The building has a folding, geometric roof that was clad in bamboo shingles
"The Activity Centre is placed as the landmark among the vast agriculture fields, designed to facilitate flexible usage with natural light and natural ventilation," explained the studio.
"Local craftsmanship and materials can be transformed to create modern designs which are attractive, well-suited for present-day ways of life, durable as well as achieving ...