URBAN ADAPTABILITY

A testament to rethinking wasted infrastructure, Chao Phraya Sky Park offers Bangkok a much-needed pedestrian-friendly greenspace.

Chao Phraya Sky Park (CPSP) is Bangkok’s newest landmark. Spanning the Chao Phraya River, it forms the nation’s first pedestrian bridge park. Demonstrating the possibilities abundant in public greenspace in a dense urban environment, CPSP redefines neglected infrastructure and reimagines opportunities for connecting the health of citizens with the health of their city.

In 1984, the city of Bangkok undertook an infrastructure project to become the first nation to establish a sky train in Southeast Asia, the proposed Lavalin Skytrain. Sadly, after completion of the foundational structure, political wrangling put the project on hold and the government eventually cancelled the project.

For 40 years the failed mega-structure stood abandoned, a symbol of an unfinished dream left forgotten against the dense city landscape. Nicknamed Saphan Duan, which translates to “amputated bridge”, the derailed Lavalin Skytrain was a blight on the city’s history.

In 2015, the Bangkok250 project, led by the Department of City Planning and Urban Development, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), Chula Unisearch, and the Urban Design Development Center of Chulalongkorn University, was established to revitalise central districts of Bangkok. Several public meetings were held in order to involve citizens in the decision-making process.

Through this process, community members demanded the right to cross the river on foot and questioned the possibility of creating a public greenspace that traversed the river. Long abandoned, the amputated bridge was finally given a second chance and a new life as the Chao Phraya Sky Park (CPSP).

Situated in the heart of the city, the new 280-metre linear park sits parallel to one of the nation’s most important monuments, the Memorial Bridge, which was the first vehicle bridge across the Chao Phraya River. Inspired by elements of the Memorial Bridge, the landscape architect on the project decided that the new structure should not compete with its predecessor, but rather should respect it. Emulating the curves of its sister in a contemporary manner, CPSP humbly reflects the undulating form of its counterpart to adorn the city’s skyline in harmony.

Merging two existing community parks on either side of the river, CPSP becomes the literal and figurative bridge between the two spaces. Measuring just 8.5 metres in width, the park is flanked by heavy traffic. However, by elevating the park above these roadways, traffic noise and pollution are reduced, ensuring a safe and beautiful experience for pedestrians as they cross the river.

In order to maximise space, the designers split the linear park into two interwoven pathways, which helps to increase the perception of space and allows the area to be segregated by activity. The linear forms offer various activities such as walking, running, biking or strolling to occur simultaneously but at different speeds, without interference.

At the park’s midpoint, where the divided pathways combine, part of the path weaves its way up to form a curved hilltop walkway. Small cascading steps carve out sitting areas for a performance stage created for special events. The design also opens up new and unique vistas, while the varying elevations ensure visibility, promoting a safe environment where visitors can see and be seen.

Inclusivity has also been prioritised in the park, with lifts, rails, wheelchair ramps and other universal design elements embedded throughout to enable access to all users.

Not an easy feat, CPSP was completed against a number of odds. The inaccessible nature of the site, the fact that it had been abandoned for 40 years, the weight limitations of the original structure, not to mentioned interference issues with the parallel traffic surrounding it, all contributed challenges to construction. However, in 2020, the city prevailed and finally opened its landmark project, presenting Bangkokians with much-needed greenspace.

PROJECT PARTICULARS

Client Bangkok Metropolitan Administration

Location Bangkok, Thailand

Urban Designer Urban Design Development Center (UDDC), Chulalongkorn University

Landscape Architect Kotchakorn Voraakhom

Contractor SGR Enterprise Company Ltd

Photography LANDPROCESS/Panoramic Studio