Thammasat Green Roof

A landscape architecture masterpiece with cascading layers of planters and terraces hugging a mountain form that is Asia’s largest urban green roof (22,000 square metres), alongside massive retention ponds, beautifully combines form and function to present a possible solution to Asia’s climate and food crises.

The integrated design of Thammasat University’s (TU) urban farming green roof is a demonstrative model that incorporates modern landscape architecture with traditional agricultural ingenuity, creating a green roof that supplies organically grown food; public space; clean solar energy; and a closed loop system of water management.

Essentially, it seeks to provide an adaptation prototype and an all-in-one solution across Thailand and Southeast Asia to mitigate the effects of climate change and extreme urbanisation such as flooding, food shortage and shrinking farmable, fertile land.

CLAIMING BACK RANGSIT’S PADDY FIELDS AND FARMING PRACTICES

The form of the building, developed from the H-shaped floor plan, gave the green roof its mountain form with a massive farming/garden space (7,000 square metres) covering the upper part. Mimicking the traditional rice terraces of the land, the green roof’s cascading farm levels form a detention lawn that slows down run-off and absorbs rainwater—both for up to 20 times more than a normal concrete rooftop—and stores it while using it to grow food.

The plants hold the soil together, and any run-off is filtered through each layer of soil and later stored in the four retention ponds that can collect up to 11,718 cubic metres of water for rooftop irrigation and future use. The green roof’s vegetable terraces also filter rainwater through several layers of plants and soil before it leaves the site and reaches residential water sources and marine ecosystems.

Adapted from text by Nanticha Ocharoenchai; Kotchakorn Voraakhom

Women in Architecture: FuturArc Interview Kotchakorn Voraakhom

Kotchakorn Voraakhom is a landscape architect from Thailand. Her focus is on building productive Green public spaces that tackle climate change in dense, urban areas and climate-vulnerable communities. She is CEO and Founder of Landprocess and Porous City Network, as well as the chairwoman of Climate Change Working Group of the International Federation of Landscape Architects, World (IFLA World).