Description
Bangkok suffers all-year-round from torrid temperatures, forcing many indoors, where the overuse of air-conditioning seems to be the only solution. However, this is actually making the problem worse.
Landscape architect Kotchakorn Voraakhom hopes to address the issue by adding more green to the overbuilt city, including on rooftops. “I think humans have to adapt, rather than over-consuming to fix the problem,” she says. “it ‘s time for us to really change our lifestyle.”
Voraakhmon designed the new rooftop of Thammasat University, north of Bangkok, where students and staff from the university can plant and harvest food on a rice paddy-style labyrinth that leads to a large pond. The design helps protect against flooding and also cools the building by reflecting heat instead of absorbing it.
She is now working on revitalizing Bangkok’s Lumpini park -- the lungs of Bangkok, to make it more efficient in cooling down the Thai capital and to fight air pollution. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES ARRANGED IN SEQUENCES