DRFJ - Design & Research by Fusinpaiboon & Jang

02/01/2026

Chomchon Fusinpaiboon published a review on Picturing Modernity, a photo exhibition that offered new perspectives on Bangkok’s modern architecture by three photographers: Weerapon Singnoi, Walter Koditek, and Rabil Bunnag, in Art4D.
https://art4d.com/en/2025/05/picturing-modernity

The exhibition was held at the Faculty of Architecture, Chulalongkorn University, from May 13 to June 13, 2025.

18/12/2025

“Sala/Stage/etc.”, designed by Chomchon Fusinpaiboon as a contemporary version of the traditional Thai sala (ศาลา), is currently exhibited at the 9th Architectural and Design Exhibition 2025 at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC), from 16 to 21 December 2025.

Organised by the Council of Deans of Architectural Schools of Thailand (CDAST), the exhibition presents selected works by full-time faculty members from 31 schools of architecture and design nationwide. A total of 131 creative works—spanning architecture, urban and regional planning, urban design, and related fields—have been curated through a rigorous double-blind peer review process.

Showcasing professional practice as academic output, the exhibition aims to promote the synthesis of design practice and research.

Find out more about Sala/Stage/etc. at https://drfj.info/2022/01/02/sala-stage-etc/

05/10/2025

🎉 Congratulations to Atelier of Architects (ATLR) and Salyawate Prasertwitayakarn on the publication of their first monograph by art4d!

Chomchon Fusinpaiboon is honoured to have contributed an essay titled “Sketch, Styles, and Signature: Atelier of Architects and Questions of (its) Architecture.” The essay reflects on ATLR’s body of work and Salyawate's design process and directions, while also raising broader questions about contemporary architectural practice.

One issue addressed in the essay—also noted in Salyawate’s own reflections in the monograph—is whether European “period” styles should, or can, be meaningfully situated within Thailand’s architectural context.

This question has long resonated with Chomchon, who worked briefly at ATLR in 2008 before pursuing his PhD. His conversations with Salyawate and his continued observation of ATLR’s development over the years have shaped a more critical and open-minded stance toward the issue. His later research on modern Thai architecture—such as Prince Vodhyakara Varavarn’s Tudor-style houses—demonstrates how European influences were reinterpreted rather than simply copied. His design exploration with Be Workshop, the Tropical English Cottage project, further extended these inquiries into practice.

👉 Read more:

Alternate Moderns: The Half-Timbered Architecture of HSH Prince Vodhyakara Varavarn in Thailand (1930s–1950s)
https://drfjresearchinfo.wordpress.com/2016/11/04/alternate-moderns-the-half-timbered-architecture-of-hsh-prince-vodhyakara-varavarn-in-thailand-1930s-1950s/

Tropical English Cottage Project
https://drfjdesigninfo.wordpress.com/2017/01/30/tropical-english-cottage-2/

art4d 288 Atelier of Architects: The Codex is now available for order at THB 300 via art4d Facebook inbox or call 02-2602606. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BDCLG5P6h/

05/10/2025

Renovation at Chulalongkorn University’s Dentistry 1 Building has uncovered its original 1950s timber truss roof, spanning 16m.
Markings in Chinese characters and Arabic numerals were found—clues from the carpenters who built it.

One mark, 錦泉記, likely a supplier’s or carpenter shop's name, could be read in local dialects as Gím chûeⁿ gì (Teochew) or Gím tōa gì (Hainanese). This find shows how Chinese craftsmen still played a role in shaping Thailand’s postwar architecture, despite state policies since the prewar period to end foreign domination in the construction industry.

For more on this context, see Chomchon’s research on the establishment of Thailand’s first architecture school:
🔗 https://drfj.info/2022/01/02/nationalism-and-the-modernisation-of-thai-architectural-education-at-chulalongkorn-university-in-the-1920s-and-1930s/

🙏Thank Yun Li and Asst. Prof. Pithalai Lekutai for Chinese translation and pronunciation.

👉 Have any insights about 錦泉記 / Gím chûeⁿ gì / Gím tōa gì? Share with us!

25/09/2025

✨ Join us for three talks on modern architecture in Bangkok, Jakarta, and Phnom Penh at ICRP2025 this weekend! ✨

Li Hung Chang, Aung Kaung Myat, and Vathana Say will present research papers, co-authored with Chomchon Fusinpaiboon, at the 7th International Conference on Rebuilding Place (ICRP2025), Faculty of Architecture, Chulalongkorn University, 27–28 September 2025.

📑 Presentations
1️⃣ Corporate Modernism in the Tropics: Comparative Studies Between the Esso Building, Bangkok (1972) and S. Widjojo Building, Jakarta (1980)
Sun 28 Sep | Session 13:00–14:00 | Room 213

2️⃣ Hyperbolic-paraboloid Brise-soleil: Shading Devices of the Anglo-Thai Building (1966–1969), Bangkok
Sun 28 Sep | Session 14:15–15:30 | Room 213

3️⃣ Tropical and Khmer: Modern Architecture for Cambodia’s Nation-making – A Case Study of the National Sports Complex (1962–1964)
Sat 27 Sep | Session 15:15–16:30 | Online presentation
👉 Zoom link available on request: [email protected]

All are welcome!

ICRP2025 is held in parallel with the Design with Climate: Nature-based Solutions Symposium, part of Bangkok Climate Action Week 2025 (BKKCAW2025).
🔗 https://design-with-climate.chula.ac.th/

Li Hung, Aung, and Vathana are graduate students conducting thesis research under Chomchon Fusinpaiboon in the Master of Architecture in Architectural Design (International Program), Department of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok.
🌐 Program website https://www.imarch.arch.chula.ac.th/
| 📸 Instagram imarch_chula
| 📘 Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573760292139

Image sources:
Images related to the Anglo-Thai Building, Esso Building, and S. Widjojo Building are from Hassan R. Vogel's archive, courtesy of Mr Vogel's family members. Image related to the National Sports Complex is from Nokor Khmer R***e, 1969.

25/06/2025

14 "prestigious buildings in Thailand", published in a book in 1942 — a decade after the 24 June 1932 coup by the People’s Party, which began Siam/Thailand’s transition to constitutional monarchy and democracy.

Well… has democracy really been introduced for nearly a century now? 🤔
And how has architecture evolved along the way?

👉 See what the 14 buildings were:
https://ph01.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/nakhara/article/view/242224

👉 Learn more about modern architecture and architectural practice in Thailand during that period:
https://drfjresearchinfo.wordpress.com/2014/11/08/modernisation-of-building/

19/06/2025

Originally opened in 1953, the Dentistry 1 Building at Chulalongkorn University was once praised for its elegance and stood as a transitional work toward Thailand’s postwar modernism.

After 70 years of alterations and deterioration, a renovation project led by Chomchon Fusinpaiboon in 2023 set out to restore its original grace, resolve functional issues, and thoughtfully integrate modern spaces and elements for future use and joy.

The first phase of the renovation began in June 2025.

Design team:
Chomchon Fusinpaiboon
Sirintra Aursirisub
Patcharin Chantapan
Theappitak Nillawan
Withit Pansuk
Sotdhipong Phichaisawat
Sathien Wongsarasert
Sarun Tejasen

19/06/2025

Chomchon Fusinpaiboon co-authored a research paper "‘Hoa gio’ in Ho Chi Minh City’s Public Buildings, Built During the 1950s–1980s: A Modern Vietnamese Architectural Element Beyond the Ventilation Block" with Kat Huynhson and published it in Proceedings of 7th International Conference on Civil Engineering and Architecture, Volume 2. ICCEA 2024. Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering, vol 641. Springer, Singapore. The work is part of 's MArch dissertation titled ‘Hoa Gio’: The Development of a Modern Vietnamese Architectural Element Beyond the Ventilation Block, supervised by Chomchon.
The abstract and full paper can be found here https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-96-6111-4_25

14/06/2025

13/06/2025

📘 New Publication
Chomchon Fusinpaiboon contributes short essays on Doll House (1930) and World Travel Service Office (1957) — two key works by pioneering Thai modern architect M.C. Vodhyakara Varavarn (1900–1981) — in mASEANa: Appreciating Modern ASEAN Architecture, the first encyclopaedia of 20th-century architecture in Southeast Asia.

Covering 900 modern buildings across 9 cities in 8 countries, this landmark volume showcases architectural value and historical significance, co-authored by nearly 40 leading experts in the field.

Edited by Hayashi, Kengo., Muramatsu, Shin., Yamana, Yoshiyuki., and Johannes Widodo, and published by DOCOMOMO Japan, the long-awaited book is a major achievement of the mASEANa Project (since 2015), in partnership with specialists and students from Southeast Asian nations as well as Japan, the Japan Foundation and the Toyota Foundation.

📖 Access the e-book for free:
https://www.maseana.iis.u-tokyo.ac.jp/book.html

📦 Order printed copies:
https://www.maseana.iis.u-tokyo.ac.jp/book_sale.html

12/06/2025

DRFJ's Shophouse2Go! has been shortlisted in the Interior Design category of the DEmark: Design Excellence Award 2025!
While the final awards will be judged by a distinguished panel, you can help us win the Popular Vote—please visit the exhibition and cast your vote!

DEmark 2025 is held under the theme "The Livable Creation."
Explore all 500 shortlisted projects across 8 categories at the exhibition:
📍 Krung Thep Aphiwat (Bang Sue) Central Terminal, Floors M & G
📅 13–14 June
🕙 10:00–20:00

Organized by the Office of Value Creation, Department of International Trade Promotion, Ministry of Commerce, DEmark recognizes outstanding Thai design and supports the development of quality local products that enhance life for both Thai and international communities.