- Architect Sumet Jumsai designed Bangkok’s Elephant Building after the Robot Building’s success.
- Completed in 1997, the building features an elephant-like exterior.
- It’s a mixed-use tower with 32 stories, standing 335 feet tall.
Located at the crossroads of Phahonyothin Road and Ratchadaphisek Road in Bangkok’s Chatuchak District, the Elephant Building is a funny-looking modernist skyscraper. Arun Chaisaree, a senator and real estate mogul in Thailand, financed and oversaw the construction of this Elephant Building, which was finished in 1997. Because of its outside design, which resembles a standing elephant, it has become one of Bangkok’s most recognizable landmarks, along with its Robot Building.
Features of the Elephant Building
The 32-story, 335-foot-tall (102 m) Elephant Building was conceived in 1991 and is the work of architect Sumet Jumsai. After the triumph of the Robot Building, this was Jumsai’s next major architectural accomplishment in Bangkok. The original plan didn’t include an elephant at all; rather, it was an attempt to maximize space while still including some ornamentation.
Office towers A and B, residential tower C with 171 apartments, a trunk structure with 64 suites, a podium roof with recreational facilities like a swimming pool and gardens, a podium base with a shopping plaza, banks, post offices, financial institutions, and a 1,200-seat parking area make up the seven parts of the joyful Elephant Building.
“Parts” of the Elephant Building
Construction prices skyrocketed after the Thai Baht’s dramatic depreciation in 1997, when the Asian financial crisis hit Bangkok hard. Construction on more than 300 structures in Bangkok was halted because of the crisis, but the Elephant Building was finished just in time to escape being abandoned.
It resembles an elephant, with two towers forming the legs and the third tower representing its trunk.
The elephant’s trunk serves as a ballroom, its ears as a multipurpose outside space with scenery, and its eyes as massive windows. The Elephant Building’s architectural office is located in the golden tusks, which also resemble the elephant’s limbs and trunk. 20 levels of smoked glass make up the tail of this building.
The World’s Largest Elephant-Shaped Building
After the Elephant Building was completed, the American landmark Lucy the Elephant, in the form of an elephant, lost its claim to being the “world’s largest elephant-shaped building.” While some Feng Shui masters saw the Elephant Building as warm and inviting, others saw it as harmful to the practice.
Design Idea
The concept behind the Elephant Building’s design originates from the fundamental idea that it serves as a mixed-use office and residential tower. It’s a notably large structure tailored to fit the elongated shape of the land plot, in accordance with legal and project owner requirements. Initially, the building was divided into three towers to maximize the saleable area, and these towers needed to be connected.
However, due to open space requirements, only the upper parts of the towers were linked, resulting in two large voids. Dr. Arun Chaisaree observed that the building already had an elephant-like resemblance, and as he had a fondness for elephants, he designed and added elements to the building to make it even more closely resemble an elephant.
At the time, Chaiseri had a personal collection of thousands of elephant-themed art pieces and even had his own elephant-themed museum. Dr. Chaisaree worked with architect Ong-ard Satrabhandhu on this project.