Some of my fondest memories from childhood revolve around designing makeshift play spaces in the front yard of my childhood home or within the courtyards and halls that punctured my ancestral village abode. Unlike the neatly fringed gardens, systematically modelled furniture and exhaustively zoned spaces that characterise many homes—especially in recent years—the leisure areas that I have had a chance to navigate through, in the past, stretched out unfettered, permitting their temporary segmentation into quarters that could accommodate novel games and activities each new day. This is, perhaps, one of the many joys that partially plotted spaces and gently transposed natural terrains provide, and which is missing from urban spaces that are unnecessarily dissected into many function-specific sections. Flexibly construed spaces such as these bear the potential of being transformed from a children’s playground to a marriage ground to campaign spots for elections, and more.

However, a lot of public service construction, under the garb of promoting urbanisation, is often shaped up by felling healthy trees, pavementing porous surfaces and cleaving a larger expanse into smaller stations separated by uncustomisable and unmovable barriers. This begets the question: How does one design a public space or entity and manage the construction in a manner such that it opens up opportunities for play and customisation? Perhaps, an answer to this question can be sought through Thailand-based Sher Maker’s project KINTO.

KINTO is a pop-up space that is eponymously named after the lifestyle brand from Japan, for which this space is designed. The Japanese brand is known for its tableware and coffee equipment, as well as other functional everyday products. The Thailand division of KINTO spearheaded the building of this temporary pop-up sales space within The Circle Ratchaphruek, which is an outdoor community mall in Bangkok. The Circle Ratchaphruek is located in the midst of a residential area and aims to cater to the leisure-related needs of resident families in the area. Various spaces such as pet-friendly gardens, yoga studios and areas designated for other communal physical activities are accommodated within The Circle Ratchaphruek.

Sher Maker, an architectural studio based in Chiang Mai in Thailand, was founded by Thongchai Chansamak and Patcharada Inplang in 2018. The studio made up of a small team of architects and makers, utilises local construction methodologies in their projects. The team pays special attention to the context of their sites and the indigenous architecture in the region. Instead of pursuing designs that require the usage of advanced technology and newer materials, the architects deeply consider the resources available in their vicinity and focus on innovating those entities in a novel manner.

Their project, KINTO, too, is the product of the studio’s inclination towards the consideration of context, local materials and vernacular methods of building. The pop-up structure snuggled up amid a landscape garden within The Circle Ratchaphruek, stands surrounded by trees from all sides. The Thai architecture studio made sure that the structure is shaped in a manner such that it wraps around the trees on site. Some trees that fall within the periphery of the structure remain in place, too, jutting out through appropriately sized holes in the floor, ceiling and other intermediary counters or walls.

Since this space was originally utilised by people to relax, walk their pets and for children to play, the designers made sure that the form and openings of the pop-up space did not disrupt previous usage habits. Hence, it is punctuated with several entry and exit points, through which visitors can flexibly navigate different routes. The temporary structure, hence, only serves as a landmark for the brand in this area, whilst also providing a shaded space for accommodating the display of objects and the integration of communal activities. Additionally, the smaller apertures on the structure offer a variety of vantage points from both within and without the space. This ensures minimal disruption in the area despite the construction of an entire structure.

The structure, made out of plywood and steel, evades the characteristic heaviness commonly associated with solid structures. Instead, its light mien, enhanced further by the many fenestrations adorning the structure, appears to serve as outdoor furniture and an area that can accommodate multiple activities. Apart from serving as a showcase space for KINTO products, the bench-level openings in the structure serve as spots for sitting and relaxing. Accessible from the outside as well as the inside, these nooks in the structure fit well in the surrounding landscape garden as benches. Further, its openings, which provide a clear view of the interiors, open up the possibility of using the indoor space as a stage for different kinds of communal events. Designed to accommodate different functions, the temporary pop-up structure can be dismantled when required, and recycled for re-usage.

Sher Maker’s KINTO serves as an example of the simple integration of a multi-functional space in a public area. Its design not only ensures free movement and optimum ventilation but also warrants the usage of minimal materials.

Project Details

Name: KINTO
Location: Bangkok, Thailand
Area: 70 square metres
Year of completion: 2023
Architect: Sher Maker
Design team: Patcharada Inplang, Thongchai Chansamak, Nat Tangchonlatip
Structure Engineer: Thunyawat Chaichompoo
Builder Team: Paper Dance studio
Client: KINTO - Thailand