Abstract

The purpose of the Chinese-Thai Institute is (1) to represent a marriage of the Chinese and Thai cultures not through iconography or symbolic senses but through the study of materials and making, and (2) to respond to recent flooding in the area. The design of the building achieved this through simple displacement—the building would only float in the event of a flood, otherwise, it would sit firmly on a concrete foundation. Unfortunately, the Owner was not willing to invest in this proposal. The building was built anyway, save for the floating exhibition hall.