Bangkok construction update – 2021 edition

This update is a snapshot of progress of major projects around Bangkok in December 2021. An ongoing list of projects can be found on the Future Bangkok page. This Bangkok construction update is part of the ongoing construction updates series for cities in Southeast Asia.

One Bangkok

Address: Wireless, Rama IV, Sathorn Road, Bangkok.

One Bangkok is the Suan Lum Night Bazaar redevelopment project opposite Lumpini Park. One Bangkok will be a mixed-use development featuring office towers, luxury hotels, luxury condos, and retail spaces.

The site is currently a sea of cranes, and some of the buildings are now rising above the construction fences.

More construction photos and news can be found on the dedicated page for One Bangkok.

Dusit Central Park

Address: Rama IV Road, Silom.

Dusit Central Park is a planned mixed-use development featuring three towers of 78, 46, and 40 storeys.

[Dusit worksite viewed from the Sala Daeng BTS/Silom MRT walkway.]

The last time I visited this site, the historic Dusit Thani Hotel was still standing. I visited the hotel in 2017 knowing that it was going to be demolished. This was the most impressive of the modernist hotels of 1960s Bangkok, and it is a shame it wasn’t kept.

The Unicorn Phayathai

Address: Phayathai Road, Bangkok.

The Unicorn is a mixed-use development next to Phayathai BTS, and it includes the Eastin Grand Hotel.

[The Unicorn worksite.]

[The Unicorn next to Payatai Plaza.]

[The Unicorn viewed from Phayathai Airport Rail Link.]

Park Silom

Address: Corner Silom and Convent Road, Bangkok.

Park Silom is a proposed 38-storey, 204-metre high mixed-use commercial/office tower.

[Park Silom under construction.]

Boonmitr Silom

Address: Silom Road, Bangkok.

34 storey tower on Silom Road.

Silom Edge

Address: Corner Silom and Rama IV Road, Bangkok.

Silom Edge is a redevelopment of the former Silom Center building. The base of the building was still under wraps, and at some point, it will be connected to the BTS/MRT walkway.

Makkasan Train Factory Redevelopment

Address: Makkasan Train Facoty, Bangkok.

The Makkasan Complex is on the massive Makkasan Train Factory area owned by the State Railway of Thailand. This is the big green space next to the Makkasan Station Airport Rail Link.

An update in September 2021 reported that the tallest tower in Thailand will be built here.

Read more about the Makkasan Train Factory Redevelopment.

Nimit Langsuan

Address: 104/3 Sarasin Rd, Lumphini, Pathum Wan District, Bangkok.
Website: nimitlangsuan.com.
Developer: PACE Development Corporation PLC.
News: skyscrapercity.com

Nimit Langsuan is a super-luxury residential development in Lumphini. The 210-metre, 54-floor tower is on the northern side of Lumphini Park.

The building has topped out but the project has stalled. The last update in 2020 said the developer is in bankruptcy court.

EmSphere Bangkok

Address: 444 Sukhumvit Rd, Khlong Tan, Bangkok.
Developer: The Mall Group.

EmSphere Bangkok is a retail development on Sukhumvit Road next to Benjasiri Park. This project is part of the EM District around Phrom Phong BTS Station (the other malls being The Emporium and EmQuartier).

EmSphere will include a 34-storey tower and shopping mall. Also on the site is an entertainment venue (Em Live) that can hold 6,000 people.

[EmSphere Bangkok construction – Sukhumvit Road.]

[EmSphere construction viewed from Emquartier.]

[EmSphere concrete truck at night.]

[EmSphere viewed from Benchasiri Park.]

Benchasiri Alliance Hotel

Address: Sukhumvit Rd, Khlong Tan, Bangkok.

Next to EmSphere is the Benchasiri Alliance Hotel project. The site has been cleared but no work has started yet, and there doesn’t appear to be any announcements online yet.

The Estelle Phrom Phong

Address: Sukhumvit Soi 26, Bangkok.
Developer: Raimon Land.

[The Estelle Phrom Phong (under construction), viewed from Phrom Phong BTS Station.]

JLK Tower

[Image via jll.co.th.]

Address: Sukhumvit 7, Bangkok.
News: skyscrapercity.com

JLK Tower is a 31 Storey tower next to Nana BTS Station.

Supalai ICON Sathorn

Address: South Sathorn Rd, Bangkok.
Website: supalai.com.

Supalai ICON Sathorn is a 56-storey mixed-use tower featuring residential, office space, and retail. The project is on the site of the former Australian embassy, which has since moved to Wireless Road.

This project is well underway by now. Unfortunately, I never got to see the old Australian embassy again before it closed. I went there twice to get an old passport renewed and a lost passport replaced, and it was a building that would now be considered for heritage listing in many parts of the world. I couldn’t take photos (obviously), but here here are some photos of the former embassy.

O-NES

Address: 108 Sukhumvit Road (next to Nana Station), Bangkok.
Website: thaiobayashi.co.th
News: skyscrapercity.com

O-NES Tower is a 29-storey, 160-metre office tower by Thai Obayashi. The building will have direct access to Nana Station on the Sukhumvit line.

One City Center (OCC)

Address: Ploenchit road opposite Central Embassy, Bangkok.
Website: onecitycentrebangkok.com.
Developer: Raimon Land.
News: skyscrapercity.com

One City Center (OCC) is a 50 storey/264-metre office tower near Ploenchit BTS stations.

Hotel Indigo Thonglor

Address: 991 Sukhumvit Rd (next to Thonglor BTS), Bangkok.

Hotel Indigo Thonglor is on the site of the project previously listed as 991 Sukhumvit in front of Thonglor BTS. There haven’t been any media updates about this and there is no work on the site yet.

Forza Bangkok Sukhumvit

Address: Sukhumvit 29, Bangkok.

Hotel Forza Bangkok Sukhumvit is a 28-storey (105-metre) hotel development on Sukhumvit 29.

Jen Bangkok Thonglor by Shangri-La

Address: Sukhumvit 55, Bangkok.
News: skyscrapercity.com

Jen Bangkok Thonglor by Shangri-La is a 29-story hotel on Thonglor Road.

Muniq Phrom Phong

Address: Sukhumvit 39, Bangkok.

Muniq Phrom Phong is a 34-storey apartment development near Phrom Phong BTS.

Summit Tower

[Image via projectalliance.co.th.]

Address: Corner of Petchaburi and Phayathai, Ratchathewi, Bangkok.

Mixed-use building (hotel, office and retail), 45 floors, 4 basements with car park.

[Summit Tower construction site.]

[Summit Tower next to Ratchathewi BTS.]

Conner Ratchathewi

Address: 288 Phetchaburi Rd, Ratchathewi, Bangkok.

Conner Ratchathewi is a 38-floor condominium being built next to the future Ratchathewi station of the Orange Line.

[Conner Ratchathewi under construction.]

I’m seeing more Bangkok construction sites spraying misted water around the boundary to reduce construction dust from entering the air. Construction sites were told to suspend work late last year to stop dust adding to the already terrible air quality.

[Conner Ratchathewi construction water spray.]

Park Origin Ratchathewi

Address: 157 15 Phetchaburi 7 Alley, Thung Phaya Thai, Ratchathewi, Bangkok.

Park Origin Ratchathewi is a 42-storey private condominium with only 264 residential units and a ceiling height of 4.25 metres.

[Park Origin Ratchathewi construction site.]

This is opposite Conner Ratchathewi, and both projects are advertising the fact that they are next to a future metro line. The promo image for this shows the underground Orange Line and aboveground BTS Sukhumvit Line.

Chong Nonsi Canal Park

I visited the Chong Nonsi Canal Park just before it was about to open. As with many urban waterway restorations around the world, this has been inspired Cheonggyecheon Restoration Project in Seoul, South Korea.

The plan is to rehabilitate the canal all the way down to the Chao Phraya River. The advertising images shows a tram that will replace the current BRT.

While I’m pleased that there is an effort to clean up the canals, it would be a miracle to be able to go stand up paddling in a waterway of Bangkok and not die if you fell in.

Sappaya-Sapasathan

The new parliament house of Thailand (Sappaya-Sapasathan) opened in April 2021. Following in the footsteps of Budapest’s Parlament and London’s Palace of Westminster, the Thai parliament makes a commanding presence on the riverfront (though not in a central location as Budapest and London).

While they may have drawn inspiration from Hungary and the UK, I’m not sure what the symbolism is of becoming the world’s largest parliament building. Sappaya-Sapasathan overtook that record from the Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest, which was built by the order of Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu. Did someone not stop to think about it for 5 minutes and the optics of such a decision.

[Sappaya-Sapasathan viewed from Blue Line MRT crossing Chao Phraya River.]

Central Embassy Extension

Address: Corner of Phloen Chit and Witthayu Roads, Bangkok.

Central Embassy Extension is – as the name suggests – an extension of the current Central Embassy at Phloen Chit. The extension has been made possible by the sale of the British Embassy for £420m.

[Central Embassy Extension behind Central Embassy.]

[Central Embassy Extension – Witthayu Road.]

Bangkok Mall

Address: Sukhumvit 103, Bang Na, Bangkok.

Bangkok Mall (billed as the largest mall in Southeast Asia) is planned to be developed by The Mall Group.

The massive block of land does indeed look like it could house the largest mall in Southeast Asia, and you can see it from the BTS Sukhumvit line (between Udom Suk and Bang Na stations).

[Bangkok Mall site viewed from Sukhumvit BTS.]

The project site is about halfway between the two stations, so it will need a long elevated walkway from each station to bring people to the mall. It would be a 10-minute walk from each station. By comparison, the massive Dubai Mall has a walkway that takes about 20 minutes to walk to from Burj Khalifa/ Dubai Mall Metro Station.