AIA Capital Center – setting an eco design standard in Bangkok

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AIA Group has reported that construction of its six billion baht office tower on Ratchadapisek Road, the new AIA Capital Center, remains on target.

Designed by acclaimed architectural titan, the Beaumont Partnership, the newest landmark in the heart of Bangkok’s upcoming financial district is a unique Green Building featuring avant-garde design and cutting edge technology, utilizing every inch of space and offering a complete array of facilities.

Anucha Laokwansatit, General Manager and Chief Investment Officer of AIA Thailand said: “AIA Capital Center is an innovative office tower project never seen before in Thailand.  We have invested more than six billion baht developing this premium office complex, Ratchadapisek Road’s first eco-tower.  It will be a new and outstanding landmark featuring a host of cutting edge energy saving technology.”

A computer graphic shows the AIA Capital Center on Bangkok’s Ratchadapisek Road.A computer graphic shows the AIA Capital Center on Bangkok’s Ratchadapisek Road.

The building is one of AIA Group’s two large-scale office and retail complexes in Bangkok’s prime areas.  Situated on a spacious 10 rai plot of land, the 34 storey office tower offers 54,000 square meters of Grade A office space for rent, nearly 5,000 square meters of retail space, and parking space for more than 800 cars.  The retail complex will include a complete range of amenities with banks, restaurants, coffee shops, convenience stores and a fitness center.

Standing next to the new Stock Exchange of Thailand, AIA Capital Center is conveniently located for those who commute by car due to its proximity to the highway, as well as those who take mass-transit systems.

“To achieve our vision, AIA was looking for an architectural firm that best demonstrated its capability to handle the design brief and, more importantly, clearly understood and saw what AIA envisions.  The Beaumont Partnership was selected due to the ability of its young architects, whose portfolio comprises numerous international projects, to flawlessly answer each and every demand,” said Anucha.

Signature design elements in the building include an exterior curtain wall system using three layers of insulated laminated low-emissivity (Low-E) glass to keep the building cool and protect against sound; lofty three meter high ceilings to create an airy and spacious environment which also allows more natural light into the offices; column-free office floor plates using ‘core design’ technology to provide offices with unlimited flexibility; and an energy saving smart elevator system.

The development has already been pre-certified a Gold level of LEED (The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).

According to Anucha, a key characteristic of AIA Capital Center is that it will be the only office tower in Bangkok with large green spaces to serve the general public.  There are green areas located outside the retail areas and parking buildings, as well as in the frontage of the complex which will be opened for public use.

AIA Capital Center is scheduled to launch around mid-2014.