In mid 2019, the team at Openspace engaged in a six month project to design and build an edible garden for Bo.lan – the Michelin star restaurant in Bangkok. Bo.lan has championed the sustainability movement, implementing innovative solutions to reduce their food and other waste, and using local, organic ingredients where possible. Our edible garden is very much in line with this mandate. To design it, we used permaculture principles, an emphasis on organic and natural materials, as well as making as much of the garden accessible to people of different ages and abilities. 

As part of the Buffalo Field Festival 2019, we are running two movement workshops led by international artists. The workshops will take place on the mornings of Saturday 30 November and Sunday 1 December at Wat Soonthorn Thammathan (Wat Care Nang Lerng) Temple.

Agung Gunawan will lead the Javanese Elemental Dance Workshop on Saturday 30 November 2019. Agus Riyanto and Tony Yap will lead the Contemplative Trance Workshop on Sunday 1 December 2019.

ส่วนหนึ่งของงานเทศกาลทุ่งสนามควายในปี 2019 นี้ พวกเราได้จัดเวิร์คช็อปด้านการเคลื่อนไหวถึง 2 เวิร์คช็อปด้วยกัน และจะดำเนินการโดยศิลปินชาวต่างชาติ เวิร์คช็อปทั้งสองจะจัดในช่วงเช้าของวันเสาร์ที่ 30 พฤศจิกายน และวันอาทิตย์ที่ 1 ธันวาคม ที่วัดสุนทรธรรมทาน (วัดแคนางเลิ้ง) อากุง กันนูวัน เวิร์คช็อปการรำกับสภาพแวดล้อมธรรมชาติแบบชาวชวา วันที่: วันเสาร์ที่ 30 พฤศจิกายน อากุส เรียนโต และ โทนี่ แยป เวิร์คช็อปการเข้าถึงสภาวะในภวังค์ วันที่: วันอาทิตย์ที่ 1 ธันวาคม เวลา

Openspace’s long standing collaboration with the Nang Lerng culminated in the creation of the Buffalo Field Festival where artists from around the world perform in the community. The festival is organised in association with Mike Hornblow (New Zealand) and the E-Lerng Artists Collective from within the community. 

This year, we are joined by 17 artists – Thai, international and even from within the community – for two days of workshops and performances. 

The workshops will be run by Agung Gunawan (Indonesia) on Saturday 30 November 2019 and Tony Yap (Malaysia-Australia) with Agus Rianto (Indonesia) on Sunday 1 December 2019.

As the sustainability gets traction around the world, urban and city farms are popping up to provide accessible produce. Whether they’re private or commercial farms or personal edible gardens, there is an increase in these projects.

At Openspace, we have included elements of city farming in our design projects for the past decade. In this blog, we take a look back at some of our sustainable projects - both past and future.

In 2016, ten King’s hospitals across Thailand were chosen for renovation by community architects using government funding. The project aimed to transform these small district hospitals into community hospitals to be central attributes of the communities they serve. Each hospital gets funding to renovate two areas: the hospital’s Masterplan and a multi-function building. Tar-Saeng Studio was commissioned to undertake the renovation of two hospitals: Had Samran Hospital in Trang and Yi-ngo hospital in Narathiwat. We used a participatory approach throughout the project, involving both the communities and with the hospital staff. We focused on discerning each district’s identity, to promote it in the hospital renovation. We followed up with the design workshops, an interactive exhibition and a book inviting further comments. The Masterplans have now been completed and approved by the relevant teams; the hospitals will be built by 2020. 

On the 25th and 30th November and 1st December 2018, Openspace in collaboration with the E-Lerng Artists Collective from the Wat Care Nang Lerng Community and 12 renowned artists from around the world, is hosting the สนามควาย l Buffalo Field event.

This event comprises workshops by Mike Hornblow and Agung Gunawan, and performances by Takashi Takiguchi (Japan), Kiki Ando (Japan), Tony Yap (Malaysia/Australia), Brendan O’Connor (Ireland), Agung Gunawan (Indonesia), Agus Riyanto (Indonesia), AñA Wojak (Australia), Cloudbeard - Brandon Jaye Casidy (Australia), Alan Schacher (Austraia), WeiZen Ho (Malaysia/Australia), Kathleen Gonzalez (Colombia), and Mike Hornblow (Australia/New Zealand). The embodied movement event takes places in Nang Lerng, in the old town of Bangkok, Thailand.

In November 2017, Openspace, the E-Lerng artists collective and 5 renowned artists organised a two-day event in Nang Lerng in the old town of Bangkok, Thailand. Embodied Movement drew together the local community, artists, and visitors from around the city.

Tony Yap (Australia/Malaysia), Agung Gunawan (Indonesia), Takashi Takiguchi (Japan), Benjamin Allen (Australia), and Mike Hornblow (Australia/New Zealand) participated in the event which was split between workshops and performances.

The artists explored embodied movement and invited participants to discover movement and a new awareness of themselves and their surroundings. This event is a pilot for future events in this community.

Openspace organised a workshop with Kasetsart University in Bangkok, as part of their course “Contemporary Issues in Landscape Architecture”, to incorporate Physical Activity and Universal Design in the design of the public space of a community. The project took place at Mahadthai community in Lat Phrao soi 101, which has undergone the Baan Mankong programme, and aimed to ensure that the space was useable by all community members, irrespective of age or ability.