Floating red walkway appears in the hills near Bangkok

A bright red system of looping, elevated walkways has appeared near Bangkok. Installated in the hills west of Pattaya on the gulf of Thailand for the annual Wonderfruit festival (this year running 4 December 2020 – 17 January 2021), the striking piece is the brainchild of Thai architect Boonserm Premthada and his practice, the Bangkok Project Studio. It was conceived as an art piece to raise awareness surrounding everyday nature, and in particular, small planting that often gets overlooked – such as grass. 

‘The Walk is an elevated walkway above the grass, conceived with the purpose of helping humans realise the importance of a small plant like grass, and pay attention to trivial details around them that are usually neglected,' explains Premthada. ‘The project is to wake up the spirit of a place to make people aware of its natural beauty and the meaning of festivities, environmental conservation, culture, and art.'

The floating structure is composed of eight interlocking elevated walkways, raising up from the ground like bridges in looping formations that, painted an eye-catching red set against the green grass, present a graphically striking result. Walking on it, people can enjoy the view, focus on the grass below or the green expanses in the distance and allow their thoughts to float too. 

The project makes use of thin steel rods the size of the stem of Napier grass (the super grass growing in the area). The seemingly delicate, yet robust material hints at the power common grass has and its important role in our ecosystem. The system is further supported by steel beams and a small reinforced concrete base, buried into the land. 

There are plans for The Walk to remain in place and change the experience it offers as the grass grows up to the pathway level. ‘The Walk at Moobaan Wonder will be one of the experiences that inspire people to appreciate the natural ambiance that varies with different festivals and seasons, and to look back on the details once overlooked along the way,' says Premthada. ‘Walking is a natural human movement, like fish swimming in the river, birds flying in the sky. The Walk is a constant reminder for humans to notice these little things which from now on will no longer be overlooked.' 

INFORMATION

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