Country’s new tallest building ‘Maha Nakorn’ opens

Bangkok’s new tallest building was dubbed one of the most unusual architectural structures and the excitement around it raised the question as to whether the city was ready for more.

‘The jenga building’, ‘the pixel building’, ‘the unfinished-looking building’ or whatever you may want to call it, Maha Nakhon stands 314m tall. At 77-storeys the mixed-use skyscraper is now Thailand’s tallest and most distinctive modern structure. Designed by leading German architect Büro Ole Scheeren (to the dismay of many as architecture is a profession reserved by law for Thai nationals), the tower incorporates a 3D ribbon of ‘pixels’ which snake up the tower, looking as if it was carved, or as if some insects chewed off parts of the facade. The pixel design results in projecting glass skyboxes for residents to see sweeping panoramas of Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River and its bustling urban life—a feature that Schereen designed to have residences immersed and connected to the lifestyle and culture of the city.