New landmark museum of Thai history and culture, with a unique triangular cable-net facade designed to optimise transparency and user comfort.

Iconsiam is a new national landmark for Thailand and the country’s largest ever private property development. The mixed-use scheme is located on the banks of the Chao Phraya River and includes two large shopping centres, hotels, residences and, at its peak, the Wisdom Hall, a museum celebrating Thai history and culture.

Eckersley O’Callaghan engineered the Wisdom Hall’s unique triangular cable-net facade, which stands 20 metres tall and weighs 80 tonnes, and the building’s glazed sidewalls. The cable-net is formed with cable clamps that support up to six glass panels each.

We were challenged to design an A-frame with sides that span over 20 metres and can support cable loads, while also considering constructability and allowing for the anchorages to be hidden within the cross section. Our solution avoids any internal structural elements, using the external shading fins as the support structure.

The facade consists of 64 triangular panes of glass held in place by 14 tensioned steel cables connected at 21 nodes. As all structural elements and connections are visible, we worked very closely with the architect to realise the design intent of transparency.

Location
Bangkok, Thailand

Client
SiamPiwat

Architect
Luke Lowings