ASA
Experimental Design Competition 2025
Naga Dwellings
Background: Bangkok faces sinking risks from rising sea levels, climate change, and subsidence, dropping 1-2
cm yearly due to groundwater extraction and urban weight. High-end projections predict a 2-meter rise by 2600.
The Chao Phraya River overflows often, and typhoons threaten defenses.
Design Concept: Envision Bangkok in 2609, largely submerged into an underwater metropolis. Inspired by Thai
mythology’s Naga, serpentine water guardians, the “Naga Dwellings” are modular, self-sustaining habitats floating
below the surface or anchored to sunken ruins. These pods reimagine traditional Thai stilt houses as buoyant,
watertight structures, blending nostalgia for a water-based past with futuristic resilience.
A family in 2609 wakes in their Naga Dwelling, seeing fish swim past transparent walls amid Bangkok’s sub-
merged relics, like Wat Arun’s spire. The pod sways with currents, stabilized by tethers. They tend an aquaponic
garden growing basil, while kids play in a glowing communal pod. Boats and drones connect this underwater
world to dry zones above.
Features: Hexagonal pods with temple-like, curved roofs harvest sunlight via photovoltaic film, echoing Thailand’s
golden spires. Interiors feature open “sala”-style spaces with 3D-printed lattice screens from recycled plastics,
lit by bioluminescent algae reminiscent of Loy Krathong lanterns. Pods link into floating villages like old khlong
communities, adaptable to changing needs. Solar panels, tidal turbines, and hydrogen cells power the pods, while
reverse osmosis and waste recycling sustain water and resources. Vertical aquaponics grow rice, herbs, and fish,
preserving Thai culinary roots.
“Naga Dwellings” honor Bangkok’s riverine heritage, using modern tech to thrive in a submerged future. As King
Bhumibol Adulyadej said, “Nature is something we have to live with, not fight against”, a guiding principle for this
harmonious, forward-looking design.
PROJECT VII
COMPETITION PROJECT
BANGKOK, THAILAND