Amazing maze

The tourism authority of Thailand had started the prototype project, which distributed the sharing fund to locals by supporting the sustainable tourism combined with Agricultural education and creativity from local products.

Amazing green project or A’maze (Agriculture+corn maze) was located in Kanchanaburi province, two hours from Bangkok in the west by car, in 31.6 acres which had been separated into 7 areas: the corn maze, a local market, a farm pavilion, a stage for talk and show, a playground, a DIY workshop area and a refreshment building.

The main idea of the project was a “corn maze” for children who came from the city. They are educated while they are playing through the maze by the bases inside the gigantic maze. The maze guided the kids to sample corn garden to observe how corn was grown and the way to planting without chemical. However, the corn maze also lets the user to entertaining area or the workshop area. The main part had been developed by Whoop event design.

FATTSTUDIO had designed the refreshment building, the DIY workshop and half of the playgrounds. From the design director of the A’maze festival, Dxi company intended to build every part as fast as they could, and the project was limited by the funding from the government. The architecture had to be completed and demolished easily, as well as the landscape ornament. The refreshment building was designed based on the high-speed construction issue. The white, tiny beam steel was used as the main skeleton of the building. On the lower floor, the enclosed space with aluminium windows was provided with food and beverages for refreshment when the kids had played in the corn maze or the playground. The upper floor was the deck for the parent who would observe their kids when boys and girls were playing around the corn maze and the playgrounds.

The proportion and scale were the main ideals for designing landscape instruments to deal with the user. The height of planting defined the space when kids walked through each section of playgrounds station. However The two stations that was intend to serve as an entertaining area after they had refilled in the building, but our design team also designed both of the instruments to provide the space for kids who always spend their lives in the city and waste their time with tablets, to engage with the natural environment while they were spending time along with the playgrounds.

The sun hemp was selected to be used as important as corn. It is also usually used in agriculture when the farmer prepares the land for planting. In this case, the designer used it because It has grown so fast, approximately 45-60 days and no harm to children. After the festival It will be used when it is ploughed and earn Nitrogen to the land, such as the corn will be returned as a product to the farmer after the show has ended.

The happiness of children who had participated was the evaluation of success in the project. Unfortunately, happiness cannot be measured, and we couldn’t inform how they feel or are pleased with the design. However, we could preserve the moment when our user dealt with the landscape architectural ornaments. We just smiled when the kids responded with our design and hope those kids will realise that it has many things really fun, more than IPAD or the playstation in their room and look back to the fundamentals that remind them that their homeland will always be an agricultural country.

• Design Director: Wattikon Kosonkit
• Project architect: Sthapat Soichmpar
• Landsacpe archietect: Sthapat Soichmpar
• Architect: Wattikon Kosonkit
• Photographer: Ketsiree Wongwan
• Area: 9600 Sqm.