ADF, which supports the competition, invited YAN PHORNPHONG to Tokyo for research study & cultural exchange

ADF, which supports the Association of Siamese Architects  International Design Competition, has invited the winner of the International Design Competition 2019, Germany-based architectural designer Yan Phornphong, to Tokyo for a research study & cultural exchange. The winning entry is entitled 'The Eternity Sustainability', subtitled 'A New Type of Eco-Crematorium for Returning the Dead to Nature', see ASA web for more information.

Yan Phornphong presented a 110-page report on his research studies in Japan as a 'fun' design and cultural study,  and the results of his fruitful stay in Japan, the Land of the Rising Sun, as a 'country of high innovation and dynamic movement'. In the field of design in particular, the report links the Japanese way of life in many ways, and cites overcoming a range of difficult circumstances - natural disasters, spatial constraints, post-war conditions and an ageing society - as one of the key drivers of Japan's design culture.

Continuing to explore and evolve the meaning of design identity

The Japanese design movement and creation has been globally acclaimed and has become one of the role models in the design field, and this research journey, organised by ADF - Aoyama Design Forum, is an 'observation' of various situations occurring in the daily lives of the Japanese people, through the lens of a researcher, It is an opportunity to explore the DNA of the Japanese way of life and the essence of Japanese design culture. The trip was originally scheduled to take place in early 2019, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the trip was postponed to 2023 and the overseas trip was put on hold. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, Phornphong Yanyadek, as a researcher, has observed the phenomenon of 'Japanisation' or 'Japaneseisation' in Bangkok and other major cities, intentionally or unintentionally created in all dimensions of society.

It is undeniable that in Bangkok and other major cities in particular, 'Japanisation' has been seamlessly integrated into Thai culture, resulting in the emergence of a new mixed Japanese-Thai style that has become an enduring aspect of Thai society. However, this may appear fun, cute, strange, charming, unserious or bizarre to the Japanese. This hybrid Japanese-Thai culture will continue to evolve endlessly in parallel with the authentic Japanese culture that originated in Japan.

Yan Phornphong 

Architect, Creative Territory, Bangkok, Thailand. Previously worked for Broåle Siren Beijing, the Rotterdam office of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) and HENN Berlin, and completed a master's degree in architecture at the Faculty of Architecture and Planning, Thammasat University in 2009. Other major achievements include a Floating House Research Fellowship from the National Housing Authority of Thailand in Amsterdam, the Netherlands in 2012, a co-selected exhibition at the Thai Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in Italy in 2012 and the ASA International Design in Bangkok in 2019. Competition, and the Grand Prize at the ASA International Design Competition in Bangkok in 2019.