Project Name: Central Nakhon Sawan

Location: Nakhon Sawan, Thailand

Design Team: IF (Integrated Field)

Total Floor Area: 77,500 m²

Completion: 2024

Photography: W Workspace

Feature:

Project - In the heart of Thailand's Nakhon Sawan province, the Central Nakhon Sawan project by IF (Integrated Field) aimed to create a multifunctional space that blends modern design with local culture and natural beauty. This 77,500-square-meter mixed-use development emerges as a compelling example of contextually sensitive design that celebrates local identity while embracing modern functionality.

The project's most distinctive feature is its innovative plaza, which ingeniously navigates a 3-meter elevation change without resorting to conventional stairs. This thoughtfully terraced landscape creates a seamless, accessible public realm that preserves existing trees while providing space for gathering, relaxation, and recreation for visitors of all abilities.

The roof of the main foyer, which connects the plaza to the building, consists of layered, curved forms inspired by local village houses, softening the transition between the open plaza and the interior. This design reflects the project's goal of merging modern architecture with cultural elements.

Perhaps most captivating is the building's dramatic two-tone atrium, conceived as an architectural homage to the convergence of the Nan and Ping rivers, integrating red and green materials to represent the merging waters. This triple-volume space serves as both a navigational landmark and helps delineate different zones of the mall for visitors.

Through these innovative elements, the design team has crafted a multifunctional environment that responds to contemporary needs while remaining deeply rooted in its context. Central Nakhon Sawan transcends its role as a shopping destination to become a genuine civic asset—a welcoming hub that honors the past while embracing the future.

Design Team - IF (Integrated Field) was founded in July 2011 as a Thailand-based design office, formed by architects, an interior architect, a landscape architect and an industrial designer, intended to work together in as many fields as possible to create work from the integrated inputs as their core saying, "IF works in the Field of Integration."

IF's methodology centers on identifying the specified question for each project through rigorous inquiry to understand its "core," and develop the design based on that issue throughout the whole process. The firm's interdisciplinary composition enables a holistic design process that transcends conventional disciplinary boundaries, synthesizing expertise across multiple fields to develop nuanced spatial solutions that respond to both programmatic requirements and contextual conditions.

The practice's portfolio demonstrates remarkable versatility, encompassing residential, commercial, and cultural typologies. Projects like Central Nakhon Sawan exemplify IF's ability to create architecturally sophisticated spaces that balance formal innovation with functional clarity while responding sensitively to local cultural narratives.

In just over a decade since its inception, IF has emerged as a significant voice in contemporary Thai architecture, consistently delivering projects characterized by conceptual rigor, material sensitivity, and spatial intelligence—qualities that have positioned the practice at the forefront of the region's evolving design discourse.