Architect’25, "Past Present Perfect," to showcase Thai architecture globally

This year’s event is themed “Past Present Perfect”, emphasizing the significance of architecture in shaping stories from the past to present and future through a diverse range of showcases and seminars, alongside cutting-edge innovations for design and construction solutions from over 1,000 leading Thai and international brands.

The event is set to take place from April 29 to May 4, 2025, at Challenger Hall, IMPACT Muang Thong Thani, and it is expected to draw an impressive crowd of approximately 325,000 visitors.

Asae Sukhyanga, President of ASA, said that the Architect Expo, now in its 37th consecutive edition, is currently recognized as the largest building technology exposition in ASEAN. Architect'25 aims to serve as a platform for showcasing and promoting professional architectural works and the association’s activities.

It also acts as a platform for presenting designs, innovative construction products, and technologies related to architecture, while promoting the architectural profession among its members, students, and the general public.

“Architect'25 builds upon the success of the previous exhibition, which commemorated the 90th anniversary of ASA. This year, it is presented under the theme “Past Present Perfect”. It serves as a great opportunity to recall the journey of Thai architecture from the past to the present, exploring how its stories have been passed down through time.

Until today, the fact that architects have collaborated with diverse professions across all regions allows us to explore and go over the trajectory of Thai architecture through different eras. It features the combination of techniques and cultures in the past, the adaption of the environment and the societal demand in each period, and connecting what they were with what they are to explore directions and narratives of people and identities of architects so that we can shape the future together”, he said.

Beyond its main objective of connecting architectural stakeholders globally through exhibitions, seminars and knowledge sharing for architectural development, the Architect'25 also plays a pivotal role in enhancing the quality of life in society, reflecting art and culture, and driving the national economy.

Additionally, the event serves as a platform for showcasing designs, building materials, and knowledge-sharing about construction technology and innovation on an international scale. It brings together leading brands from Thailand and abroad, all exhibited in a massive 75,000-square-meter venue. With its comprehensive offerings of exhibitions, Architect'25 is expected to attract an impressive attendance of over 325,000 visitors.

Than Srijan, Chairman of Architect'25, said that the overall activities at Architect'25 are divided into five key sections: Main Exhibition, Academic Exhibition, Professional Exhibition, Activity and Service Areas, and Forum & Seminars.

The main exhibition consists of seven display zones, starting with the first zone, the “Past Present Perfect” exhibition, presents the concept of re-evaluating the value of past architectures through research, analysis, and redesign through interpretations by architects, professors, and students from design schools, bridging generations together and serving as an example of reinterpretation from the past to the future.

The second zone, “From the First Piece to the Latest”, showcases two works: the first marking the beginning of the journey, and the latest reflecting the progress and advancement of current work. The third zone, “The Documentary”, presents the association’s archival photographs, documenting significant activities and events in the past, in an exhibition format.

The fourth zone, “Tales of Three Generations”, highlights the relationships among three generations, reflecting on their ways, progression, and legacy through collaboration on “conversation with illustrations of three different generations across various professions”. The fifth zone features the Exhibition by Thailand Interior Designers’ Association (TIDA).

The sixth zone showcases the Exhibition and Professional Seminar Area: “TALA: Thai-Tai” by the Thai Association of Landscape Architects (TALA). Lastly, the seventh zone presents the Exhibition by Thai Urban Designers Association (TUDA).

Each zone offers a variety of activities, such as providing architectural advice and consultation, membership registration, interactive activities with prize giveaways, and a sales point for the association’s merchandise.

The Chairman of Architect'25 further stated that in addition to the main exhibitions presented by four professional architectural organizations—ASA, Thailand Interior Designers’ Association (TIDA), Thai Association of Landscape Architects (TALA), and Thai Urban Designers Association (TUDA)—there will also be the ASA Experimental Design Competition, an international conceptual design competition open to association members, architects, students, and the general public to submit their design concepts under the theme of “FUTURE NOSTALGIA IN ARCHITECTURE.”

The Professional Exhibition zone features ASA Conservation Exhibition: showcasing works awarded for Outstanding Architectural Conservation in 2025, Student’s Work Exhibition, the Thesis of The Year Award 2025 (TOY ARCH), and the exhibitions by the government and other organizations showcasing awarded design works from agencies related to architecture and urban planning.

The Activity and Service Area includes ACT+ASA Shop: a space for purchasing books and the association’s souvenirs, ACT+ASA Club: a meeting and relaxation area for ASA members, Volunteer Architects Corner: a consultation area providing advice on house designs by volunteer architects, and ASA Night (in a new format): a traditional networking and social gathering event for ASA members from all generations and all institutions.

Lastly, the ASA Forum & Professional Seminar, emphasizes intergenerational knowledge exchange. It features the Three-Generation International Forum, which focuses on lectures by international architects whose backgrounds and works distinctly represent the characteristics of their respective eras. 

Meanwhile, the Professional Seminar will invite Thai experts from various fields to provide valuable insights beneficial to the current architectural profession. The seminar this year is special as it includes workshops and training sessions on using computer programs for architectural design. These interactive seminars aim to engage participants and equip them with practical skills for immediate application.

Supaman Munka, General Manager of TTF International Co., Ltd, the organizer of Architect’25, disclosed the outcomes of "Architect'24" and the goals for "Architect'25" that the event has shown growth compared to previous editions, despite challenges in the current global business and economic landscape.

The "Architect'25" event aims to elevate its potential across all dimensions. In the previous edition (Architect'24), the total exhibition area for innovative products covered 27,968.37 square meters, a 4.58% increase from Architect'23. As a current situation (as of October 31, 2024), over 16,236.67 square meters of exhibition space for Architect’25 have already been reserved, an 11.39% increase compared to the same period last year. This reflects a growth of the construction industry, signalling a positive upward trend.  

Currently, the number of Thai exhibitors for Architect’25 has increased by 6.35% compared to the same period last year, reflecting Thai entrepreneurs’ confidence in the Architect Expo. Meanwhile, the number of international exhibitors shows a declining trend due to global economic factors and the organizer's policy to promote and focus on fostering local exhibitors.

The highlights, aside from the association's exhibition, are six exhibitors taking up the largest spaces of Thematic Pavilion in the event's history, which are 1. S-ONE, in collaboration with architects from Looklen Architect, 2. NIPPON PAINT, in collaboration with architects from pbm 3. VANACHAI, in collaboration with architects from FLAT12X 4. VG, in collaboration with architects from ativich / studio 5. WOODDEN, in collaboration with architects from POAR, and 6. FAMELINE, in collaboration with architects from Architects & Associates. Furthermore, there will be a new “Lobby Zone” for the first time to expand opportunities for exhibitors to reach their target audiences and create more business opportunities. 

For the visitors, TTF aims to increase the proportion of Professional visitors, such as architects, real estate developers, engineers, and construction contractors. In the previous Architect Expo, professionals accounted for approximately 55% of all visitors, while Home Owners and End Users made up 45%. It is anticipated that the proportion of professional visitors will grow to 60% at Architect'25.

“We are committed to delivering a high-quality event that meets the needs of entrepreneurs in the industry. Our focus is on creating opportunities for businesses to connect with their primary target audiences as much as possible to foster and exchange their business networks while promoting innovation in architecture and construction within the region,” said Supaman.

The "Architect'25" is scheduled to take place from April 29 to May 4, 2025, at Challenger Hall, IMPACT Muang Thong Thani.