![]() Kulthida SONGKITTIPAKDEE
Kulthida SONGKITTIPAKDEE is a prominent Thai architect whose professional practice, academic involvement, and cultural advocacy have meaningfully contributed to the visibility of women in architecture across Asia and beyond. Her work is grounded in a deep commitment to cultural identity, environmental responsibility, and inclusive urban development, demonstrating how architecture can bridge tradition and innovation while responding to the complexities of contemporary life.
As co-founder and principal architect, alongside acclaimed architect Jenchieh Hung, of the Bangkok-based firm Jenchieh Hung + Kulthida Songkittipakdee | HAS Design and Research, she has developed a distinctive architectural language rooted in a deep commitment to cultural identity, environmental responsibility, and inclusive urban development. Her work demonstrates how architecture can bridge tradition and innovation, responding to the complexities of contemporary life by reinterpreting local materials, spaces, and places through projects such as the Museum of Modern Aluminum, Simple Art Museum, Aluminum Grotto and Public Ground, Forest Villa, and Casa de Zanotta. These works have been recognized by numerous international institutions and professional organizations, with notable honors including the INDE. Award Winner from Australia in 2023, the LIT Lighting Design Awards Winner from Switzerland in 2023, and selection for the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory in the United Kingdom in 2022.
In parallel with her professional achievements, SONGKITTIPAKDEE contributes significantly to academia. She serves as a visiting professor at Chulalongkorn University and Tongji University, and as Dean’s Special Advisor at Kasetsart University. These academic roles reflect her strong commitment to mentorship, particularly in empowering young women architect. Her contributions also extend into writing and research. She is the author of four influential books that reflect her evolving design philosophy. Her first, titled “Arch Life and Rhythm”, published in 2016, recounts her experience as the first Asian architect selected by the Renzo Piano Foundation to collaborate at Renzo Piano’s Paris studio. This was followed by “The Improvised: Phetkasem Artist Studio” in 2021, which explored identity through spatial experimentation. In 2024, she published “from MANufAcTURE to Architecture: Museum of Modern Aluminum”, highlighting architecture’s role as a bridge between nature and humanity. Her most recent work, “Chameleon Architecture: Shifting / Adapting / Evolving”, released in 2025, explores contemporary research and the fluid nature of design practice in a rapidly changing world.
In 2024, she was appointed chairwoman of Thailand’s largest architectural exposition, organized by the Association of Siamese Architects Under Royal Patronage (ASA). In this national role, she became a role model in the architectural field, actively encouraging women architects in leadership. SONGKITTIPAKDEE holds a Bachelor of Architecture with honors from Chulalongkorn University and a Master of Urban Design from the École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Paris-La Villette (ENSAPLV), bringing together perspectives from Asia and Europe. Beyond the physical realm, she is a passionate mentor and advocate, committed to amplifying Thai voices on the global stage. Her work continues to inspire a new generation of architects to embrace cultural depth, social responsibility, and global engagement through design and research.
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