Ayutthaya 3.0: Bold take on flood-defense would restore "Venice of the East" to former glory
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Shma's bold "water city" concept is a reimagining of the medieval Thai city of Ayutthaya, that rethinks flood defenses for the 21st century by drawing inspiration from the past
The scheme blurs the distinction between the industrial and the agricultural (and to a point, the urban and the rural), envisaging as it does a patchwork of rice fields, water storage infrastructure and settlements
A reservoir of Shma's re-imagined Ayutthaya
Flooding in Ayutthaya Province in 2011 (Image: NASA)
A painting of Ayutthaya commissioned by the Dutch East India Company (Image: Josh)
A US Navy Sea Hawk helicopter assesses the damage outside Bangkok during the 2011 floods
Reisdents of Ayutthaya put inner tubes to good use during the 2011 flooding (Photo: Daniel Julie)
Ruined reliquary towers of the historic city of Ayutthaya (Photo: Patricia Young)
Modern day Ayutthaya (Photo: Kounosu)
The relative depth of the reservoirs is clear in Shma's physical model of the conceptual Ayutthaya of the future on display at Architect Expo 2012
The relative depth of the reservoirs is clear in Shma's physical model of the conceptual Ayutthaya of the future on display at Architect Expo 2012
The relative depth of the reservoirs is clear in Shma's physical model of the conceptual Ayutthaya of the future on display at Architect Expo 2012
The relative depth of the reservoirs is clear in Shma's physical model of the conceptual Ayutthaya of the future on display at Architect Expo 2012
The relative depth of the reservoirs is clear in Shma's physical model of the conceptual Ayutthaya of the future on display at Architect Expo 2012
The relative depth of the reservoirs is clear in Shma's physical model of the conceptual Ayutthaya of the future on display at Architect Expo 2012
The relative depth of the reservoirs is clear in Shma's physical model of the conceptual Ayutthaya of the future on display at Architect Expo 2012
The relative depth of the reservoirs is clear in Shma's physical model of the conceptual Ayutthaya of the future on display at Architect Expo 2012
The relative depth of the reservoirs is clear in Shma's physical model of the conceptual Ayutthaya of the future on display at Architect Expo 2012
The relative depth of the reservoirs is clear in Shma's physical model of the conceptual Ayutthaya of the future on display at Architect Expo 2012
The relative depth of the reservoirs is clear in Shma's physical model of the conceptual Ayutthaya of the future on display at Architect Expo 2012
The relative depth of the reservoirs is clear in Shma's physical model of the conceptual Ayutthaya of the future on display at Architect Expo 2012
The relative depth of the reservoirs is clear in Shma's physical model of the conceptual Ayutthaya of the future on display at Architect Expo 2012
The relative depth of the reservoirs is clear in Shma's physical model of the conceptual Ayutthaya of the future on display at Architect Expo 2012
The relative depth of the reservoirs is clear in Shma's physical model of the conceptual Ayutthaya of the future on display at Architect Expo 2012
The relative depth of the reservoirs is clear in Shma's physical model of the conceptual Ayutthaya of the future on display at Architect Expo 2012
The relative depth of the reservoirs is clear in Shma's physical model of the conceptual Ayutthaya of the future on display at Architect Expo 2012
The relative depth of the reservoirs is clear in Shma's physical model of the conceptual Ayutthaya of the future on display at Architect Expo 2012
The relative depth of the reservoirs is clear in Shma's physical model of the conceptual Ayutthaya of the future on display at Architect Expo 2012
The relative depth of the reservoirs is clear in Shma's physical model of the conceptual Ayutthaya of the future on display at Architect Expo 2012
The relative depth of the reservoirs is clear in Shma's physical model of the conceptual Ayutthaya of the future on display at Architect Expo 2012
The relative depth of the reservoirs is clear in Shma's physical model of the conceptual Ayutthaya of the future on display at Architect Expo 2012
The relative depth of the reservoirs is clear in Shma's physical model of the conceptual Ayutthaya of the future on display at Architect Expo 2012
The relative depth of the reservoirs is clear in Shma's physical model of the conceptual Ayutthaya of the future on display at Architect Expo 2012
The relative depth of the reservoirs is clear in Shma's physical model of the conceptual Ayutthaya of the future on display at Architect Expo 2012
The relative depth of the reservoirs is clear in Shma's physical model of the conceptual Ayutthaya of the future on display at Architect Expo 2012
The relative depth of the reservoirs is clear in Shma's physical model of the conceptual Ayutthaya of the future on display at Architect Expo 2012
The relative depth of the reservoirs is clear in Shma's physical model of the conceptual Ayutthaya of the future on display at Architect Expo 2012
The relative depth of the reservoirs is clear in Shma's physical model of the conceptual Ayutthaya of the future on display at Architect Expo 2012
The relative depth of the reservoirs is clear in Shma's physical model of the conceptual Ayutthaya of the future on display at Architect Expo 2012
The scheme blurs the distinction between the industrial and the agricultural (and to a point, the urban and the rural), envisaging as it does a patchwork of rice fields, water storage infrastructure and settlements
The scheme blurs the distinction between the industrial and the agricultural (and to a point, the urban and the rural), envisaging as it does a patchwork of rice fields, water storage infrastructure and settlements
Article Summary
Shma's bold "water city" concept is a reimagining of the medieval Thai city of Ayutthaya, that rethinks flood defenses for the 21st century by drawing inspiration from the past. It's a concept, yes, but one worthy of a second look, given that this is a uniquely Thai response to the catastrophic flooding that hit the country last year. Gizmag takes a moment to set Shma's scheme in its proper context: that of the very recent past, as well as that of Ayutthaya's heyday as one of Asia's, if not the world's, foremost cities.
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