Discussing contemporary elements in Thailand’s urban context, especially the city of Bangkok, analyzing the existence of Condensing Units was the topic the team chose to explore and share with the seminar-based class critically.

‘Compressors’ - ‘The Machine in Every House’ (คอมเพรสเซอร์ - เป็นเครื่องที่มีทุกบ้าน) is the title named as a parody to the phase ‘Portrait in Every House’ (รูปที่มีทุกบ้าน) from the former King Rama IX’s portrait in Thai family houses.

The statement presents how CDUs has also become a common element in modern development. The number of compressors almost represents the number of residents or families actively living in a particular venue.
Often overlooked and unwidely discussed, CDUs have unexpectedly created an immense impact on urban lifestyle, as well as architecture in Bangkok, in only just a few decades. As a hot tropical country, the popularization of Air Conditioners has become a standard essential machine in residences. The rapid growth exceeded the city’s architectural characters that CDUs have unintentionally become one of the most visible elements of the cityscape. Exploring further in other aspects of living, not only the faces of architecture have been required to consider the change, but the element is also a subject of neighborhood problems, leading to converting its uses, innovation to solve its pain points and the endless debate on urban pigeons’ domestication.
In the investigation reflection, the issue is very subjective, nonetheless, very much relatable.

Questions left for our future to be aware of: How significant has Air Conditioning become for Bangkok citizens? Is it essential or just a new norm? If it is undeniable, how could we, as local designers of the generation, could interpret and deal with its impact? Going further, could it become an unconventional program for future projects to maximize its advantages instead of ignoring its adverse effects left for the building’s facility manager to solve for the rest of its lifetime? In similar cases of countless technology, architecture has often fallen behind. The upcoming future wouldn’t be any less dynamic than ever; it may be architects ourselves that need to make sure we fall back in the race.