This essay is the course's final paper: a proposal to amend a Land Use Law of choice.

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"Along with other capital cities, Bangkok has been shaping its skyline to represent its modern development since its rapid urbanization in the late 20th century and is now named the 11th tallest city in Asia and 14th in the World (“Bangkok - The Skyscraper Center” n.d.). Despite various uses, heights, and façade materiality, a familiar pattern is appearing more and more noticeably: the ‘Stepped-pyramid’ or ‘wedding-cake’ shaped buildings seen in America’s New York City, are concurring on the other side of the world, with many on their way to come.

The biggest culprit behind this is precisely Article 49 from the Bangkok Metropolitan’s Provision for Building Ordinance of 2001, under Section 5, "Building Setbacks and Dimensions," which states: "A building's height, at any point, must not exceed 2 times the horizontal distance from that certain point perpendicular to the opposite side of the public right-of-way that is adjacent to the building." (Bangkok Metropolitan Administrator, 2001.) The rule applies to all districts in the city, by any use, and any density.

The 1:2 slanted ‘Sky Exposure Plane’ became one of the first steps of massing studies employed by architects designing in Bangkok. While it dominantly impacted design, its true merit is rarely questioned. This paper revisits the provision and critiques how it is impractical by simply enabling a particular zoning law that originated in one place to another, without geographical considerations, and implements it homogeneously. The proposed amendment aims to encourage a more suitable climate-comforting built environment for the city."