Pilipda Samattanawin
Name: Pilipda Samattanawin
From: Bangkok, Thailand
Age: 20 years old
Program: Architecture Bachelor degree, first year
How would you describe yourself in 5 words?
Adventurous, generous, easygoing, ambivert and creative.
Tell us something about your country:
Well, I’ve lived the first eleven years of my life in Bangkok, Thailand, and the other in Bangalore, India, until I moved to Prague this year. The two cities have an extremely different cultures and lifestyles.
I’ll start with Bangkok, the metropolis of Thailand, one of the biggest in Southeast Asia. Thailand is one of the top most-visited countries in the world. We have great beaches, beautiful mountains and variety of food. Our cuisine is well-known for its spices and flavor.
Bangkok has great skyline, with a mix between the modern architecture and the old Thai architecture that you see on temples and houses.
Thai people are extremely patriotic, since Thailand is the only country in Southeast Asia not to have been colonized and we’re still under king’s rule.
I know that people in the West associate Thailand with particularly unscrupulous things, but believe me, we’re more than a country with great massage.
Another city that I would call home is Bangalore. It’s a third biggest city in India and probably have the healthiest lifestyle among the other cities. It’s an IT capital, where a lot of people come here for business and study purposes. It is also called the Garden cities of India, with varieties of greenery. The city has great hangouts and a vast crowd of people from different nationalities. You can live in Bangalore knowing just English. It isn’t a top-to-visit like Bangkok, but Bangalore has its own little charm.
Who is your favorite architect and why?
I cannot say one name because there’re different projects of a lot of architects that I like. But the one that I think of first is Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa of SANAA. Their minimalist style and the simplicity of their projects caught my eyes. All of their projects make me consider the different way of thinking. It is seemed that Architecture, for them, has a whole new meaning to it. The use of glass along with their style is so unique that when you see their work at a glance, you know it’s by them.
Why did you decided to come to Prague?
It’s Prague, why wouldn’t you? *she laugh* The main reason why I choose Prague was because of ARCHIP.
ARCHIP is a place that I seek, small community where you share your ideas. Not a huge University where only best selected works are displayed.
In addition, Prague is in central Europe, the easiest place for you to travel as you study. You also get to meet people from different nationalities and learn different cultures.
Favorite place in Prague:
All the parks! Prague has a lot of great parks, where anyone and everyone can meet, hangout, enjoy the great weather, walk dogs. Favourite one would be Letna park and Kampa island. Vitkov hill is also great for viewing sunsets.
What is your ideal approach as a future architect?
We’re in the generation that the world is undergoing changes, environmentally and economically. Human has already invented varieties of things and we’re running out of supplies. I want to use Architecture to change the surrounding, reuse, rebuild and unbuild.
Besides school, do you have another passion?
I’m interested in environment study and minimalism way of living. I want to promote people to change a little, for the world to go on. Stop using plastic bags small little things you do in your daily life. I also enjoy social work, helping animals, cleaning out the shores and ocean. I also enjoy film photography, shooting people as I travel.