Fourth-year students from the Interior Architecture program, School of Architecture — led by Bas Adisorn Simma, Erng-oei Boonraksa Detchwongya, Mai Pattarawadee Udomphithak, and PP Phasakorn Ratsamee — collaborated to design the 5th-floor space of the Surat Library Building (C6) under the concept "Lively x Inter," bringing color and vitality to the learning space while reflecting BU's identity in a cohesive way.
Starting Point: From a Colorless Space to a Challenging Brief
Before beginning the design, the four-student team personally surveyed the library's 5th floor. What they found was a clean, nude-toned space that, while tidy, lacked color and visual appeal. The brief they received was simple yet challenging: how to bring the existing space back to life and make it more vibrant.
"We started by brainstorming together, using color psychology as the core framework for our approach. We divided the space into two zones with clearly different characters. The first zone uses orange, a warm tone that conveys enthusiasm, movement, and activity — suited to areas that need energy and encourage interaction. The second zone uses blue, a cool tone emphasizing calm and focus, placed specifically in the reading corner area." This zoning wasn't based solely on the team's personal preferences — it was also informed by studying how Bangkok University students actually use the space.
Stories on the Walls
The heart of this design lies in transforming blank walls into meaningful artwork. The team designed walls, each with a different concept and function.
The first wall — the one visitors see immediately upon entering the 5th floor — was designed to serve as a "first impression," welcoming everyone into the space. Its standout feature is the ability to change its message to match different activities or events. Behind this apparent simplicity lay real challenges: the team noted that designing the typography and text size was difficult, since visibility and readability from a distance had to be considered. This required predetermined word sets and guidelines to allow appropriate adjustments for each event.
The second wall was designed as an interactive activity space, in the form of a ping-pong-ball voting wall. Since the 5th floor is frequently used for various events, the design team wanted this wall to become a functional part of those activities — allowing event organizers to set questions or topics relevant to each occasion. The team's top priority in designing this wall was material selection and the design of supporting fixtures, such as equipment storage boxes, ensuring practical, real-world usability.
The third wall drew inspiration from the building's own context. Since the building is used by a large number of international students, the team wanted to create an international atmosphere by arranging greetings in multiple languages relevant to Bangkok University's international student body, laid out in the form of a world map — creating a sense of connection and leaving an impression on passersby.
Beyond the three main walls designed by the student team, the 5th floor also features two graphic wall pieces created by a School of Fine and Applied Arts alumnus, Nuea Jackkrit Anantakul, who contributed work aligned with the team's vision. These include the "5 DNA of BU" wall, representing five key traits — Creativity, Curiosity, Collaboration, Street Smart, and Passion — and the "BU Character" wall, which illustrates the career paths BU students pursue after graduation.
Furniture Designed for Flexibility and Relaxation
Beyond the wallwork, furniture layout was another element the team prioritized. They arranged the space into flexible clusters that could be adapted to different uses, ensuring the area truly functions as a relaxation space for students.
For the sofas, the team opted for custom-made leather pieces designed to complement the existing space, choosing yellow as the primary base color to create a highlight that harmonizes with the overall tone of the 5th floor, complemented by small tables scattered throughout to enhance the relaxed atmosphere.
When a Classroom Project Becomes a Real Space
What sets this project apart from typical classroom design work is that the timeline coincided exactly with the four students' internship period. The team shared that they had to balance internship work with designing this project simultaneously — a stark contrast to classroom design projects that typically end on a computer screen. This project had to become a tangible, functional reality: drawings had to be buildable, and the team had to account for real site conditions, real budgets, and constraints they had never encountered in the classroom before.
The team also reflected that this experience marked their first full hands-on collaboration as a group of friends — seeing each other's different design approaches, exchanging ideas, and applying four years of academic experience to a real project. Most meaningful of all was leaving behind a final design work within the very university where they studied — a feeling that held special significance for all four of them.
Voices Behind the Scenes
This project could not have happened without the support of Asst. Prof.Dr.Pasit Leeniva, Associate Dean School of Architecture and A.Nattagan Sangkaew, faculty members from the School of Architecture, who championed and oversaw the project from start to finish. Both instructors concluded by reflecting on the project's success: "This project gave every student the opportunity to learn from real experience under tight time constraints, while still having to produce work at a genuinely usable, professional level — something we're incredibly proud of." They affirmed that all four students possess outstanding capabilities and expressed confidence that, as they step into the working world, they will be able to face challenges with confidence, backed by each individual's potential.
Today, the 5th floor of the Surat Library is no longer just an ordinary relaxation corner — it stands as proof that student creativity can transform an ordinary space into one that is alive, full of stories, and a genuine reflection of Bangkok University's identity.
