Thachalom Fishing Vessel Learning Center

Once known as fishing vessel manufacturing district and the largest port town in the coastal plain of central Thailand for many decades, Thachalom is now facing environmental degradations, lacking public spaces, and the disappearing knowledge of traditional fishing vessel manufacturing. This project is proposed as a part of the historic Mahachai Fish Market - Thachalom district development plan for community-based tourism by incorporating the principles of resilient design and advanced active learning concept, in order to revive its lost identities and providing holistic development for the community.

The site is located on the bank in the estuary of the Thachin River, covering a total area of 21.35 acres. To help mitigate the issues from the development, the project proposes a public park and the learning center that promotes ecological restoration, heritage identities, and community engagement. It is divided into three main parts based on the functions and their relationships to the city: public zone, learning zone, and industrial zone. The public zone provides recreational spaces for the community and acts as transition space, connecting the site to its surroundings. Learning zone displays the natural changes of the site and the locals’ way of life, while the continuously-operating dockyard in the industrial zone opens its door for people to learn about the traditional fishing vessels and their construction processes. This project integrates the natural features and native species into the public space, while adapts Thachalom's fishing vessel components into design elements for educational purposes, making Thachalom’s heritages survive in the rapidly  changing world.