Chamnan
Phenjati Business Center
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Prof.
Krisda's Residence Compound
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Prof.
Krisda Arunvongse
President
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Nipit
Arunvongse
Managing Director
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Root
P. Wittaya
Design
Director
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Songporn
Saisuwan
General Manager
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Patanapongse
Vongprechakul
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Watchara Ngamnikunchalin
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Professor Krisda Arunvongse
began his office, Krisda and Associates in 1957 after being educated
in the United States of America. In less than twenty years, he had
designed and constructed over a hundred of projects. By 1974, there
was an idea to find a new company name that would in itself explain
the nature and services of the company. The new name became CASA
COMPANY LIMITED, short for Consulting Architect and Structural engineering
Associates, which was registered on January 29, 1974.
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In
the beginning, CASA Co., Ltd. rented a small space on the fourth
floor of a building on Rama IV Road. There were only seven architects
and a few draftmen and office personnel. Production of drawings
was still done by hand. Ten years afterwards, CASA Co., Ltd. completed
over thirty prominent landmarks including Manohrah Hotel (1970),
President Hotel (1972), Central Department Store Main Office at
Silom (1973), Central Department Store Chidlom (1977), Mahidol University
Pre-medical Sciences Complex (1975),
Songkla Nakarin University Medical School and Hospital (1978),
Sindhorn
Building where the 1st stock market exchange were located (1983),
and Airport Hotel, Bangkok (1983). In 1983, on the start of a new
project, Charn Issara Tower, CASA Co., Ltd. had to make plans to
move out of its office since the site of the new project meant the
demolition of the building where CASA was located.
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The
new address for CASA Co., Ltd. was Sukhumvit Soi 4, in the compound
of the residence of Professor Krisda himself. A two stories, three
hundred square meters office building was designed and constructed
in 1983. New amenities included a receptionist's space, administrative
office, conference room, and model building room in addition to
the architecture/production room on the second floor. In the next
few years, CASA Co., Ltd. designed the Asia Credit Headquarters (1984),
Thai Airways International Headquarters (1987), Central Department
Store Huamark (1988), IBM Building (1988), and Beauty Gems Enterprise
Building (1989), were completed. By this time, CASA Co., Ltd. became
a synonym for Krisda. Professor Krisda or CASA Co., Ltd. became
known to all as the pioneer in high-rise building design in
Thailand.
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In
1982, Bangkok Bank Headquarters on
Silom Road was completed. At 32 stories high, it became the biggest
and tallest office building in town. Mahboonkrong Center (1988)
was then the biggest commercial complex in the country.
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By
1987, the office grew to about fifteen architects and over twenty
other collaborators, and more projects were being added to the
list. The expansion brought about great effects not to mention the introduction
of ten computers which added great speed to production. Because
this was the expansion stage for CASA Co., Ltd., new companies were
being formed to support the original one including CASA Development
Co., Ltd., a consulting and construction management company, founded
in October of 1987 along with Arunvongse Co., Ltd. which deals with
real estate management. In October of 1990, CASA Khao-Yai Co., Ltd.
was registered as a company dealing with resort development at Khao
Yai, Thailand. With all of the expansion, CASA Co., Ltd. and its
brother organizations desperately needed to find a bigger office
space.
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The
IBM Building on Paholyothin Road, designed by CASA Co., Ltd., became
the next home for the company and its associates. Space on the seventh,
thirteenth, and eighteenth floors of about 1,000 square meters altogether
was leased starting in 1990. Almost twenty more computers were
added.
However, not every company was based there. This space was transitional
in the sense that within three years the company would again move
to another building of its design. Some projects were finished during
this time by CASA Co., Ltd. including Royal Gems Golf & Sport Club
(1991), Tai Ping Factory (1991), CTI Tower (1992), and Silom
Complex (1992).
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In
April of 1993, CASA Co., Ltd. finally moved to the eighth floor
of Chamnan Phenjati Business Center on Rama IX Road, another project
of its design. This was the first time all the brother companies
were organized together on one office floor space, and new additional
companies were expected. A&M Realty was registered in July of 1993
as consultants in real estate marketing and planning. CASE Co.,
Ltd., short for Civil and Structural Engineers Company Limited,
was registered in November 1993. With more than thirty years of growth,
CASA Co., Ltd. and the associate companies now utilize well over
1,600 square meters. CASA Co., Ltd. today is one of the largest architectural
firms in Thailand with a current professional staff of over thirty
architects and a supporting team of over fifty other collaborators
including CAD operators, model builders, interior project coordinators,
and administration. There are also over forty updated computer
terminals connected to a local area network system. Unfortunately,
the suspension of a dozen major projects in 1997, due to economic
crisis, resulted in a major reduction of staff in 1998.
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SCOPE
OF WORKS
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CASA
Co.,Ltd.
has undoubtedly shaped the skyline of Bangkok. Completions in the
city are two of Bangkok's tallest high-rises, RS Tower (1993) which
is forty-two stories high and United Center (1993) which is fifty-two
stories high. Many commercial centers were completed such as World
Trade Center Hotel and Convention Center, Vibulthani Complex, Gaysorn
Plaza, President Tower, Benchachinda Complex, Central Plaza Pinklao,
Central City Bangna, and the biggest shopping complex
in Southeast Asia, Seacon Square.
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CASA
Co.,
Ltd. has tackled every type of building in the past, and
with the steady growth in size and experience, the company has also
made many affiliations with local engineering firms as well as foreign
consultants. CASA Co., Ltd. today proudly offers a complete line
of services including architectural, engineering, interior, landscape,
urban planning, project administration, and construction
management. The company is fully prepared to assist the clients in a comprehensive
design service, from master-planning the site and conceptual design
to individual building design, preparation of specifications and
contractors evaluation as well as construction supervision to the
completion of the project and the follow-up services.
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COMPANY
PHILOSOPHY
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CASA
Co.,
Ltd. also offers special services such as feasibility studies, research
and information management, proposals, and presentation models and
drawings. Graphic, signage, sculpture, and monument
designs
are also the other types of services available. CASA Co., Ltd. has
aimed to provide the clients a total design service.
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CASA
Co.,
Ltd. strives to maintain the integrity in offering the best design,
planning, technology, management, quality, and the most reasonable
total project and construction cost versus timing. The company intends
to make strong efforts and contributions for better quality of the
lives of people to improve the standard of living as well as the
environment of the city as a whole. Also, the concepts of aesthetic
value with the most advanced technology available locally are pursued
to be integrated with the concepts of functionalism. Constant problems
facing our design professionals give us practical experiences that
will provide the best possible design solution. CASA Co., Ltd. understands
that to achieve a success, there requires a balance between good
design and sound business administration. In designing more creative
and productive environments, the company has also addressed the
recent "green" issue to better the landscape and ecology.
By practicing
and developing new knowledge, CASA Co., Ltd. finds that it is the
only way to give services of the greatest benefit to the clients.
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BIOGRAPHY
OF PROFESSOR KRISDA ARUNVONGSE
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Professor
Krisda Arunvongse na Ayudhaya was born in Bangkok, Thailand on January
9, 1932. He attended Wilbraham Academy in Springfield, Massachusetts
and went on to Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he received
a Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1955 and a Master of Architecture
degree in 1956. He was also a recipient in 1960 of a scholarship
by the government of the French Republic to study architecture at
the Ecole de Beaux-Arts in Paris. Professor Krisda served as a captain
in the Royal Thai Army from 1957 to 1960 as the Army's Liaison Officer
for OICC, a construction supervision organization of JUSMAG.
In the meantime, he taught as special lecturer in the Department
of Architecture both at Chulalongkorn and Fine Arts Universities.
Prior to forming CASA-Consulting Architect and Structural engineer
Associates Co., Ltd., Professor Krisda was president and managing
director of Krisda Arunvongse and Associates (1957-74). His work
received four Gold Medals and two Citations in Architectural Design
from the Association of Siamese Architects on the occasion of the
association's fiftieth anniversary. His highest achievement was
the ASEAN Cultural Award in Visual Art in 1987, given on the occasion
of the 20th anniversary of ASEAN. It is an award given every 3
years.
Professor Krisda has been practicing architecture for over forty
years now. He was a past president of the Association of Siamese
Architects, and a former vice president of the Architectural Council
of Asia (ARCASIA), a former member of the National Research Council,
a former member of the National Convention for the election of the
National Legislative Council, and a former Senator in the National
Administrative Reform Assembly. He is co-founder and member of the
Board of Trustees of the King Rama II Foundation and member of the
Board of Trustees of the Tarn Nam Jai Foundation. He is also co-founder
and member of the board of directors of the Thai Flying Association.
He is a keen pilot of both airplane and helicopter wining more than
a dozen National and International cups in Air Rally.
He was named an honorary member of the Sport Shooting Association
of Thailand, having been a member of the National Shooting Team
for 9 years, participating in the Rome and Tokyo Olympics, 3 Asian
Games, winning a bronze medal, and competing in the first 3 Southeast
Asian Peninsular Games, winning individual gold medal in each.
Professor
Krisda was a former Head of the Department of Architecture at Chulalongkorn
University and Dean of the Faculty (1974-1978). He was named Professor
Emeritus of the Faculty in 1990. Professor Krisda is the Chairman
of the Board of Directors of CASA Co., Ltd. with his eldest son,
Nipit Arunvongse, as the Managing Director. He was elected Governor
of Bangkok Metropolitan Administration from 1992 to 1996.
During which
time, he had to leave all CASA Co., Ltd. works to Nipit and the
senior staff due to the extreme work load of his position at the head of
an organization of more than 30,000 personnel servicing more than
8 million people of Bangkok and trying to rectify many of the city's
problems unsolved by previous administrations.
Address
8th Flr. Chamnan
Phenjati Building
65/76 Rama 9 Road, Huay-Kwang, Bangkok 10320
Tel.
662-245-2500, Fax. 662-245-3322
http://www.casa.co.th
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