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.

                         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.

                         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.

                         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.

                         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.

                         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).

                         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.

SCOPE OF WORKS

                         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.

                         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.

COMPANY PHILOSOPHY

                         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.

                         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.

BIOGRAPHY OF PROFESSOR KRISDA ARUNVONGSE

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