“A department for therapy,” someone whispers. Today we explore the Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University. It’s located in the Chulapat 2 Building. This building is on Soi Chula 12, Phayathai Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok. The postal code is 10330. But how did this department come to be?
Chulalongkorn University is in the heart of Bangkok. Getting here is easy. You can use the BTS Skytrain. The Siam and National Stadium Stations are nearby. University shuttle buses are available from these stations.
The MRT is another option. The Sam Yan MRT Station is next to the university. Take Exit 2. It leads to Chamchuri Square. From there, you can walk, take a bus, or hire a taxi to reach the department.
Chamchuri Square is a high-rise complex owned by Chulalongkorn University. Construction began in 1994. It stopped from 1996 to 2005, then finished in 2008. The complex has an office tower, a residential tower, and a shopping mall. The mall connects the two towers.
Originally, the project was CU Hi-tech Square. Siam Techno City Co., Ltd. was the developer. Thai Farmers’ Bank, Loxley Group, and Jaido were major owners. Thai Shimizu Co., Ltd. was the contractor. Chesterton Thai Property Consultants managed sales. Completion was expected by 1997. The estimated project value was seven billion baht. The original design included a forty-storey office tower and a thirty-nine-storey residential tower. A central podium featured a convention center, retail shops, and access to the MRT. Parking was underground and in the office tower’s lower levels.
In 1996, work halted due to poor sales. The towers had reached only the thirteenth floor. The 1997 Asian Financial Crisis caused demand for office space to fall. Hi-tech Square remained derelict for nearly a decade.
In 2002, the university revived the project. They approved 300 million baht for development. The first phase involved repairing the basement and atrium. Ruam Nakhon Construction did this work. It began in late 2004. Flooding delayed completion. Powerline Engineering PCL completed the remaining work. The project was renamed Chamchuri Square.
Chamchuri Square includes the forty-storey Chamchuri Office Tower. It has parking on floors two through ten. The twenty-three-storey Residence Tower has 126 rooms for long-term leases. The four-storey atrium is a shopping mall. It has 22,300 square meters of retail space. You can find bookshops, restaurants, and education centers there. It is home to a branch of the Chulalongkorn University Book Center. The atrium also serves as an event venue.
Chamchuri Square sits on 21 rai of university land. It’s on the northeastern corner of Sam Yan Intersection, next to the Thai Red Cross Society. It was the first building with an internal connection to the MRT.
The Chamchuri Office Tower is 173 meters tall. In 2009, it was the thirty-eighth-tallest building in Thailand. It has 89,029 square meters of office space. CB Richard Ellis manages the office space. In 2008, they leased 61,500 square meters to Dtac. This was the largest-ever office lease in Thailand.
So as you continue your studies or seek physical therapy, remember the journey of this location. From a stalled hi-tech dream to a thriving center for education and commerce. This area stands as a testament to perseverance and adaptation.