Suan San Pocket Park recognised as a Winner at The Monocle Design Awards 2026
Top Urban Interventions category
The Monocle Design Awards is an international programme by Monocle that celebrates design work that goes beyond aesthetics, recognising projects that create meaningful impact on cities, communities, and everyday life. This year, the awards bring together 25 selected winners across a range of categories and disciplines, highlighting standout work in architecture, landscape architecture, product design, and urbanism from around the world.
Suan San Pocket Park was recognised for transforming a neglected riverside site along the Chao Phraya River into a vibrant public green space that reconnects urban life with nature, history, and community.
Once a dumping ground and forgotten site with remnants of a former warehouse, the area has been carefully reimagined while preserving its layered history. Parts of the existing structure are integrated into the new landscape, while century-old banyan trees remain living anchors that carry the place’s memory.
The park introduces a series of flexible public spaces, from exercise zones and jogging routes to a multi-purpose sports area, all shaped through subtle ground design. It also reopens access to the riverfront, bringing people back to a part of the city that is often physically and visually out of reach.
Through its layered approach to conservation, reuse, and community engagement, Suan San Pocket Park exemplifies shma’s design philosophy: creating resilient urban landscapes that support everyday life while strengthening local identity.
The park introduces a series of flexible public spaces, from exercise zones and jogging routes to a multi-purpose sports area, all shaped through subtle ground design. It also reopens access to the riverfront, bringing people back to a part of the city that is often physically and visually out of reach.
