Mr. Asae Sukhyanga, President of the Association of Siamese Architects under Royal Patronage, stated that Architect'69, now in its 38th consecutive edition, is the largest building technology exhibition and the most influential architectural exhibition in ASEAN. The event will be held from 28 April to 3 May 2026 at Challenger Hall, IMPACT Muang Thong Thani, under the theme "SATI : WISDOM : PROMPT." The theme reflects an understanding of the current situation marked by rapid changes across multiple dimensions, including economic competition, employment, and the accelerated advancement of artificial intelligence. These factors play a significant role in shaping and challenging lifestyles and patterns of thinking. In this context, architecture must understand, adapt, and prepare to support societal well-being and to help drive the direction of Thai architecture toward the international stage.
To ensure the event is conducted in a complete and comprehensive manner, the Association has organized a special activity, ASA Experimental Competition 2026, opening applications for a design competition to select outstanding works for exhibition within "Architect'69." The competition invites designers, including professionals, amateurs, students, and members of the general public, to submit creative design proposals under the theme "Hybridized Wisdoms Architecture Across Multiple Intelligences." Architecture has long been defined as a process of negotiation among various creative factors. At present, the scope of this negotiation is expanding. While human skills and cultural knowledge remain essential, these elements must also interact with nonhuman intelligences that are playing an increasingly important role, including ecological processes, climate systems, computational models, and artificial intelligence.
The competition seeks to address the question of what architecture may become when design emerges from collaboration between humans and machines, as well as with nature and materials. It considers how architecture can be designed to coexist with ecosystems, with materials that possess behaviors and undergo change, and with artificial intelligence capable of prediction and creative generation, allowing architects and designers to present design works
that arise from such processes. Design proposals are encouraged to emerge from "negotiation" rather than "domination", embracing multiple intelligences to jointly create spaces that are ethical, flexible, and rich in imagination for the future. For this competition, the Association does not restrict the use of artificial intelligence or other nonhuman tools in the creative process. However, submitted works must clearly specify the role, scope, and level of influence of each tool used, and must explain the human contribution, clearly demonstrating where human decision making, skills, and wisdom remain essential.
The President of the Association of Siamese Architects under Royal Patronage stated that the selection of works will be considered by a jury panel comprising five distinguished Thai and international architects and experts. The jury members include Chatpong Chuenrudeemol (CHAT Architects), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Surapong Lertsittichai (IDYLLIAS Co., Ltd.), Luca Bussolino (CRA Carlo Ratti Associati), Cecilia Tham (Future Synthesist), and Miho Mazereeuw (Urban Risk Lab and Associate Professor, School of Architecture and Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology). The judging criteria are as follows.
- Creativity (40%), the ability to generate interesting and original ideas.
- Relevance and interest in interpreting the brief (30%), the presentation of new ideas in defining "Hybridized Wisdoms Architecture Across Multiple Intelligences," including narrative depth and interest.
- Clarity of communication (30%), clarity in presenting design concepts. Presentation techniques will not be considered as part of the evaluation criteria.
The competition accepts submissions in 2 categories, Student and General Public, including architects, urban planners, designers, artists, and analysts. Entries may be submitted individually or as a team, with no restrictions on age, gender, nationality, or number of submissions. All submitted works must not have been previously published and must not be built works or completed projects. Participants must hold full legal and intellectual property rights for all submitted materials. Any submission containing materials or components not owned by the participant will be disqualified. If any infringement is later discovered, any awarded prizes will be revoked immediately.
For the General Public category, the first prize winner will receive a cash prize of 100,000 THB, the second prize 50,000 THB, and the third prize 30,000 THB. Three honorable mention awards will receive certificates. In the Student category, the first prize winner will receive a cash prize of 50,000 THB, the second prize 30,000 THB, and the third prize 20,000 THB. Three honorable mention awards will receive certificates. Interested participants may register to enter the competition free of charge starting from 10 February 2026. The submission deadline is 9 April 2026. The jury will conduct the first round of selection on 16 April 2026. The selected works to be exhibited at Architect'69, as well as the award winning entries, will be announced on 21 April 2026. The award ceremony will take place on 3 May 2026 at Architect'69. Applicants may register and find further information at www.asacompetition.com.