
The Museum of Modern Aluminium in Nonthaburi, Thailand, has been finished, complete with a remarkably complex façade consisting of tens of thousands of aluminium bars, many of which have a distinctive colour and texture and are lighted by concealed LED lights. The 400-square-meter structure was designed by HAS Design and Research in Bangkok for a location on the outskirts of the Thai city.

The goal is to emphasise the importance of metal in Thailand's building sector, as well as Thailand's historical significance as one of Southeast Asia's largest manufacturers. The museum is also meant to provide a respite from the city's relentless urban atmosphere.
The aluminium strips extend past the façade, along a tunnel that leads to the exhibition room. The enclosed environment on the second storey is meant to represent a "floating island."
The dandelion seeds and fireflies that used to fill the surrounding island of Ko Kret are referenced by the aluminium strips and LEDs. Seasonal plants in the second storey encourage them to reproduce.
The design approach, according to HAS Design, began with a study of Bangkok's omnipresent aluminium signboards, and then figured out a method to use the metal to link the entire structure and create "a new feeling of vernacular in Thailand's concrete jungle."
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