The Met, a residential skyscraper in Bangkok by Singapore-based WOHA, founded by Wong Mun Summ and Richard Hassell, has received the Lubetkin Prize from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). WOHA was founded by Wong Mun Summ (a Singaporean) and Richard Hassell (an Australian) in 1994.
The Met is a sixty-six-storey perforated tower that uses natural ventilation to cool the apartments. The building has outdoor spaces, balconies and gardens and, by punching holes in the building and drawing air up vertical voids, the architects have introduced natural ventilation to apartments at all levels. Some of these floors are kept open to provide communal spaces, which include a garden, a gym, a fifty-metre swimming pool and other leisure facilities such as a barbecue and seating areas.
The winner of the RIBA Lubetkin Prize was announced at the RIBA Stirling Prize 2011 dinner in association with the Architects’ Journal and Benchmark on 1 October 2011 at Magna Science Adventure Centre in Rotherham, UK.
