This was an easy start to my @thailife urban exploring. This swimming pool lies just three hundred metres from my front door and has been closed down and for sale for all of the six years I've lived here.
I pass this place almost everyday of my life and have long been fascinated by its history. Sadly, it was simply a financial victim of the local council deciding to open a free swimming pool in the fitness park that was built almost 10 years ago now. No murders, drowning, scandal or gossip I'm afraid to say which to be honest, I didn't think there was because had that been the case, there would be shrines all over, clothes hanging from trees, spirit houses and collections of plastic animals by the roadside!
So the first problem, which is always the main issue as I've found from reading @slobberchops excellent posts, is how to get in...
Except it wasn't a problem. The front door was open!
Result! Unlike old @slobberchops, I didn't need to climb up my zimmer frame for access, risking life and limb scrambling over rotten wooden floorboards through piles of pigeon shit. In Thailand, everything is made from reinforced concrete. It lasts forever. We do have another problem though, even in Bangkok. Snakes!
I'm going to cut to the chase here though because although I had hoped to spice up this post with pictures of a huge Boa, or even a beautiful Golden Tree snake, not one single snake could I find, and I did look...but perhaps not too hard!
Anyway. Here we go!
It looks old and dilapidated but its certainly a striking building that's built in what I like to call 'Thai unintentional brutalism', which applies to 90% of buildings here!
You can also see in this shot that the front door is ajar. It wasn't always like that, for many years there was a huge chain and padlock wrapped around the handles which has mysteriously vanished.
Pepsi and 'Mirange' orange sales have been in a slump since the pool closed down!
The other problem with going in through the windows were it would be very easy to drop down one of coverless grates along the front. The tyres placed to cover them were perhaps stopping car wheels from dropping in but very little else.
I'm very happy that 'Goldman' aren't managing my assets!
The building itself looked shabbly but had very little external damage. A scrub down and a coat of paint would have been all it needed. The benefits of concrete render.
Through the front doors and by the staircase on the right, the first signs of life.
It wasn't beyond the realms of possibility that people could be living here as it was becoming clear that the roof must be in pretty good shape as we have had an awful lot of rain this year, it was still raining when I was in here hence the dull photos, and we do have a couple of homeless and druggies hanging around the area who cna often be found sleeping outside a 7/11 on a night.
There were a couple of bags of old food and some quite new water bottles and so venturing upstairs, it looked like a glue sniffer had been in.
I'm not sure what the shampoo was for. If anyone who is familiar with the fine art of glue sniffing could leave me a comment, I'd be grateful. Of course, maybe he just wanted to also wash his hair...
OK, let's get onto the money shots, the swimming pool...
Not one, not two but three pools! Two of which were still full of water with a stunning greean covering of algae on top which never even rippled meaning no snakes and no giant water monitors.
There were many vantage points to take shots from upstairs because as well as having all the windows removed, a balcony ran around the full perimeter of the L-shaped building.
Some fine timbers that must have once held up a shaded gazebo to protect the swimmers from the harsh sun...we do get some sun ocassionally here in Thailand!
This must have been a paddling pool with a waterfall once upon a time.
The buildings you can see to the rear were once changing rooms and toilets...
Now you know how to spell 'woman' and 'depth' in Thai. At 2.2m deep, I'm glad I didn't fall in but you do wonder; "What lies beneath?"
Someone had had away with all the sinks (Yes I did notice the bra on the floor!) and that was the general theme throughout that all the fittings had been removed sadly, except for...
...the squatters in the traps. I will save you the horror of the inside view!
The rest of the internals of the building were pretty much intact other than some holes in the plasterboard ceilings.
Even the majority of the removed glass from the windows sat on the floor unbroken, but what happened to the frames, I wonder? You can see in this space, the light fittings remained.
There wasn't even much of a clue to suggest what had been in these wide open spaces although I was informed that the upstairs had been a gym...
...which had cost 60B an hour to use, there was very little to go on.
My guess is that downstairs was a cafe as there were some signs that there may have been a kitchen at one time by the look of the large extractor on the far wall.
So there was no incredible art that Bangkok is famous for. No interesting fittings or paperwork. No hidden, secret rooms ready to give up their secrets and no scary history. On a wet and miserable day it was just an abandoned shell of a building with almost nothing to see.
Except...
I couldn't help feeling a little sad for the old place as I could almost hear the squeals of delight as kids played and splashed around in the water on a hot sunny day and then I found myself trying to imagine what use this place could be put to that didn't involve tearing it down, levelling the land and building yet more inspiration less townhouses or yet another grey condo block.
And then it came to me, how wonderful if it were turned into house, with a huge walled garden, a provate compound for an extended family to live in and of course, it has a swimming pool already in place.
From a developers point of view, the hard work is done. Foundations, columns and roof are all there, in this style of building, all you do is fill the gaps between the posts. With a little imagination, it could be such an amazing space!
This wasn't just a random choice. I have been studying online architecture and design courses with Domestika all year and needed a big project for an asessment. What would you do with it @storiesoferne ?
That of course, will be a post for another day!
Thanks so much for reading and I hope everyone is having a great weekend. The next 'explore' I will do will involve some awesome street art AND hopefully some wildlife.
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Is it monsoon season or something?
@livinguktaiwan will be sorely disappointed.
Did you solo it? Here things are very doable, there.. I would be fearing for my life.
I did go alone. There are signs on the door saying private property, no entry, in Thai....the wife translated a picture, but as I can't read Thai, I didn't do anything wrong lol
I was sure some one would be dossing there but it didn't look like it. I just kept away from the edge, and watched where I stepped. Got my eye on a few more places now but I fear they're all going to be pretty boring from a photo point of view.
As for the weather, it is the rainy season but this year has been the worst I've known. Bloody freezing. Down to mid 20s on a night ;-)
If that's 25C then you are turning into a right big girl. 20F.., no.., I don't believe you!
Wow! I guess it was about time for you to actually investigate that dilapidated building in your neighborhood after postponing the visit for many years. I'm glad your safety wasn't compromised as no homeless criminals and wild animals like snakes were there to greet you in person, haha 😁 Better to be safe than sorry!
Since its main infrastructure is composed entirely of exposed reinforced concrete, I like the way you nicknamed its design character as 'Thai Unintentional Brutalism". Obviously, the appearance of the exterior facade clearly speaks for itself, thus having striking similarities to this specific architectural style.
In my opinion, you've got 2 options to consider if you plan to invest and redevelop an urban resort property like that.
Check the structural integrity of all the buildings including the swimming pools for the possibility of architectural renovation. If seismic stability is not a major concern, then redeveloping everything with a brand new facelift would work fine.
On the other hand, if most of the structural assessments fail, then total demolition of the existing property would be a better alternative. This means starting from scratch, as if you're buying a fresh piece of land, including planning, designing, and constructing everything from that point.
If it's much cheaper to start a new project from scratch by demolishing everything rather than investing in costly repairs, assessments, modifications, and renovations in the long run, the former would definitely skip the headaches and stress, adding more value to your budget.
Does this make sense? What are your thoughts @nathen007?
WE dont really have issue with Earthquakes here and the main structure didnt show signs of even a crack but even so, as you say, the cost of turning it into something might be much more than simply levelling it although they advertise it as land with a free swimming pool and the price is based just on the land size yet no one has fancied doing the demolition it seems.
I would definitely go for big house, with enclosed, beautiful gardens and just keep the smaller pool. The buildings at the back would be turned into garages and my workshop! It's actually in a very good location, close to motorways and an easy drive downtown so if someone did take it on, I am sure they could sell it as a finished project.
Too much money for me sadly, its the sort of thing I'd happily potter about renovating untill my dying day!
Sounds awesome! Your idea of constructing a huge private mansion with a pool, gardens, workshops, and other lifestyle amenities is truly every man's dream. Time-permitting and with the availability of finances, perhaps that plan could still be realized. Optimism helps in the realization of our projects. Age doesn't matter as long as what you're accomplishing makes you happy. That's what matters the most. 😊
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"fine art of glue sniffing"... I laughed until tears