A strangely shaped soccer field has been praised by Time Magazine as one of the most innovative projects of 2016. The project, developed by AP Thailand, is located in the Klong Toei community in Bangkok.
AP’s unusual field followed a survey of the Klong Toei community, which sparked the decision to turn waste areas into space that would be of benefit to everyone who lived there. The result is an unusual field that, despite being unlikely to conform to league requirements, can be used by residents of the community.
Pattaraphurit Rungjaturapat, deputy chief corporate image officer of AP (Thailand), said in a statement: “During an annual internal discussion, we discussed ways and means to channel our expertise in space design into helping society so that people can live a better life. We ended up with the idea of designing something for the Klong Toei community with emphasis on turning untended or useless areas into something productive.”
“Many people wonder if a football field that is not in a rectangular shape is really playable. The problem was how to do it given the limitations, how to make it most practical. The two football fields were not just a result of thinking differently, it was a balanced design that brings the most flexibility and seamlessness to the community. The important thing is it must be usable without having to stick to the traditional shape.
“The fact that Time has selected the AP Unusual Football Field as one of 25 best inventions of 2016 is beyond our wildest imagination. But on top of everything, the paramount achievement of this project is that what we created can really meet the needs of the community because the heart of our design philosophy is the end-user who benefits from the space we created.”
