AADA & AHA 2026 Juror - Kulthida Songkittipakdee: Championing Vernacular Intelligence In Contemporary Architecture
Kulthida Songkittipakdee stands out as one of the most influential architects and educators in Thailand and across Asia. She is recognized for an architectural language that sensitively integrates cultural innovation, environmental intelligence, and contemporary design thinking into sustainable and ecological solutions.
As the co-founder of the award-winning Thai firm, Jenchieh Hung + Kulthida Songkittipakdee / HAS design and research, widely known as HAS design and research, alongside architect and professor Jenchieh Hung, she has helped establish a practice acclaimed for its vernacular, sustainable, and evolutionary approach to architecture, shaping projects that deeply respond to context, community, and climate.
Kulthida Songkittipakdee’s international recognition is marked by a series of landmark distinctions. She became the first Thai architect featured in the Wallpaper* Architects' Directory in Wallpaper* magazine from the United Kingdom, positioning Thai contemporary practice on the global stage. She was also the first architect from Asia selected by the Renzo Piano Foundation to collaborate with the Renzo Piano Building Workshop in Paris, an experience that profoundly informed her research-driven methodology and global outlook. In 2025, she was invited to serve as a juror for the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) - RIBA International Awards: Asia Pacific Awards, as well as a lifetime honorary professor at Kunming University of Science and Technology, further affirming her international standing in architectural evaluation and discourse.
In 2024, Kulthida Songkittipakdee was appointed chairman of The Association of Siamese Architects under Royal Patronage (ASA) - ASA Architect Expo, where she curated Thailand’s premier international architecture exhibition, an influential platform that brings together global practices, emerging voices, and interdisciplinary dialogue. Her leadership role reflects a broader commitment to strengthening professional exchange and public engagement with architecture. Alongside her practice, Kulthida Songkittipakdee is deeply committed to architectural education and research. She serves as a visiting professor at Tongji University and Chulalongkorn University, as well as an adjunct/visiting professor at King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, and an adjunct professor at Donghua University, World University of Design. Her academic roles underscore her influence in shaping architectural thinking across Asia.
An accomplished author, Kulthida Songkittipakdee has published four monographs, including Arch Life and Rhythm (2016), THE Improvised: Phetkasem Artist Studio (2021), From MANufAcTURE to Architecture: Museum of Modern Aluminum (2024), and Chameleon Architecture: Shifting / Adapting / Evolving (2025). These works collectively articulate a research-led practice that views architecture as an adaptive system - responsive to nature, culture, and the evolving rhythms of contemporary life.
Key Highlights:
Core Disciplines: Architectural Design, Sustainable Innovation, Vernacular Materials
Leadership Experience: Principal Architect at HAS design and research; Chairman of ASA Architect Expo 2024
Global Recognition: Juror for the UK’s RIBA, the US’s IDA, and Thailand’s ASA
Academic Influence: Visiting Professor at Tongji and Chulalongkorn; Guest Editor of the ARCASIA Journal
As a juror for the 2026 Asia Architecture Design Awards (AADA) and Asia Hospitality Awards (AHA), Kulthida Songkittipakdee brings a rare combination of critical rigor, cultural sensitivity, and international perspective, advocating for architecture that is intelligent, contextual, and meaningfully connected to society.
