NOT EMBEDDED TA24-S-O-Pages-copy - Flipbook - Page 52
The Elephant Archive
Junjie Fu, Assoc. AIA, and Zixiao Huang
“The proposition of the project to use the
section as a major form giver is really
interesting. To think about how you
would observe elephants both on the
ground level as well as from above, and
beginning to think about, too, our own
place on the earth as being subject to
our perspective both physically and
historically is powerful in this project.”
— Valerie Chang Greer, AIA
50 Texas Architect
9/10 2024
Nestled in Ban Ta Klang in Surin, Thailand, this
project celebrates the profound bond between
locals and their elephant companions. The village maintains an elephant graveyard with more
than 100 tombs, but its impact is hindered by a
fragmented layout renecting individual mahouts9
relationships with their elephants. The project reimagines this space as an elephant archive, where
the collective memories of the village can be
enshrined. Inspired by the imprint of elephant
footprints, the design intertwines the elephants9
essence with the earth itself to create tangible
markers of the village9s history and weave a narrative of shared experiences. Over time, the space
evolves into a repository of cherished memories, an
underground forest, and a sanctuary for humans
and nonhumans alike.
