Thailand: Patama Roonrakwit
Born in 1968 in Bangkok, Thailand, Patama Roonrakwit is the founder of Community Architects for Shelter and Environment (CASE Studio), an architectural firm in Bangkok, Thailand (1997–). She holds a bachelor’s in architecture from Silpakorn University in Bangkok, and a master’s degree in development practice from the Centre for Development and Emergency Practice at Oxford Brookes University in Oxford, England. CASE Studio designs with a humanitarian and participatory approach; their work has involved urban redevelopment for underprivileged communities in Thailand, designing post-tsunami shelters, and creating community spaces. In addition to her architectural practice, Roonrakwit has served as a field course tutor for Oxford Brookes University, which provided her the opportunity to lead international workshops in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos about applying a humanitarian and participatory approach to architecture (1999–). She also contributed the chapter “Patama Roonrakwit” to the anthology Humanitarian Architecture (2014). Roonrakwit earned a Global Award for Sustainable Architecture (2016), an honorable mention in the “Women and Architecture” category for the arcVision Prize (2015), and the Silpathorn Award from the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture at the Ministry of Culture of Thailand (2010).
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