Shaped like a sleepy robot, this building—now the headquarters of United Overseas Bank in Bangkok—brings a childish fun to Silom’s urban landscape. Originally the site of Bank of Asia, the Robot Building was designed by Sumet Jumsai, a National Artist in Architecture, to represent computerization in the world of banking. The 20-story building narrows on certain floors to create the robot’s body. Circular windows on the top floors depict lidded eyeballs while the sides of the building are decorated with robot-like components such as nuts and bolts. An antenna atop the building is used for communication purposes and for lighting.
Special thanks to W Bangkok for providing a location to photograph the building.