U T T H A Y A N
CAVE DIVING PLATFORM PROTOTYPE PROJECT
KHAO SOK NATIONAL PARK
Khao Sok national park is located in Surat Thaini in the southern part of Thailand. The national park is known for one of the biggest rainforest in the south and also for the famous Ratchaprapa Dam which was constructed in 1982. Due to the construction, huge area of land, forest, were sink beneath underwater destroying many homes of animal and many history of the nature. People visiting the national park only experience the nature from the horizon and what were left above the water, leaving the forgotten gem of nature 70 meters underneath the water. My project will unveal the beauty of the post-dam natural landscape that are now ready to be rediscover to the eyes of the world.
THE PROTOTYPE PROJECT
I'm proposing a sustainable design for both the environmental and recreational activity
Where i'm designing a diving center which allow people to experience the best cave diving and also preserving the cave.
I divided my concept into 5 main ideas
1: my design can be built and put into many situation and places
2: my design should used primitive material that can be easily find in the area
3: it should be easy to construct.
4: it should not destroy or damage the least to the natural elements.
5: it should provide the best experience for the users.
The location of the cave mouth where it does not effect the cave environment as a place to construct the diving center. The bamboo structure act similar to a suspention bridge where all the force are push and transfer to the base which are the cave. With the structure that are mounted into the cave surface, it creates stability which are very fundamental in building up others additional structure, rather than increase by spreading the area the structure now allows the design to expand in vertical direction.
THE DESIGN PROGRAMS
This diving center act as a transition for cave divers from traveling to the dam and before the dive, as in the pass many individual tours came by boat and start diving from the boat which i found that it's quite dangerous due to lack of support facilities.
The diving center are layered into 4 layers
1: the transition layer , where the boat from the pier at the damn comes in and enter the station before visitors prepare for the dive
2: the service layer, where all the facilities for diving are facilitate
3: the users space
4: the residential and further extension layer, where it can be add up and further on.
In the dive, divers will experience the old forest that lied at the bottom of the water the moment they start diving down, the forest are also home of many fishes in the damn, as you get deeper into the cave the landscape will totally change from large limestone pillar to a very narrow path, as the divers go deeper the light wont be able to get inside and now they are experiencing the real cave diving, a beautiful stalagmite will be seen deeper in the cave through flash lights, the trip will distance will be approximately 300 meters into the cave and the maximum depth is approximately 40 meters, the trip will takes about 2 hours to finish in the provided guide, the center also provide new exploration into the cave due to the cave haven't all been discover yet.
Finally, my project would bring the whole new dimension to the cave divers where it would be more safe, the exploring and recreation would have more meaning, Khao Sok will now not me name only for beautiful scenic view of the above sea landscape but should also be know for one of the most unforgettable cave diving experience with the most extravagant natural phenomenon under the water that will never be forget again.
