Tower of Dreams – in Bangkok with Chanond Ruangkritya

Asked about the last time he lost control, he thinks long and hard – but nothing comes to mind. “Sometimes my wife asks me how I can keep so calm when the kids are tearing around,” he says and laughs. 

Outside, the rain beats against the tall windows on the 37th floor of the Coco Parc residential complex with views over Benjakitti Park. Located on the expansive grounds of a former tobacco factory, the green oasis not only offers space for recreation away from the hustle and bustle of city life, but also serves an environmental function with its forest, wetlands, and lakes. Ananda Development, Ruangkritya’s real estate group, was responsible for developing the luxury apartment building close to the park, like so many other modern buildings that dominate the cityscape today. The company head calmly conducts a business call as assistants rush back and forth around him. Then he starts his playlist, which alternates between Kendrick Lamar and Drake. “If it were up to me, I’d spend 80 percent of my time listening to music.”

He moved from Thailand to the US at the young age of eight, “at his own request,” as he says. School in Florida, an economics degree in Berkeley, California. In 1998, Ruangkritya moved from the US back to Thailand to support his parents, who also had a real estate company. At that time, the Asian economic crisis had thrown everything into turmoil. The baht – the Thai currency – plummeted, and banks went bankrupt. “It was like 2008 in the US, when Lehman Brothers collapsed, except that there was no government in Thailand to bail out the banks,” recalls Ruangkritya. More than anything else, he sorted out the finances of the family business, which was fundamentally healthy. After that, the banks knew who he was. Some of the investors from that time have maintained a trusting relationship with him to this day and support his construction projects.

When he was little, as he says today, he couldn’t stand the constant stop-and-go traffic on the way to school in the booming city of Bangkok.

In the evening, the many shops bathe Yaowarat Road in the heart of Chinatown in neon light. But in the morning, before temperatures rise to 30 degrees Celsius, business activities dominate the scene.

He loves this variety. If you walk on to the river, you can see Wat Arun temple on the other side. The city’s iconic landmark stands there confidently nestled in a row of modern skyscrapers. The fact that the tall and short buildings, the old temples, and the ultramodern towers ultimately join to form a man-made panorama has always fascinated a professional like Ruangkritya, who played an active role in shaping this landscape.

“I started my long runs in preparation for marathons,” he says. It’s worth mentioning here that the avid jogger looks more like a fit 40-year-old than a 51-year-old. “Biohacking!” he says in response. He makes sure to get enough sleep, maintains an anti-inflammatory diet, meaning he prefers foods that help to reduce inflammation in the body, gets regular exercise, but also enjoys going to parties. He’s well aware that his time – including his time on earth – is limited and wants to make the most of it.

“It’s a good idea anyway for a real estate developer to explore the city on foot,” he says. That’s an absolute must for tourists too. Sometimes he takes a tuk-tuk back to his home in the Thonglor district. His garage houses 13 Porsche models, which he very rarely drives in city traffic.

We climb into an electric van and head through the city toward Thonglor. “Look at this. I have everything I need here,” explains Ruangkritya. He slides the seats back and forth and shows how the screen lowers from the ceiling when it’s time for a phone conference. The seats can even massage the passengers’ backs. All in all, this is the opposite of the Porsche RS models that Chanond Ruangkritya collects. “But this here is more of an everyday device, like a microwave,” he says. 

He wants to make a short stop at the EmSphere shopping mall, a concept developed by a friend of his. It just might be the most popular mall in a city with no shortage of shopping options. “Shopping malls are a part of our everyday culture,” says Ruangkritya. When it’s always hot outside, you come to love places that are air-conditioned throughout and offer both shopping and entertainment. At EmSphere, you’ll find a carefully curated selection of products more casual than luxurious, but also an exquisite club on the roof.

The exclusive project’s location in Thonglor is no coincidence, as Ruangkritya’s neighborhood boasts a pretty unique mix of street food and fine dining, along with hidden bars behind unassuming doors. Both elegant and attractive. The tower will house 22 residential units – rather than apartments, they’ll be “stacked villas” consisting of quadplex and duplex units. There will be a spiral-shaped ramp at the core of the tower referred to as “The Loop,” allowing him to drive his vehicle up to the “Passion Space.” “One customer is interested in setting up a Pilates studio there, while others will park their cars.” Any exhaust gas will be extracted from the Passion Spaces, which are also soundproof. “They can throw parties here without disturbing their neighbors,” explains Ruangkritya. Additional project highlights include a customizable facade, which, inspired by the “Kinetic Move” of the Targa roof mechanism and its hybrid design, features a fully automatic terrace door system that enables a seamless transition between the inside and outside.

To this day, Ruangkritya is still passionate about all things analog: internal combustion engines and manual transmissions. He takes the visitors up to the mezzanine for an even better view of the collection, which also includes two 911 GT3 RS models of generations 996 and 997 as well as a 911 Carrera RS (993). “I initially only wanted to install two levels, but my wife immediately said, ‘Do three!’ And still, I’ve run out of space.” If he wants to buy a new car, he’ll need to sell one first.

From the mezzanine, you can also read the German words on a 718 Cayman GT4, which say in red on pink, “Rüssel,” “Hals,” “Schulter,” “Wamme,” “Schinken,” and “Schwanz” (snout, neck, shoulder, jowl, ham, and tail). “An homage to the famous race car with the nickname ‘Sau’ (Pink Pig), which competed in Le Mans in 1971,” explains Ruangkritya. Many old racing posters adorn the walls of the hall. On the mezzanine, you’ll find a kitchen, a lounge suite, and two roll cages in which you can play the video game Gran Turismo.