Advertisement

Roo News

The Student News Site of University of Missouri - Kansas City

Roo News

Roo News

Pedro Rodriguez.
Finding a New Home
Gracey Saavedra, Staff Writer • November 17, 2023

  UMKC senior and finance major Pedro Rodiguez knows first-hand how difficult it can be to assimilate into a new university.    As a...

The Epperson House is closed to visitors, but can be seen from the distance around campus.
The Spooky History of the Castle on Campus
Aurora Wilson, Lifestyle and Culture Editor • October 31, 2023

  Located at the corner of Cherry and 52 St., the Epperson House looms over UMKC’s campus, haunting students who dare to walk past it.    Construction...

Dr. Villamandos and Dr. Grieco in front of Sancho Panza in the Twentieth Century
UC Berkeley Art Historian To Speak on Historic Haag Murals
Lauren Zoller, Staff Writer • October 30, 2023

  A University of California Berkeley art historian will present her research on Luis Quintanilla, a world-renowned artist whose murals have...

Tayler and the cast sit as they prepare for more filming.
You Are Now Leaving Godly
Lydia Schneider, Staff Writer • October 20, 2023

  Tayler Gilbert, UMKC senior and professional photographer, is putting the final touches on his new film, “Welcome to Godly.”    Gilbert...

Abigail Weiler holds her business card.
Clayful by Abbie
Gracey Saavedra, Staff Writer • October 18, 2023

 Abigail Weiler, fourth-year political science and French major at UMKC, delivers confidence in the form of handmade polymer clay jewelry.    Her...

Celebrating Women in STEM: Kotchakorn Voraakhom

Celebrating+Women+in+STEM%3A+Kotchakorn+Voraakhom

Happy Earth Week, UMKC! Our usual events have been canceled, but it’s still been an interesting month for the planet. While cities around the world are on lockdown, people are reporting a drop in air pollution levels and a return of wildlife in urban locations. Calls for post-pandemic lower emission and bans on wildlife trade are increasing. But as we (hopefully) near the end of the crisis, a daunting question looms: what will our cities do to tackle climate change when this is over? One of the women who has been working on long-term climate solutions is landscape architect Kotchakorn Voraakhom.

Voraakhom grew up in Bangkok, Thailand. As a child, she enjoyed paddling a boat with her friends through the flooded landscape, but she didn’t yet know the dangers of rising sea levels and a sinking city. Voraakhom’s parents encouraged her to receive an education. She completed her bachelor’s in landscape architecture at Bangkok’s oldest university: Chulalongkorn University. After undergrad, she relocated to the U.S. to complete her master’s in landscape architecture from Harvard University in 2006. She also co-founded the Konkuey Design Initiative, an international collaboration to help community members rebuild public spaces like green buildings and parks.

After finishing graduate work, Voraakhom returned to Bangkok to put her new knowledge to good use. Her work became especially important in 2011, when severe flooding killed over 800 people and displaced millions, including Voraakhom’s family. A fifth of the city was left underwater. Bangkok was built on a network of canals and was referred to as the “Venice of the East.” And much like Venice, it’s one of the most at-risk communities for climate change and sea-level rises. That’s where Voraakhom’s expertise plays a critical role. In 2011, she founded her company, LANDPROCESS, to tackle rising water levels using urban landscaping. Her company has been involved in multiple high-profile projects, including designing the Thai Pavilion at the 2015 Expo in Milan.

In 2017, Voraakhom was contracted to build the city’s first public park in three decades: the Chulalongkorn University Centenary Park. Her 11-acre design included a three-degree slope to control water flow and a large retention basin, capable of absorbing a million gallons of water across the greenspace. She also included stationary bikes that aerate the water in the basin, allowing community members to participate in the flood mitigation strategy. The same year, she founded Porous City Network to educate community members and get them involved in facing climate change.

In 2018, Voraakhom’s company converted a helipad at Ramathibodi Hospital into a 1,500 square-meter rooftop garden, named after Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. In addition to acting as a healing space for patients, the garden also helps with water absorption and features a Recycle Wall made of 700 recycled saline bags. Last year, LANDPROCESS opened the largest farming green roof in Asia (36 acres) at Thammasat University. The farm grows food for hungry students and, in combination with other green spaces on the campus, can absorb more than 2.5 million gallons of water.

Voraakhom is currently working on the Bangkok 250 Plan—the city’s redevelopment efforts for its 250th anniversary in 2032. She’s a TED fellow, an Echoing Green Climate fellow, an Atlantic fellow and an Asia Foundation Development fellow. Last year, TIME Magazine named her as one of their 2019 TIME 100 Next.

Are you interested in empowering women in the STEM fields? The Women in Science (Wi-Sci) group wants you! Email President Emily Larner ([email protected]) for more information.

[email protected]

Leave a Comment
Donate to Roo News

Your donation will support the student journalists of University of Missouri - Kansas City. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.

More to Discover
Donate to Roo News

Comments (0)

All Roo News Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *