Docomomo’s Statement on the Robot Building, Bangkok

Docomomo Singapore stands with Docomomo Thai in calling for United Overseas Bank (Thai) PCL to respect the significance of the Robot Building in Bangkok and sensitively preserve its iconic exterior. The Robot Building by prominent Thai architect Sumet Jumsai is undoubtedly one of the most important Postmodernist buildings in Southeast Asia. Any insensitive alteration of its memorably whimsical exterior would be an irreparable damage to the modernist built heritage of Thailand and Southeast Asia.

In Singapore, United Overseas Bank is known as a patron of modern art and architecture. Its former headquarter building was designed by pioneer architect Lim Chong Keat—a good friend of Sumet Jumsai—and his firm Architects Team 3. For UOB’s former chairman Wee Cho Yaw, Lim also designed his house, which was one of the celebrated early modern houses in Singapore. Lim also assisted UOB to collect paintings from Southeast Asia to support regional art and artists in the 1970s. Today, UOB continues to sponsor UOB Painting of the Year competition, which as its official website notes is “the longest-running art competition in Singapore and one of the most recognised in Southeast Asia,” UOB is also currently a major sponsor of the National Gallery of Singapore.

It would be against UOB’s remarkable record of art and architectural patronage to insensitively alter and irreparably damage the exterior of one of the most important modernist buildings in Southeast Asia.