Suan Dusit Arun: one year of an 11,200 sq m rooftop park easing Bangkok’s urban pressures

# What happened Suan Dusit Arun, an 11,200 sq m public rooftop park at Dusit Central Park in central Bangkok, passed its first anniversary on 3 September 2026 and released its initial visitor, community, and environmental performance figures. The park averaged 2,621 unique daily visitors across the 12-month reporting period and recorded more than 951,000 visits in year one.

# Where it sits in the city The park occupies the rooftop landscape linking Dusit Thani Bangkok hotel, Central Park Offices, Central Park shopping centre, and a 69-storey residential tower (Dusit Residences and Dusit Parkside). It is the largest public rooftop park in Bangkok's central business district and offers elevated views across Lumpini Park.

# Design and planting strategy Design choices respond to wind flow and solar orientation and draw on Feng Shui principles intended to create balance between people and place. Approximately 98% of the layered landscape is planted. There are 184 plant varieties, including 48 native Thai species. The planting mix contains native shade trees, flowering and climate-adapted plants, and species selected to support pollinators, such as mangrove apple and queen's crape myrtle.

The park includes nine tree species listed in threatened categories on the IUCN Red List: two Critically Endangered, two Endangered, and five Vulnerable. It also incorporates culturally significant species — for example, jasmine associated with Mother's Day — and sacred spirit trees referenced in Thai literature.

# Environmental performance measurements Monitoring carried out on 13–14 March 2026 provided an early snapshot of microclimate and air quality. Measured air temperature inside the park was about 31°C compared with 33°C outside the project area. During the monitoring period, suspended particulate matter concentrations were roughly 35% lower within the park than outside.

Water management is part of the operational approach: harvested or recycled water supplies about 25% of irrigation demand, supported by an automated, timer-controlled irrigation system. The planted rooftop is estimated to reduce stormwater runoff entering the city drainage system by 30–50% compared with a conventional hard-surfaced roof.

# Public use, programming and community engagement

# Leadership statement and next steps Chanin Donavanik, Group CEO of Dusit International, framed the project as a public landscape with social and environmental purpose and noted the park's first-year visitation figures as evidence of public value. Dusit intends to continue monitoring the park's performance and to report contributions over time.

# Bottom line Suan Dusit Arun shows how a rooftop landscape of planted surfaces, targeted species selection, water reuse and managed public programming can deliver steady public use alongside measurable local cooling, lower particulate concentrations and reduced stormwater runoff in a dense central business district.