5 Rooms Guest House, and Private Residence
Bangkok
2016-2018
Location
Space
Year
Na Tanao Boutique, Bangkok
The project “Na Tanao” was formed by the long and narrow plot of 5 meters wide, located in “Phra Nakorn” an old historic district of bangkok. Surrounded by 5 storeys row houses that was occupied as a commercial property. The site depicts as “a void from the past”, an uninhabited plot shaped by rustic walls, CDU, unauthorized cantilievered windows and kitchen’s waste drains of adjacents row houses. Since there were none of legitimate uses of building regulations in thailand, neighbours wash and cook there as if the site was their back of house.
Due to those “scar” the wounded site was almost impossible to engage. In behalf of how significantly precious plot was, descendants of the owners still urge to revitalize it. Tackling illegal shutters and pipes cantilieved above the site, the owners tried to compromise surrounding habitants to agree on legal document in order to create “mutually depend unit”. Resulting in constructing with the subtlest contact on nearby row houses.
Across the site, an ancient city gate “Phraeng Sanphasart” situated. Habitants, standing in front of the building’s entrance, can look through the gate and observe local activities along “Phraeng Sanphasart Rd.” that contains temple, chinese shrines, street vendors and vibrant “Samprang Market”. Approaching the site, habitants will perceive an alignment of the road’s axis which leads to “community’s alley”. A ground floor stairs space that leads public to dine-in and observe the gate from the upper level, creating an activites between locals and habitants.
Traditional Thai House: “Air” is the first element that was concerned in the design process. By inserting new space, it results in changing the nature of nearby row house’s ventilation and possibly causes the site to become
humid and damp. Because of the site’s characteristic of an “alleyway” which consistently cover with shades, 11AM-1PM is the only period when a tropical sunlight illuminates the whole site. The sensorial qualities that the place emits was identical to vernacular thai house. A tranquil, breathing space that lies in open-air living space, integrating with the characteristic of small scale open-air room scattered across “Shaan Baan“ (Terrace); an activity-based outdoor space that connects each habitants allowing the intense breeze to activate “tropical micro-climate“.
To extrapolate this idea, the spatial quality of “scattered house” was implemented into the vertical relationship of narrow row houses, creating a “porous” between each habitants in both axis. The E shape “Shaan Baan” as a corridor connects each habitants within the building. Inside each unit, there is another layer of open-air corridor that lead to bedroom, living room and bathroom. The gesture of “porous” allows restaurant and cafe in the common area to have the “tropical micro-climate” without activating air conditioner. Each unit framed the rustic and raw atmosphere of adjacents historical row house’s wall. Combining with tilted walls, it allows the light to cast through each void and illuminate ground floor common space.
The building is divided into 2 compartments; wet and dry. Wet area consists of toilet, roof and a main wall that acts as a shaft for mechanical system. These elements reveal the density of brick wall cladded with natural clay tiles. Dry area consists of main stairs, lobby, restaurant, cafe and housing unit which are mainly composed of local wood elements. Complementing with a light structure, the steel components are then cantilevered, creating layers of amalgamation between light and heavy structure. By having 15 meters wall, the absence of mass reduces and fracture the space to become hollow and airy. The suspended small unit increases exposure in every direction and broaden the alleyway typology. Resulting in “porous living” as a respond to historical urban context.
