The brief is to design the lobby of Holiday Inns Samui hotel, with pick-up and drop-off space for guests’ vehicles and a conference room. We started thinking about the setting and the orientation of the building through existing conditions of the site. The main axis of the lobby has the north-east sea view and, along that axis, there is a big Java Plum tree that we decide to enclose its space with sphere geometries.
The design of Holiday Inns Samui lobby is inspired by the coconut shell after its meat has been grated to make Thai dessert. The building exterior is cladded with wooden shingles. The interior enclosures are made of gypsum boards, formed as three-dimensional steps. A special space is given to the lobby where we change the system of material to the hanging planes of bamboo.
There are 4 main spaces within the lobby. The first building envelope is a pick-up and drop-off space for hotel guests. It is cut on the side way to give room to vehicles. The second envelope is designed for an existing Java Plum tree with an oculus framing the sky. The third envelope is the hotel lobby. All of these spaces are arranged in linear organisation, directing the point of view of guests toward the sea. The fourth envelope is perpendicular to this axis and its space is used as a conference room.
Our design is mainly based on the existing conditions of the site, local materials in Samui Island and above all, the space envelope that make us smile.
Team:
Architect: Onion
Photography: W Workspace Company Limited
