The 3-storey office building would accommodate 3 design studios, each with approximately 150 sqm floor area, communal spaces, and shared circulation. Only one studio (an industrial design studio) is placed at ground level to allow for a desired back garden. We made sure that the garden can be viewed and experienced by all upon entry. Studio 2 (our architecture studio) and Studio 3 (a pet-specialty design studio) on the second and the third floor respectively would also overlook the garden from a higher perspective.
Studio 1, and the entry terrace are raised to more than one meter above the roadway in the hope that they would remain well above the torrential flood line. The raised floor separates the studio's calming experience from the more disruptive parking and roadway activities. The framed view draws us in visually, spatially it mounts the terrace passage high enough that it constantly captures the south-north wind flow throughout the year.
The garden is set in the back corner of the plot, the direction that turns away from the unrelenting solar heat and the unsettling highways from the south.
The building hugs the corner garden in an L-shaped form. The 4-meter floor-to-floor garden facades were designed to maximize transparency while creating a sense of privacy through the form of the architecture.
By extending out the column's vertical plane and the horizontal plane of the floor slab, the visual exposure between the studios and the more public zones is hindered by the protrusion of these concrete fins and ledges.
The studio-garden façade is extended inward mirroring the perpendicular relationship of the garden pocket. Not only that it serves as the main communal space, but the double-height light-filled volume distributes natural light to the far-reaching corner of the building.
The exterior-interior glass intersection forms a compelling backdrop to the 2nd and 3rd-floor foyer. The solid wood table, pantry, and wall paneling add a warm and welcoming presence to the common area.
Natural tones are the baseline of our color selection. Bridging between the exposed concrete and light Tabaek wood, the subdued tone of terracotta fits in smoothly and covers the entire building façade.
The garden façades feature a gradual bend to a concave curvature at the top of each concrete fin. The physical detail of 'caving in' softens and accentuates the rigidity of the typical grid, gaining an unexpected characteristic beyond the play of light and shadows. The detail became the featuring collaboration between all 3 studios. Our studio initiated the design concept. The other 2 studios took on the fabrication process which involved 3D printing, making the silicone mold, and casting the final polyurethane pieces to be placed into the concrete formwork.
The detail has been adapted to fit into the corner of other wall openings, which is visible from the entrance gate and the approaching street view. The expression may be subtle to others but to us, it is a constant reminder of our sweet and memorable effort.
Team:
Architect: NITAPROW Co.,Ltd.
Other participants: Dee Engineering Co., Ltd (Contractor), Pichaya Puttorngul, Poom Puttorngul
Photography: NITAPROW
Material Used:
1. Facade cladding:
Glass Facade & Aluminum Work / Modern Aluminium and Glass Co., Ltd.
Textured Spray Finish Coating / SK KAKEN (THAILAND) Co., Ltd.
2. Flooring: Polished Concrete Floor / Dee Engineering Co., Ltd
3. Elevator: KONE
4. Doors: Wood / Prathinpalidphun Co., Ltd
5. Windows: Aluminum / Alumination Ltd.
6. Roofing: Metal Sheet / Krairoek Construction Co., Ltd.
7. Interior lighting: Lighting Fixtures / Chuda Intertrade Co., Ltd.
8. Interior Built-in furniture: Prathinpalidphun Co., Ltd
