The owner and designer's initial intention was to demolish a 60-year-old wooden house and reuse all the original house’s woods to build a one story house with more modern living spaces than the former.
We began by exploring the old house that previously the house’s living spaces convey what kind of perception to the residents. We realize that the residents’ daily activities are linked to different levels of natural light. The natural light is shaped by both permanent and temporary materials seriously, strongly, softly, and flowingly. Thus, these things give occupants a special relationship with the meaning of various materials rather than architectural materials that architects have been familiar with.
Each part’s details of this house display a complicated and intensive architectural language. We, therefore, try to use materials that showcase their simplicity as much as possible, especially wood, a material that homeowners are familiar with. Hence, steel is used to increase strength of wood. It reveals that wood is multifunctional more than we have thought in previous projects.
In addition to wood, other materials used in daily activities in the original house are anti-theft wrought iron. It is one of the house’s signatures that not only keeps the house safe, but also appears functional as a shelter or a hanger which is important for not forgetting items and able to use them easily in everyday life. We, thus, bring the wrought iron back to the new house and turned them to a familiar direction which is the front of the house.
Additionally, another part is the roof. As the climate of northern Thailand is hot and humid with heavy rainfall, the seamless roofs are therefore used with a purpose of budgetary control and its potential withstanding such an extreme weather.
One more significant and necessary thing is the overhanging eaves that cover the entire building. As we have mentioned, the weather in this region is severe affecting not only human being but also the materials such as cement and concrete. They will display signs of rupture after two years of being directly exposed to this kind of weather, causing residents to become uncomfortable with it.
Besides, there is another part that has a cultural meaning provided by local folks of northern Thailand called "Han Nam". It is like a reception area at the house’s forefront consisting of large drinking water flasks and seats for guests to relax and to have a conversation with each other for a while. It is also an area to welcome guests for a spell that is not located in the house’s private zones. The northern individuals customarily come and talk to each other in the neighborhood.
The last part is an outdoor kitchen. It is very vital that every house has the outdoor kitchen separated from the food preparation area since the local populations in the north, including the central Thai people, have a way of making food with strong flavors and smell. The outdoor kitchen is placed in a location where the air flows easily and materials that appear good for air ventilation are used because these food processes require, most importantly, the natural light.
