Preface

In 1997, Architects 49 Ltd. published its first book on houses called House Design Architects 49 which was sold worldwide. Its success lead to numerous books on residential architecture by Architects 49 Ltd., including The Master Architect Series: Architects 49 published in 2000, 250 Record Houses: Architects 49 published in 2009 and House by A49 Once again in 2010, Architects 49 has released a new book under the name of House A49: A New Tropical Dimension. This book is a record of the completed works of Architects 49 from the past three years. The featured nine houses contain various architectural forms and locations, built for inner city residents, suburban areas and country side vacation homes. Each design architect thoroughly describes their house concept and has selected the best photographic images to communicate to the reader. Each house is a result of the architects creativity and imagination combined with the clients needs. It is the vision of Architects 49 to produce houses that respond to every requirement while integrating functionality and context. We also believe a great understanding of each locations climate and geography is important, allowing the architecture to harmonize with nature and surroundings. Every architect at Architects 49 wishes to see clients enjoy the designed spaces and feel pleasure in occupying their houses. This satisfaction should be lasting. Home maintenance and household management must be effortless. Every house selected for this book has satisfied these requirements. Designing residential houses is a highly applied art requiring careful articulation and years of development. It is the intention of Architects 49 to keep going forward, creating innovative houses to match peoples ever changing lifestyles. More importantly, we want to record the journey of house creation through the publishing of books and other forms of media. It is also our intention that students and other interested people learn and apply this knowledge to improve the architecture profession. On behalf of all architects at Architects 49 Ltd. I would like to thank each of the owners of the houses featured in this book for their support and allowing us to publish their houses. The owners dedication in working with the architects is greatly appreciated. Without their trust and confidence in our architects these houses would not be as beautiful as they appear here. I must thank every architect who has assisted us in completing this book, as well as the staff at Li-Zenn publications who have designed and published this book.

Nithi Sthapitanonda President Architect / National Artist Hon. FJIA (Japan), Hon. FAIA (USA)
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Introduction

Houses by A49 | A New Tropical Dimension

Extreme Functionalism
Looking at residential design of recent decades, it is evident that some houses bear the stylistic signature of their designers. Others answer strictly to local climate and place, here Glenn Murcutts steel vernacular comes to mind. More recently, many architects have gravitated toward a new avant-garde, which poses valid questions concerning the act of building and dwelling itself. This is seen in the work of UN Studio, Sou Fujimoto or Anupama Kundoo, to name but a few. Their creative and sometimes critical solutions represent a new generation of residential architecture with new materials, tectonics, and formal and spatial languages. Many designs, however, merely fit in the ebb and flow of architectural trends. Such a vast variety in residential design may be a symptom of the socio-cultural milieu of contemporary society. In an age of information overflow, conceptual and stylistic diversity in architectural design gains full momentum. Architecture based simply on functional requirements, a Modern tenet, becomes too mundane. To be true, architecture must now contribute to a meaningful environment. It must communicate effectively and poetically. From simple and familiar referents to which people can easily relate, the architectonic forms constantly evolve into highly sophisticated, fascinating and even high-brow art objects. Occasionally, the architectural language becomes so complex one wonders if such a language is meant only for the architect themselves. It is evident from the nine houses in this volume that Architects 49s residential design philosophy is not avant-garde, neither is form used as a super-concept. These houses represent the firms core belief in an architecture which serves its purpose. They answer creatively to the specific demands of the inhabitants and specific geographical and climatic concerns. There are no external ideas or concepts lending the houses their form and spatial organization. But rather the architecture stems from the climate, the strong tropical sun and rain, the sites terrain and surroundings, and the way of life, aesthetic tastes, beliefs and dreams of the inhabitants. But is that it? Isnt there any other special ingredient which sets these Architects 49 houses apart from the rest? To say these houses are designed to follow function or to taam jai phu yuu may sound clich. Yet, a closer analysis of these houses reveals that such an aphorism might not be too far from the truth. In fact, one might say that Architects 49 has taken this idea to the extreme. In each house, not only have the designers provided for the clients spatial requirements, they have also paid considerable attention to the details of Stylistically speaking, the formal language of each house is indeed affected by both the designers predilection and current trends. Such preference is seldom predetermined, but rather an outcome of a collaborative effort and constant communication between designer and client. This contributes to the subtle and reserved tone of the houses in this volume, with perhaps a few exceptions. One of these is the VR Residence, whose distinctive formal language derives from a different tectonic, as it is the first house by Architects 49 to use steel structure exclusively. The other two housesBaan Bang Sarae and Cho Residence find their inspiration through the owners preference. Baan Bang Sarae combines Western comfort and Eastern tectonic while a fond memory of New England was the main influence for Cho Residence. In terms of architectural style, one cannot help but notice a slight shift since the houses featured in House Volume 2. The familiar Architects 49 stylehouses with prominent and finely detailed hip roofs, well-proportioned masses and a unique sense of rhythmhas gradually faded. In its place come houses with a more contemporary look, those favoring clean lines and pure rectangular box volumes with roofs receding from plain view. A fewsuch as Baan Pracha Uthit and Baan Windmillhave abandoned pitched roofs in favor of reinforced concrete slabs. Such a shift in architectural language, along with other explorations of form and material, will be even more apparent in projects to come. each and every specific activity. How these daily activities are carried out in the lives of the inhabitants becomes crucial information that informs space, form and architectonic design as a whole. What results is not merely an architectural object, but a dwelling place in which the daily lives of the inhabitants can take place meaningfully, where aesthetic pleasure is not limited to outward form only but extends into the experience of daily living. Ready-built villas in housing developments are like ready-to-wear clothesquick and convenient, but the quality may vary and the shape and size will not fit every body type. Custom design houses, on the other hand, are more like tailor-made clothes designed and made by those with creativity and expertise, promising a better fit and workmanship. The quality of tailor-made pieces is, nevertheless, dependent largely upon the artistic and technical skills and experience of those involved. With that analogy in mind, the house in this volume are as if fine couture, exceptionally beautiful and meticulously created from select materials by experienced designers to fit every move perfectly while lending great comfort to the wearer. Craftsmanship and attention to detail are key criteria in the design of these houses, evident in the way electrical, mechanical and other supporting systems are efficiently integrated into the design while allowing easy maintenance.

No matter what the style, these nine houses still share Architects 49s tropical design principles, which become manifest through the design of the volumes, floor plans and architectural elements. In these houses, the volumes are relatively narrow, with large functional spaces arranged in a linear fashion and interlaced by pocket gardens and/or pools. Corridors are mostly single-loaded and living spaces endowed with windows on at least two walls so as to allow day light and natural ventilation throughout. Such a linear configurationwith two or more volumes connected by a walkway or a bridge-like pathis so common in Architects 49 residential design that it is virtually a design formula. Yet, with a creative and poetic touch, such a formulaic organization enriches the spaces with airiness, filling them with daylight, cool breezes and pleasant views of green landscapes. Another instance of their tropical design principles is evident in the architectural elements, particularly the long projected eaves. This feature is not simply limited to the houses with pitched roofs, but also applies to those with less prominent roofs and those with flat concrete roofs also. In Baan Bang Sarae, for example, the sublime proportions of the Asian vernacular-inspired thatched roofs are designed to mimic the grand silhouette of the houses mountainous backdrop, thus becoming the characteristic feature. Meanwhile, the clean horizontal roof lines of Baan Windmill and Baan Pracha Uthit are projected and the exterior walls pushed back, forming efficient shading devices for both sun and rain. As such, the Modernist boxes are adapted to fit beautifully and efficiently in a tropical context. In the end, to label these houses functionalist may not be too inaccurate. It must be noted, however, that here function is to be defined in a broader sensemeaning not simply in the familiar utilitarian denotation. Rather, as the renown semiologist Umberto Eco points out, architecture, like other functional objects, conveys not one but two kinds of functionutilitarian or primary function and symbolic or secondary function, with the latter enhancing and/or clarifying the former. A house, for example, has sheltering as its main utilitarian function, and perhaps tropical, modern, austere, or contemporary Asian as the symbolic function clarifying the specific manner in which that sheltering act takes shape. As such, something along the line of extreme functionalism encapsulates the ideas and principles behind the design. This is especially so when considering another connotation of the term functioni.e. the result of the action of one quantity upon another. With that in mind, these nine houses are conceivably poetic functions of the sun, the wind, the land and the lives that go on in and around themnothing more, nothing less.

M.L. Piyalada D. Thaveeprungsriporn Ph.D in Architecture ( History & Theory ) University of Michigan, USA. Assistant Professor Department of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand

Notes In spite of its many connotations and long history in architectural discourse, the term function(s) is used here in a more familiar utilitarian sense, one which is rather common in architectural circle. For further details, see Adrian Forty, Function in Words and Buildings: A Vocabulary of Modern Architecture (London: Thames and Hudson, 2000), 174-95. The old Thai saying Plook Ruan Taam Jai Phu Yuu, Phook Ou Taam Jai Phu Nawn literally means Build the house according to its dwellers desire, Set up the bedding chamber according to (s)he who sleeps in it. This, however, has a more general connotation, that is, to let (s)he who is affected by the action be the one who decides how to act. Umberto Eco, Function and Sign: Semiotics in Architecture, in Rethinking Architecture, ed. Neil Leach (London and New York: Routledge, 1997), 182-202. Forty, 174.
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Baan Pracha Uthit

Year : 2006-2009 Location : Pracha Uthit Road, Bangkok, Thailand Area : 1,200 sq.m. Associated Firms : Interior Architect : Leo International Design Group Structural Engineer : Architectural Engineering 49 System Engineer : M&E Engineering 49

An Urban Oasis
The house is located in the Pracha Uthit district, a relatively low-density area in the northeastern suburb of Bangkok. With the site currently surrounded by empty plots of land, the house lay-out was based on a projection of the future physical surroundings, when urban development arrives. As a result, the streamlined boxes are organized to frame an open courtyard, a lush oasis which the whole house can enjoy. Another inspiration for the houses interlocking volumes came from Frank Lloyd Wrights Falling Water, one of the owners favorites. However, with such different physical site conditions, Falling Waters floating horizontal planes are re-interpreted as interlocking rectangular boxes of varying materials hovering one above another and anchored at the top by a vertically-oriented wooden box. Here a rather grave color palette, namely khaki and dark brownish slate walls, weathered wood planes, black window frames and stainless steel details are those commonly associated with the male owners line of work, hence a representation of his self. Together the rectangular masses of the house act as frames in various ways. The front porch, for instance, not only takes the shape of a frame, but also serves to highlight the presence of magnificent classic cars, private collectibles which bring pride and joy to the owner. From there, one proceeds to the entry veranda which is framed by the living room to one side, and the rugged slate wall of the pool house on the other. The pool house sits at a slight angle to the main house, constricting the entrance space, thus intensifying the contrast between the narrow entryway and the relaxing and lively courtyard beyond. The contrasting color palettes between the two areasthe solemn urban shades of brown at the entryway and the bright vivacious hues of the pool and garden livened up by morning sunlighthelp intensify the effect even further. The fact that all the major living spaces are arranged around this delightful courtyard space makes the green yard and the blue pool the heart of the house, the one key element that everyone can appreciate amidst the houses mundane surroundings.

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Baan Windmill
Year : 2001-2004 Location : Bang Na - Trat Road, Samut Prakan, Thailand Area : 1,270 sq.m. Associated Firms : Interior Architect : Deca Atelier Landscape Architect : Landscape Architects 49 Structural Engineer : Wisit Engineering Consultant System Engineer : Wisit Engineering Consultant

Suburban Smart Box

From the beginning the design of Baan Windmill revolves around ideas of boxes. The clean abstract geometrical form speaks to the young owners taste for things modern. Yet it seems that a simple box would hardly suffice to signify the savoir-faire of contemporary life. As a result, the architects had an idea of smart boxesones that add striking twists to the otherwise omnipresent box forms. One salient characteristic of these smart boxes is that they appear to defy gravity in one way or another by means of transparency, tectonic articulation and structural challenge such as extra-cantilevered volumes and planes. The master bedroom, for example, appears to hover over the swimming pool. Beside these architectonic maneuvers, striking elements such as the floating staircase with its entwining folded planes or the glass box stairs to the 3rd floor bedrooms jutting out of a pristine solid plane lend the house exciting box variations. In other words, they push the limits of an ordinary box without losing order and simplicity. Moreover, while many box-shaped buildings sacrifice sunshades and rain-sheltering elements in favor of a clean abstract form, the streamlined boxes at Baan Windmill are more climate savvy. The long eaves, sunshades and wood screens are an integral part of the formal language. To make the most of its prime location on a scenic golf course, the houses floor plan is configured in an H-shape. This allows for a perfect balance between vista, privacy and natural ventilation. The result is an animated interplay of mass and space, with semi-enclosing courtyards forming a uniquely welcoming entry way on one side and a covered terrace and a swimming pool on the other. Approaching the house from the main gate, one experiences a rhythmic succession of space. First is the entrance courtyard which lends the entrance experience a relaxing touch and whose configuration sets this house apart from other Architects 49 work. This courtyard is separated from the covered terrace by a transparent entrance hall. A free-standing wall delineates its far end while allowing space to spill over, creating a sense of curiosity and expectation. On the other side of the wall lies the pool courtyard, with its stately double-height covered terrace and, finally, the lake and golf course beyond. The visual sequence is enhanced by such architectonic detail as an infinity edge pool, linking the pool with the lake. The borrowed scenery of the golf course is achieved, at least partly, by the third floor rectangular mass that frames the open space above the bridgelike corridor.

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Baan Dusit
Year : 2003-2006 Location : Ratchawithi Road, Bangkok, Thailand Area : 1,300 sq.m. Associated Firms : Interior Architect : Interior Architects 49 Landscape Architect : Charu-Bhakara Structural Engineer : Wisit Engineering Consultant System Engineer : Wisit Engineering Consultant Lighting Consultant : 49 Lighting Consultant

Transparent Logic
Baan Dusit is situated in a tightly knitted residential area on a major street in inner Bangkok. Within this urban context, the architects make use of large existing trees along the sites front edge shielding the house from polluted air and jarring traffic noise. The private living areas are pushed to the very back of the site so as to preserve a sense of tranquility and privacy in the inhabitants daily lives. Despite being relatively compact, due to its urban nature, one sees different functional spaces arranged in a somewhat linear organization. This frames the green landscape and lets in plenty of natural light and ventilation. On the ground level every living space comes in direct contact with either the tropical garden or swimming pool, a pleasant and extraordinary feature in an urban residence. The grandmothers apartment on the west wing of the house reflects a characteristic feature of the conventional Thai way of livingi.e., as an extended familystill prevalent in contemporary Thai society. Most stylistic features of the house are directly informed by the owners personal taste for transparency and pitched roofs. The extensive floor-to-ceiling glass planes embrace the eye-pleasing green landscape. The stair landing is a specially designed transparent box that hovers by the front porch and main entrance. This steel-andglass box has become a distinctive feature of the house, both in and of itself, and as a showcase for collectible items placed inside. Moreover, the owners passion for detail, particularly in the way old and new design elements coexist to form a richer and more meaningful whole, is also reflected in various places. Old Chinese wooden doors separating the living room from the central hallway is but one example. This love of a mix between the old and the new is, in fact, inspired by another previous work by Architects 49Baan Ekamai, which is one of the owners favorites. Accordingly, certain architectonic details, particularly those in the pool area, seem reminiscent of that other house. Another characteristic feature setting this residence apart is the use of travertine, its subtly varying colors and patterns imbue the place with natural warmth and luxury while being unexpectedly low-maintenance.

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Baan Narathiwas

Year : 2003-2005 Location : Narathiwas Rajanakarindra Road, Bangkok, Thailand Area : 1,900 sq.m. Associated Firms : Interior Architect : Interior Architects 49 Landscape Architect : Landscape Architects 49 Structural Engineer : Wisit Engineering Consultant System Engineer : Wisit Engineering Consultant

An Urban Reserve
Among the many challenges facing residential design today, a unique few became the determining factors in the design of this grand mansion on Narathiwat Rajanakarindra Road just off Bangkoks CBD. First is the fact that the location for this supposedly peaceful retreat is in the middle of the city, a place the architects described as an urban jungle. The other, and perhaps more challenging factor, is the extraordinarily extensive spatial requirements which reflect the owners personality. These comprise of unusual functional areas such as a mini museum / gallery to store and display the owners enormous collection of fine antiques, three kitchenstwo for family members who enjoy cooking, and a heavy kitchen where service staff prepare daily meals, formal living areas for entertaining guests, and extra large bedrooms. A Japanese-style bathroomor a contemporary version of itfulfills the familys dream of a perfect retreat, whereas the spacious hallways and an elevator facilitate older family members in the long term. With all these functional requirements, the total floor area is phenomenal. Yet, it is the design teams intention to furnish the house with a peaceful, cozy and intimate ambience rarely possible in a mansion of this size. Here, their technique is rather simplehiding the entire ground floor behind a green slope, giving an impression of two rather than the actual three-storeys. This orchestration gives the house an unforeseen advantage, namely adding an extra layer of protection for the museum while shielding the sizeable mechanical and service areas from view. Another technique which helps generate such an atmosphere lies in the way gardens and pools are interlaced between the different volumes, breaking up the otherwise hefty masses. This allows natural light and through-ventilation throughout. Similar maneuveringa breaking up of spatial perimeters into multiple layerslends a degree of complexity to the composition and results in openings that let light in during the day while acting as garden lighting at night. Moreover, to respond to the urban context, projecting eaves and layered exterior wall panels not only provide necessary sun shading, but also help block any possible visual intrusion from a neighboring high-rise. With clean meticulous lines and a refined neutral material palette the house emanates a sense of serenity.

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CHO Residence
Year : 2005-2006 Location : Phatthanakan Road, Bangkok, Thailand Area : 900 sq.m. Associated Firms : Interior Architect : Leo International Design Group Structural Engineer : Architectural Engineering 49 System Engineer : M&E Engineering 49 Lighting Consultant : 49 Lighting Design Consultant

Passionately New England

This is definitely a house where dreams are fulfilled, especially for the family of four who lives in this unique residence. Having spent several years in the New York and New England areas, the owners of this house have developed a particular fondness for the New England style home. With that preference as a starting point, the design aims at capturing the New England spirit and re-creating it within the tropical climatic constraintsones very different from those of the Northeastern United States. The result is unmistakably New Englandthe stately proportion, sense of rhythm, and strategic placement of simplified signature elements such as wall siding and wood shutters are but a few examples. The use of white and light shades of gray in both the exterior and interior space lends the place a calm and cozy atmosphere typical of a fine New England estate. Yet the house is also tropical in its own waysubtle as it may seem. The windows, for instance, are not simply flushed on the wall as would have been the case in an original New England house, but pushed back slightly into the wall to allow for possible sun and rain protection. The covered veranda by the pool is another tropical intervention, one which provides the family with a space to entertain with natural comfort. As the house is built on a relatively compact plot of land with a klong on one side, its indoor living spaces are organized into an L-shaped volume, leaving the outdoor area to be fully enjoyed as one large semi-enclosed space comprising of a swimming pool and greenery. Approaching the house from the bridge over the klong, one feels embraced by this lively open space, with the New Englandish signature volumeone housing the veranda, living room and master bedroomstanding proudly at the far end of the pool. Such a sense of warm welcome also characterizes the entering sequence. Having entered the front gate, one finds oneself in a semi-outdoor entrance hall, loosely sheltered by a louvered canopy and green shrubbery on one side, which subtly yet effectively shields the swimming pool from view. As one moves further along the walkway from that intimate entryway, the space suddenly opens up granting a full view of the pool and garden, before reaching the front door. Such a casual and relaxing sequence is melodious nonetheless.
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An Inner Complexity
Situated in the heart of Bangkok, NJR Residence is designed to make the most of its compact site and dense urban context. With such a condition, the main design strategy is to find an optimum balance between perfect orientation and a sense of privacy. Both of which often play a leading role in Architects 49s residential design. In this case, organizing the living spaces to frame an inner courtyard was a natural solution. The oblong site is aligned eastwest making it ideal to orientate the buildings to maximize natural ventilation while avoiding the strong south sun. However, a high-rise condominium borders the north boundary, which could undoubtedly compromise any sense of privacy in an outdoor courtyard. Instead of a north-side courtyard, which is ideal in a tropical climate, the final design solution places the courtyard on the south side therefore maintaining a certain level of privacy in both the swimming pool area and surrounding living spaces. The exterior surfaces of the house have been kept to utmost simplicityrelatively solid with only a few openings where necessary. The only exceptions are in the area surrounding the heart and soul of the housethe central pool courtyard, where large glass planes furnish the interior spaces with plenty of natural light and grant inhabitants visual and physical linkage between interior and exterior. The projecting eaves and long balcony provide shading and rain protection. Yet what truly lends this seemingly simple house an unexpected dynamism is its double-volume living room. Beside its airy yet cozy atmosphere, the open staircase and catwalk connecting the home theater and study on one side and the master bedroom on the other add an appealing vigor to the overall composition. From a certain viewpoint one feels as if the bridge-like path simply pierces through the two volumes, instilling in them an inner complexity essential to any valid architectural simplicity.

NJR Residence
Year : 2004-2007 Location : Sukhumvit Road, Bangkok, Thailand Area : 1,000 sq.m. Associated Firms : Interior Architect : Attapon Wiboonyanon / Usawan Suwannarak Landscape Architect : Landscape Architects 49 Structural Engineer : Architectural Engineering 49 System Engineer : M&E Engineering 49

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Baan Prawet
Year : 2004-2007 Location : Prawet, Bangkok, Thailand Area : 1,090 sq.m. Associated Firms : Structural Engineer : Architectural Engineering 49 System Engineer : M&E Engineering 49

A Flight of Imagination
Apart from being a residence for a small family, the owner of Baan Prawate wanted his house to be unique, out-standing and most importantly not be like any other house. From this requirement and the owners hobby as a pilot, the architect was inspired to create architectural elements that appear as aircraft components. Best demonstrated in the shading panels above the swimming pool, these aviation-like panels are adjustable according to the suns angle and form one of the most prominent features of the house. The house itself appears simple and contemporary through an emphasis on new materials and clean lines. A row of round reinforced concrete columns along a balcony and continuing through the swimming pool provides a repetitive rhythm. Though these columns are very simple they help frame the large volume and link the interior and exterior of the house. They also frame a view of a large pond next to the house. The light appearance of the balcony roof responds well to the clarity of the swimming pool water and contributes to the floating expression of the house. Another unique concept for this house is the integration of the meal preparation area and the main kitchen as a single kitchen. This kitchens special location, close to the house entrance, comes from the owners love of cooking.

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VR Residence
Year : 2006 Location : Bang Bo, Area : 2,685 sq.m. Associated Firms : Samut Prakan, Thailand Interior Architect : Interior Architects 49 Landscape Architect : Landscape Architects 49 Structural Engineer : Architectural Engineering 49 System Engineer : M&E Engineering 49 Lighting Cunsultant : 49 Lighting Design Consultant

the butterfly hideaway

A glance at VR Residence brings to mind Ruskins familiar quote: But the moment that the iron in the least degree takes the place of the stone, that instant the building ceases to be true architecture. This vacation house represents one of the first residential works by Architects 49 which makes such an extensive use of steel structure. This choice of structural material is hardly by chance, rather it is an ingenious response to the owners stringent time constraintsa total of six months from design to finished product. Faced with such a challenge, the architects, nevertheless, turned this limitation into a creative opportunityto explore and make the most expressive use of steel possible in that given time. Accordingly, structural componentssteel posts, beams and bracesare decidedly streamlined while other architectonic elements become either weightless or transparent. The dazzling projecting roofs, in particular, appear as if floating in thin air, with such grace and vibrancy as the wings of a butterfly. Situated on a luxurious golf course just outside Bangkok, the virtually transparent two-story retreat enjoys a 360 view of the green landscape. From the main gate, however, it appears as a single storey villa on a gentle slope. An effect which, along with its transparency and relatively dark color scheme, has been designed to minimize the houses presence in the landscape making it a personal hideaway that is also hidden-away. In fact, the sizeable functional space is organized into two connected rectangular massesone housing public areas and the other more privateconcealed behind the slope by a fair-faced concrete retaining wall. At the main entrance, travertine clad surfaces help enliven the otherwise almost industrial look of the place, adding a touch of warmth and luxury. The overall harmonious lines are achieved by applying a modular tectonic on most exterior surface materials, facilitating a faster construction timeframe. The overall atmosphere of the house strikes a fine balance between drama and coziness. As the house is placed at a distance from the front gate and therefore hidden from plain sight, ones expectation is naturally heightened before finally being greeted by the dynamic lines at the main entrance. The drama continues on entering the glass cylindrical entrance hall surrounded by a reflective water surface. In this space a sense of serenity prevails as the reflective black granite floor creates a sense of surreal weightlessness. Meanwhile, the travertine surface softens the dramatic effect with its randomness and warm calming hue. Here, it is as if one is transformed into a realm of immateriality where all the tension simply vanishes and the immensity of everyday life is mysteriously resolved. Here, architectonic materiality and naturei.e., the sky and surrounding landscapeare fused into one.

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Sublime Silhouettes
From the first moment at Baan Bang Sarae, one begins to sense the sublime presence of nature, finely reflected and mimicked through the poetic language of architectural form, space and tectonic. Descending through the entry walkway, it is as if one is gradually transformed into a calm and peaceful state of mind, before being greeted with the expansive sky in the reflecting pool and the ocean view beyond. To the right, one finds the main entrance to the living space marked by a light wooden grille tower. This sense of discovery, interlaced with the subtle presence of nature, prevails throughout the spatial experience of the house. Sitting on an old sloped tapioca field with a mountainous backdrop on one side and an ocean view on the other, the houses immediate setting does not pose any constraints. It is rather the mountain and the ocean that became inspiration for the house design. On the one hand, it is the sea view that determines the organization of the different buildings. Most functional spaces are categorized as areas to be fully exposed to both sea and mountain viewsnamely the main living space and master bedroom suiteand ones which demand to be more enclosed with perhaps partial mountain viewsnamely the childrens bedrooms. The mountainous backdrop, on the other hand, is what lends the house its grand scale and sublime proportion, while the subdued earthy color palette derives directly from that of the ground. As such, here one sees a house composed of deep natural huesraw cedar shingles, weathered timber, fresco walls, and rusty steelnot all too common in typical Architects 49 designs but a striking palette which continues to change through time. Here, time leaves its imprint in the lives of the dwellers and the architecture that surrounds them. The contemporary vernacular style of the house, the particularly steep roofs and extensive use of semi-outdoor terraces, represents a mix between the owners requests and the designers interpretation of his character. What results is a striking balance between tropical living and the male owners Finnish roots. Familiar architectural elements such as the pitched roofs and wooden terraces are reinterpreted in fresh and unfamiliar ways, with added heights, grand proportions, different thickness and new tectonics. The owners rejection of chemical finishing substances results in the use of non-varnished wood surfaces that are left to weather, leading to a rustic and simple aesthetic reminiscent of Scandinavian sentiments. In fact, even the tectonic expression of the house reflects the designers attempt to answer specific requirements. The thick roof with its long eaves provides perfect shelter for open-air living during the day, while offering much needed insulation for the air-conditioner as it chills the room to the cool temperature required during the night. This last feature of the house demanded a unique air-conditioning system be integrated into the design. Yet in the end, despite the seemingly rustic outlook, a degree of tectonic refinement and attention to detail are still present in the interior space, resulting in a lively contrast in terms of aesthetic experience. Detailing of the stone finishes, and particularly that of the wood-clad pillars and ceilings, are but a few examples. Many of these details go into the featured roof and its supporting structure, the steel detail at the top where the pillars meet the pitched roof, for instance, make the otherwise heavy roof seem weightless. These details, however beautiful they may seem, can never be merely self-serving. Rather they serve to enhance the inhabitants lives whose needs are answered through the spatial arrangement and formal language of the house itself.

Baan Bang Sarae

Year : 2006-2009 Location : Bang Sarae, Chon Buri, Thailand Area : 2,000 sq.m. Associated Firms : Interior Architect : Interior Architects 49 Landscape Architect : Landscape Architects 49 Structural Engineer : Architectural Engineering 49 System Engineer : M&E Engineering 49 Lighting Cunsultant : 49 Lighting Design Consultant

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Building A Club house Guest house Guest house Service area

On the last light of the day: The house is designed intentionally reflect the idea of mountain and then blend itself to nature.

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3 4

More than 20 rais the house is blended into the silhouette of the mountain where the front is facing the sea.

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