-
Architects: Foundry of Space
- Area: 8000 m²
- Year: 2013
-
Photographs:Teerawat Winyarat
Text description provided by the architects. In the recent years, the growing tourism market in the East coast of Thailand has resulted in even more developments in hotel and tourism-related businesses in the region. Chang Island in the province of Trad, one of the most popular beach cities among European holidaymakers, has also followed this trend steadily.
The existing KC Grande Resort & Spa, located on the most beautiful beach in the island : Had Sai Kao (White Sand Beach), has welcomed its guests in full capacity for the last couple years. To accommodate the increasing number of bookings in the near future, the new extension demands additional 79 keys with facilities including pools, a restaurant, bars and sun-bathing decks.
Situated at the corner of the inclined road that cuts the site into a triangular shape which is less than 100 meters away from the beachfront, KC Grande Resort & Spa New Extension faces two problematic challenges: how can the building fit in a triangular site with a steady inclination? And how can the guests feel like being part of the beachfront despite the fact that they are far-off?
By splitting the building into two parts in two different levels according to the existing topography, we optimise the internal space between the 5-metre different levels of the front and the back buildings while also strategically placing a 30m-long pool and a 3.5m-high artificial waterfall as a focal point in middle of the space. On the first floor of both the lower and upper buildings, all guestrooms have direct access to the plunge pools of their own, representing the effect of being adjacent to the sea. Another advantage of locating the back building on top of the slope is that most of the guestrooms have clear view towards the sea, not being blocked by the lower building and other buildings in front.
On the rooftop level of the lower building, a 40m-long infinity-edge pool with a pool bar at the far end provides a unique experience of being at the seam line between the sky and the horizon overlooking towards Had Sai Khao Beach. The architectural elements, from the scale of the facade to the interior space of the project, are treated as the performing character of wooden weaving, a local craftsmanship. The interplay of light and shadow is subtlely articulated in various part of the building.
