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Architects: b l a n k s t u d i o
- Area: 145 m²
- Year: 2022
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Photographs:Panoramic Studio
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Manufacturers: KVIK, PDM Precast, Tostem
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Lead Architect: Satawatch Katlivong
Text description provided by the architects. The needs of the owner are to acquire a spruce house having just one bedroom for 2 people and to have it white and bright from natural lights. The site’s face is 10 meters while its length is 34 meters. Once cutting the shortening of the land is done, it would provide a house that looks narrow and long like a commercial building. The house front tangible with the road is in the west so the parking lot is put right in front of the house so that cars could reverse easily, whereas the living space is put in the north to evade too much sunlight while giving privacy. The ladder and restrooms are placed in the west to block sunlight and heat, making the living spaces and bedroom not get direct sunlight and can still be cozy and not too hot in all parts of the day.
Another quest from the owner is to have a lot of trees as he loves them a lot and wants to see them in everyday life and in every part of the house. He also wanted a house that makes him feel relaxed with nature and can welcome some winds when the weather is good. That’s the reason why the design is inserted with gardens and courts in several parts of the house. The vents (glass sliding doors) are attached to many parts of the space to open for garden views and to make the house that’s already tiny not too uncomfortable because it doesn’t have 4 sides of solid wall and at least one side of it has a glass pane. The main core of this house is the cozy feelings in certain parts. One great example of it is the length of the walkway before entering the house where one will get to walk through the parking lot and the garden. We’ve created these spaces with the aim to “delay” sometime both before entering or quitting the house. We didn’t want it to be so sudden while aiming to have the walker feels that s/he is still in the house. Not only that but it can also be a space for partying in which guests can sit along the rim of the rock garden, making this space even more relaxing and not too strict about seating. And as we’ve said before that every part of the building has an opening for one another so on good weather days we can switch on these openings for more wind into every part of the house without any help of an air-conditioner.
The ideas of the design are based on the simplicity of the building’s white formation whereas it’s inserted with a variety of green spaces. The materials used aren’t too extraordinary yet are those usual ones such as masonry walls, tiled floors, and terrazzo floors, but this house contains no wooden material because the owner doesn’t have any need for it and sees that wooden thing need too much caring. Meanwhile, we drew more nature into it through the gardens. If we’d have to define the design, we will say it’s in Minimal style as it looks really like it as of the characteristics of the owner who’s quite a purist and always puts things back where they’re from.
The parts we proudly present are
- The scenic one before entering the house – the one that contains a waterfall wall always provides water-flowing sounds.
- The cactus garden at the atrium of the house which on top of it has a skylight opening that creates charms for the living space.
- Mangmee trees court behind the house facing north that you will see these beautiful trees from the bed and second-floor toilet.
I’d like to say to the reader that some preparations from an owner have a lot of impact on an architect’s design. If s/he is certain about the ways they want and the preferences they have, it would help an architect in precising their design and matching that customer’s needs. It would also express the identity of the owner better; meanwhile, after it’s finished, it would also be the pride shared between the owner and architect who’ve been working on it together from the paper process to an actual walking right into it.
