The owner wanted to build a weekend house for her extended family, which consists of her husband, two children, her mother, her father who needs to use a wheelchair and herself. This house would be a place for gathering with relatives, friends and meditation groups, which can be adjusted into a permanent house in the future. The site is located 9 kilometers from town and the train station, If the High-speed train route from Bangkok to Nokornratchasima has been developed, it will be a good location to build a home. 

The house is designed to meet the requirements in housing estates, including more setback, open space than the minimum amount required, color, height, features, natural system for wastewater treatment and self-sufficient in water supply. The design of the house layout is according to the existing trees on the site and related with the relative’s adjacent property.    In front of the house is the retention pond with filtration plants, which creates fresh and calm atmosphere and acts as a buffer between the house and the street.

The concept is to design a house that meet the owner’s requirements and needs, which is to design a place to hold activities for all ages and can be interchangeable – a common space that can be used for private or public. A house that designs for a good quality living environment, in accordance with the site context and provides better facilities than housing estate requirements. 

In order to preserve the existing “Krean” tree – a native tree, and to fit architecture with nature, the design of the house has a light court in the central of the house to capture the tree. This court and common space around not only connect owner’s part and guest’s part, but also acts like a buffer between two parts for the privacy.

According to the user’s diversity that causes various needs of activity, the space is design to be simple and flexible, so it can be arranged both for “unite”, in friendly and warm atmosphere, and for “separate”, to be relax and calm.

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Steel structure and most of materials are dry system. Renewable materials such as Fiber Cement Board were applied, for adaptive purposes and also to be capable for reusing process rather than wasting.

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ROOF · SCAPE · SCULPTURE

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The house is designed in close system to be easy to manage, whether when it is unoccupied for a long time or has to be closed to prevent insects. Even if the site is 0.33 hectare, which is big when compared to the building area, the house is surrounded by meadow. So it must be well designed for not to look unwieldy.

Horizontal lines make the architecture look peaceful. The line that runs horizontal on the first floor is an elevated corridor that can be used for walking meditation, it is parallel to the line of the the canopy that provides sunshade, suitable for tropical architecture. These lines set off in contrast to the vertical line of the light court captures the tree. 

The second floor has been imported as an attic to make the building looks like a single story house that spreading along the horizontal exit. The shape of the roof simulates landscape dynamic and the mountain line.

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