Ar-Kaan Dee

Location           Bangkok, Thailand
Floor Area       1,034 SQM
Project Year      2022
Photographs     NITAPROW

Only when a property and an opportunity present themselves to you equipped with an initiator, co-investors, and supporters, a vague dream of designing our own office become more real and apparent.

The 19m by 25m plot of land is set in one of the earliest housing estates developed in the city around four decades ago. With the current highway and the elevated expressway cutting through what was once a primarily residential neighborhood, the transportation network connects the area to some of the city's most vibrant districts, the airport, and the eastern seaboard and yet, the area still holds a relaxing atmosphere, a comfortable pace, a decent number of tree-lined streets and green pockets within the small-scale residential plots.

Whenever possible we would try to incorporate greenery into our built environment. Since Our plot came with a mango tree at the back corner, an Ivory Coast almond tree towards the front end, and an orange jasmine tree at the front corner, fitting 8 more parking spots plus 3 studio spaces all at ground level seemed highly unlikely. We came to terms with the fact that only one studio (an industrial design studio) could remain at ground level to allow for a desired back garden. So, we made sure that the garden can be viewed and experienced by all upon entry. Only one almond tree had to make way for the much-needed studio and parking spaces.
Studio 2 (our architecture studio) and Studio 3 (a pet-specialty design studio) on the second and the third floor respectively would also be able to overlook the garden from a higher perspective.
Studio 1, the elevator foyer, and the entry terrace have been raised to more than one meter above the roadway in the hope that they would remain well above the torrential flood line. The raised floor separates the studio's calming experience from the more disruptive parking and roadway activities. The framed view draws us in visually, spatially it mounts the terrace passage high enough that it constantly captures the south-north wind flow throughout the year.

The garden is set in the northeast back corner of the plot, the direction that turns away from the unrelenting solar heat and the unsettling highways from the south. From the higher floor, the direction captures the tree-top view of our garden and a broad view of the pleasant neighborhood beyond.

The building hugs the corner garden in an L-shaped form. Since we all agree on a 4-meter floor-to-floor height for all 3 studios and to underline the fact that natural light, natural ventilation, greenery, and serenity are of great importance to the design, the garden facades were designed to maximize transparency while creating a sense of privacy through the form of the architecture, not fully relying on just the curtains and shades.

The L-shaped form puts the 2 glass facades perpendicular to one another. Along one side of the garden, the stacked studio strip stretches from the front end to the back end while the double-height common area and the main circulation zone occupy the other side of the garden facade. By extending out the column's vertical plane and the horizontal plane of the floor slab, the visual exposure between the studios and the more public zones is hindered by the protrusion of these concrete fins and ledges.

Floor-to-ceiling vertical glass panes in combination with hopper windows are used throughout the 2 garden facades. The rest of the building facades are mostly solid with only a few large openings at the required location. The balconies are mostly pushed in, sheltering from the rain and the sun except for the one overlooking the corner garden. This balcony and its curved form hint at the concave facade detail, the curved entry terrace below, and a few touches of curvature used to facilitate flow, and soothe the edges all around the building. It is cantilevered off the elevator structure reaching out towards the fruitful mango tree.

To bring even more natural light in towards the studio zone adjacent to the common area, The studio-garden façade is extended inward mirroring the perpendicular relationship of the garden pocket. Not only that it serves as the main communal space the double-height light-filled volume distributes natural light to the far-reaching corner of the building.

This exterior-interior glass intersection forms a compelling backdrop to the 2nd and 3rd floor foyer The solid wood table, pantry and wall paneling add a warm and welcoming presence to the common area complimenting the glass facades, Natural anodized aluminum frames, and the exposed concrete structures and flooring.

More often than not, we would try to express the material in its raw, natural, and arguably most durable finish. These natural tones would become the baseline of our color selection. Bridging between the exposed concrete and light Tabaek wood, the subdued tone of terracotta fits in smoothly and covers the entire building façade.

As a tribute to the 1970s wall finishes noticeable throughout the neighborhood, The spray-painted finish with a light-troweled texture is also used on all solid surfaces and facades as an effort to reduce the unwelcome cracks and peels of the typical paint.

During the design process, we went over a few hurdles and lengthy detours as one would expect from a project that involves not only one but four decision makers. Design options, inputs, and research came in from multiple directions and scales across all of our expertise, it was no doubt overwhelming and difficult to get things moving at first. The process bloomed unexpectedly once we were able to agree and recognize amongst ourselves the crucial moments in which to yield, even more so than the ones to persevere or to hold on to each of our ideas.

With the concept of yielding at the back of our minds, a physical portrayal of caving in came into view. The intersection where the beams, the columns, the floor, and the walls from all directions gather would be embraced by a simple moment of bending. A gradual bend to a concave curvature was introduced at the top of each concrete fin. The physical detail of 'caving in' softens and accentuates the rigidity of the typical grid gaining an unexpected characteristic beyond the play of light and shadows. The detail became the featuring collaboration between all 3 studios. Our studio initiated the design concept and planned out the suitable construction details. The other 2 studios took on an extensive prototyping and fabrication process which involved many hours of 3D printing the negative concave form, making the silicone mold from the 3D printed parts, and casting the final polyurethane pieces to be placed into the concrete formwork. 

To make it worthwhile, the detail has been adapted to fit into the corner of other window and balcony openings, which is visible from the front entrance gate and the approaching street view. The expression may be subtle to others but to us, it is a constant reminder of our sweet and memorable effort.

There are multiple ways in which a 3-storey building can connect itself to the natural world but in our case, it was a surprising one. Unknowingly, the selected textured facade with possibly the appropriate building height had somehow become a vertically gripping pathway for squirrels and chipmunks to cross from one tree to another. The building has in turn become a giant tree trunk, quite an accomplishment to say the least.

The full team of creepy crawlers, birds and bees, chipmunks and squirrels, and even a few mischievous cats took the liberty of making this new environment their own. We would only hope that all 3 studios and the hardworking design team would feel the same way towards this crafted working environment.