On learning the news so distressing for the Thai people regarding the passing of His Majesty the King, to honor his memory The office of Contemporary Art and Culture and twenty-nine Thai artists have put on display an exhibition of heartfelt original art in honor of His Majesty: portraits, sculpture, photographs, graphic arts, and other relevant works.
The art exhibition is open daily 10.00 am to 7.00 pm between October 18 and 30, 2016, excepting Mondays and national holidays, on the 1st Floor at the Ratchadamnoen Contemporary Art Center, 84 Ratchadamnoen Avenue, Bangkok, Thailand.
The name of 29 Thai Artists as follow…
Vasiree Hiranyalekha
Kitikong Tilokwattanotai
Vichit Pittayakorn
Widsanupong Noonan
Professor Kanya Charoensupkul
Suraporn Lertwongpaitoon
Kamthorn Paowattanasuk
Jutarad Phattharasirasak
Kampol Mungngam
Patipon Supanpong
Rattana Sudjarit
Santi Seedarach
Pairin Pupradup
Sakwut Wisesmanee
Anuchai Secharunputong
Wasinburee Supanichvoraparch and Aungkana Panthongka
There is more to Cambodia than Angkor Wat. Phnom Penh itself is a city with a legacy from its glorious days. Many may have lost in time. But some remain; including the architectural buildings designed by Vann Molyvann.
The Royal University of Phnom Penh’s library building is surrounded by a pond. The building weight relies mainly on the exterior pillar.
The Institute of Foreign Languages’s meeting room. The floor is elevated and the roof helps tackle with the heat.
Phnom Penh is equipped with a great city-planning. Temples and palaces in the city have a hint of Southeast Asian style component incorporated with French colonial architecture. Although parts of these heritages are deteriorated, their good old days can still shone through.
Among high-rise buildings and growing villages indicating Cambodia’s improving economy, old and valuable buildings are neglected as the government and foreign investors prefer the “Modern” which suggests “Prosperity” rather than renovating its old ones.
However, old doesn’t mean out. Vann Molyvann, has designed “Modern” principal buildings since the 1960s.
Vann Molyvann was born in 1926. He was granted the scholarship from Cambodian government to study architecture at Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts in France, where many modern architects are nurtured. After the graduation, he served as a State Architect in 1956 and also played an important role for a period.
The lifted walkway in the back gives a shade to the pathway below.Details of light boxes a roof and a facade of the Institute of Foreign Languages group of buildings
His significant works was designed and built within 1974; The National Theater (later torn down), the National Sports Complex (a.k.a. Olympic Stadium), the Institute of Foreign Languages inside the Royal University of Phnom Penh, Chaktomuk Conference Hall (renovated). All of his works could be considered as modern and would definitely be treated as national treasures if they were in Europe.
Since the government policies regarding these building are unknown, their futures are uncertain. For those who have an urge for a modern building, a quick sightseeing trip to the remaining site is highly recommended. Also, don’t forget to check out www.ka-tours.org where you can book a private architecture tour in Cambodia conducted by Cambodian architecture students.
The exterior of the National Sports Complex.
A yellow transparent fiberglass partition at the entrance and a gutter below.
Vann Molyvann has designed a proper ventilation system for a tropical climate.
An area inside the stadium and a press observation deck overlooks the amphitheater.
Details of the indoor stadium roof.
At the age of 89, Van Molyvann has returned from his fugitive in France and now living in Siam Reap. While many might have already forgotten about his iconic buildings, it is safe to say his pages in the history will never be erased.
/ Story: Ekkarach Laksanasamrith / English version: Peter Montalbano /
/ Photographs: Soopakon Srisakul /
This residence in Ho Chi Minh City has an interesting form and exterior that has drawn us to see with our own eyes. Named “Stacking Green”, this row house design received an award for outstanding design and architectural works at the 2012 World Architecture Festival in Singapore. It’s not surprising that it received a citation for architectural excellence in the residential building category. The way that it dealt with complex urban problems in a simple way yielded an array of fascinating outcomes.
The stairway reaches the top floor of the house that holds a guest bedroom with a sundeck.
The four-story townhouse offers a total of 250 square meters of usable space. The frontage abutting on the street is 4 meters wide with a whopping 20-meter depth. The interior is especially designed for the three people who live here, one of whom is an old person. Hence, one bedroom is placed on the lowest floor, so there’s no need to climb the stairs.
Since the house plan is long and narrow, bringing sunlight into the interior living space is a very good idea.
The second floor consists of a dining room, kitchen and living room, while the third holds the master bedroom with an open floor plan bathroom. The guest bedroom is located on the fourth floor.
It’s a well-known fact that people’s homes in Vietnam are often compactly built in townhouse form to use as little property space as possible, often resulting in cramped residences and unattractive-looking building fronts.
Here, the architects have incorporated privacy in the design so that no one can look in from outside. At the same time, it gives the homeowners a sense of peace and contentment. Overall, it’s a design thoughtfully devised to reduce pollution from the street.
This row house may not have any eye-catching features from the outside, yet its half-open, half-opaque design allows natural light to enter through the rooftop, creating a cozy home ambience within.As the leafy plants reach their full size, the level of privacy correspondingly increases.
Additionally, both the front and the back of the house feature rows of containers stacked one on top of the others with open air spaces at intervals. In all of them, lush green plants thrive luxuriantly screening the view inwards and creating attractive façades.
The house also has open ports which run up and down through all the floors. This kind of stack ventilation effect allows for hot air from below to rise and vent out through the rooftop. And by the same token, fresh cooler air is drawn inside keeping the heat down even at high noon.
Sunlight through a glass skylight in the roof shines down into the dining room on the second floor.
In the front yard, a leafy shade tree improves air quality, while vertical gardening on the front and back facades has spaces between stacking containers that allow plants to grow. The open spaces between planter boxes are determined by the types of vegetation planted. The full height of a plant is used to fix the spacing between planters on each floor.
Step inside, and you find there are hardly any walls separating the home into different rooms, except for bathrooms. This creates efficient ventilation throughout the home, at the same time giving it an open, uncluttered feel.
Besides giving privacy and cooling shade to the house, the planter boxes and leafy vegetation also act as a safety feature.
In this way, when container plants reach their full heights, they become the outer envelope of the building. Together they go to work all day and every day filtering out harsh UV rays from the sun, at the same time letting the cool breezes flow through.
The architects picked only the trees and plants with fine and delicate foliage so as not to block the wind, and for ease of use, they installed pipes for an automatic watering system.
Concrete planter boxes holding plants on the front and back facades have the added convenience of an automatic watering system.
Despite the building being long and narrow, a team of architects at Studiomake managed to turn it into a perfect home office integration that would inspire productivity. The Bangkok-based team of designers, architects and educators is known for its specialized skills and experience in various types of architecture.
When it came to designing their own home office, Orapan Sarasalin Schafer and David Schafer opted for an architectural steel design for its lightweight look that’s right for the prevailing climate in Thailand. It’s a layout that emphasizes an open, uncluttered living space with plenty of wall openings, windows and doors for good ventilation and heat dissipation.
Furniture in the workspace is movable. It can be easily arranged to avoid visual clutter and improve traffic flow, lighting and air quality.
By design, the building performs a dual role. The first floor holds a fully equipped office space, while the second floor is used as a residence. Overall, it’s thoughtfully devised planning made easily adjustable for future updates. The crossbeams resting across the tops of columns support weigh over an extra long span, five meters to be exact.
Home office design offers many benefits, among them the freedom to create the ideal work space like the owners intended, plus the peace and quiet that suits their lifestyle needs.
[Left] The work space is well lighted thanks to generous wall openings that let natural daylight stream into the interior. / [Right] A floor standing wall-mounted bookcase made of steel is designed by the homeowners. For practical purposes, the bookends are adjustable.
The workshop boasts high ceilings for better ventilation, plus it has ample space for equipment and tools needed to perform various tasks.
There is attention to detail in all parts, especially the integration of natural elements like plants and light into the built environment, making the interior work space feel light, airy and conducive to creativity. And they don’t come by accident. Rather, every building strategy and material is tested first to see if it’s suitable for a particular application.
This helps to understand whether a specific material is right for the task, plus it narrows down the choices to the best selection. And the same careful consideration applies to both upstairs and downstairs. Examples of this include high ceilings and a wall of bookshelves designed to maximize work space utilization.
Taken as a whole, the lower floor contains a fully functional work space and offices, while the upper floor in and of itself is a complete home, consisting of two bedrooms with a bathroom en suite, a relaxing living room, kitchen and dining room.
The headboard in subdued bluish gray color separates the main bedroom area from the dressing room. High ceiling design creates a sense of space making the room feel light and airy.Rooms on the second floor are accessed via a wide corridor with room for a small dining space and a nook beside the wall offering peace and seclusion.The translucent sheet seen here is of polycarbonate, which allows light to pass through, but not exposed to the outside.
With respect to the office area, the floor plan is simple and straightforward. Electrical wiring is neatly installed and piped to various locations hidden from view. The pillars supporting the tall vertical structure of steel are evenly spaced for proper load bearing, while the building façades are made attractive by crisp clean lines.
For indoor thermal comfort, important aspects such as heat insulation, soundproofing, and ventilation are carefully thought out and incorporated in the design. In the fewest possible words, it’s all about attention to detail that makes this modern home office a perfect place to be. Brilliant!
The steel building looks lightweight. It’s made strong and durable using semi-industrial materials, an interesting way to refresh the home’s curb appeal.
/ Story: Ekkarach Laksanasamrith / English version: Bob Pitakwong /
/ Photographs: Soopakorn Srisakul /
With the creative use of design elements, this Minimalist house in Kuala Lumpur feels bright, airy and comfortable, albeit having only a small number of windows. The open concept urban home with a stylish flair was designed and built by Tony Heneberry of 2’s Company, formerly JTJ Design, under the concept of a great place to live in.
Growing trees add some freshness and makes the house more of a great place to live in.
As simple as that, here’s the story of a metamorphosis of purpose, in which a duo of unexciting shophouses transformed into an incredibly warm and roomy living space in the heart of town. After he had bought the two units attached to each other, Heneberry gave them a complete makeover, tearing down the dividing walls and combining them into one coherent whole with increased usable spaces inside.
Green foliage adds joy to cooking, making it feel like living out in nature.
The result is a 7-meter-wide façade looking much better than when Henebery found it. He removed the existing solid walls between them and assigned new functions to the interior spaces. The living room with dining area on the second floor is spacious, with a lot of open areas in accordance with the “open plan” concept.
Trees chosen for the center courtyard have medium-sized leaves to keep the house airy and not too dense.Using an “open plan” design means the interior is all connected, which avoids a cluttered look.The new set of stairs illuminated by a rooftop skylight is one of the spots everyone likes the most.
For practical reasons, the old staircases were torn down and replaced by new ones built in a better, more convenient location. The new sets of stairs crafted of steel sit in a hallway next to the center courtyard, leading the way to the second floor.
The courtyard is filled with trees, as a main relaxation area of the house, where a glimpse of outdoor experience is brought inside in harmony. The trees also create visual continuity by naturally drawing the eyes towards the interior.
The stair to the third floor is set in another location. It sits against the outer wall, to preserve the space inside, which is an area for work and rest.
[Above] The wooden roof truss painted all white makes the overhead space look taller and more spacious. / [Below] The new metal staircase is aesthetically pleasing, thanks to the absence of solid risers between the treads. For good ventilation, expanded metal grating is used instead.Natural light turns second-floor living and work spaces into a well-lighted place, plus high ceilings add an airy feel to it. The disadvantage that comes with having only a few windows is nicely compensated for by the creative use of design elements, rooftop skylights among them.
As for the ventilation system, hot air is able to float up through the hallway and then flows out through window louvers and vents on the rooftop.
Another plus is, this Minimalist urban home faces south. So, by putting planter boxes on window frames, a simple vertical garden is added to filter sunlight and enhance privacy for the people living inside. The bottom line. This newly renovated home is truly a breath of fresh air.
[Left] The hallway wall surface is covered with crushed concrete recycled from the old shophouses. / [Right] Lush green vertical gardening adds a refreshing change to the front façade rising above the carport.
A place to relax among nature among beautiful plants that grow quickly and don’t take a lot of maintenance. These are the main components of this tropical garden.
/// Thailand ///
Story : Apasri Meemana /// English Version : Peter Montalbano /// Photos : Sitthisak Namkham
Garden gazebo for work and relaxation surrounded by the joys of natureThe large staghorn fern on the freshwater mangrove gets minerals from decaying leaves and helps preserve moistureThe slender leaves of a regal-looking dragon tree blow gracefully in the wind
Hapsoh, Surachai and Tassanai, the owners of this house are self-taught, but starting with a rough plan she created real beauty with a natural stone garden path, a small wooden bridge, imaginative use of railroad ties and old wood to create a relaxing spot, a stone table and bench set, and a brook that cascades merrily down a waterfall. The family hired craftsmen to build the hardscape, move a portable gazebo to the front of the house, and plant large trees among heavy natural boulders.
Porous (volcanic) rock around the base of a tree is a boundary for plants so they won’t grow out and overrun the walkway.
They decided to install some of their favorite species: tree fern, spike moss, staghorn fern, maidenhair fern, birds-nest fern, brake fern, etc. along with evergreen shade trees such as mangos from the old garden, areca palm, and freshwater mango, using soft, easy-to-maintain moss for ground cover. Asked about the difficulty of maintenance, the owner’s son adds,
“We have an older gardener who comes in to trim plants, dispose of old leaves, and do pest control. There’s a sprinkler system on an automatic schedule to make sure the plants get enough water. Sometimes we go with Mom to Bang Yai to buy plants and ornaments. Big plants and special orders we get from Khlong 15, which provides a lot of services.”
Large natural stones placed decoratively on top of each other in garden spots, with plants growing among them for a natural look.Plants climbing a tree fern trunk fill out the natural forest settingPink rain lily blossoms emerge from crevices in volcanic rocksLong cement banks create a small brook flowing over rocks and river stones and past a decaying log
Hapsoh leaves us with some thoughts:
“I love living with plants and the sound of water. Looking out from the bedroom or kitchen the garden view is beautiful. This all started long ago as I was relaxing at the Lo Su waterfall in Umphang District, Tak Province, and felt overcome with happiness and peace. I loved the sound of the flowing water. Nature spoke to me, and I decided then and there to go back and build a small waterfall for our own house. And since then, this garden has become indispensable to our family.”
The differences of form, shape, color and style was combined in this beautiful bizarre garden restaurant. ‘ Garden as art ’ is the definition of this creation.
/// Thailand ///
Story : Warapsorn Akkhaneeyut /// English Version : Peter Montalbano /// Photos : Chaiyapruk Podang /// Landscape : Suriya Bunyawetchiwin
Curved gothic windows form a beautiful garden backdropA domed Indian-style cupola from the former shop has a unique characterPlants and sculptures out front among plants big and small
Suriya Bunyawetchiwin was so charmed by Chiang Mai that he settled here more than 17 years ago. It’s now three years since he moved the Suriyan chandra art and home decorations store to a commercial property on Siri Mangkalajarn Rd. Remodeling here, he converted some of the space into a restaurant with the French name L’éléphant Bistro Gourmet.
The outward appearance of the old building was almost completely changed. On the ground floor he extended a wall outwards, giving it an elephant form, and added another building with a connecting roof and eye-catching garden in front.
“The arbor that we brought from the old shop was too big to carry out back. It didn’t go with the original building façade, so we tore out a wall, put in metal-framed glass windows, made that wall into an elephant sculpture, matched by a pink baby elephant below it.
Green shrubs and trees growing at different heightsThe window with the cat painted in gives the impression this is a real cottageSmall court in back surrounded by a wide variety of plants, bamboo tallest of all
Inside the shop, half is like the old Suriyanchandra store, stocked with lifestyle accoutrements, and the other half is the restaurant, with some dining spots outside by the rear garden.
“The love of art and food comes from my French father, so this is 80 percent a French restaurant, combining the freshest possible ingredients with authentic cooking and the concept of “make yourself at home.”
This little court between the building and a stair turns an ordinary commercial building into a palace with mysterious chambers and secret cornersOutdoor seating on checkerboard tiling gives a foreign flavor at a spot where guests can dine and enjoy the garden
The shop and restaurant is furnished with elegant things Suriya has collected on his travels: a big elegant French-style table, antique chairs created by fine craftsmen. The outdoor garden mood gives the feeling of dining in a foreign land.
Artistic touches are everywhere, especially painted designs by the artist Sutthi Prasertkhaothong: Cement borders sculpted with birds, painted ferns and dragonflies on walls, a cat staring out a window.
“What I liked about this place was how well it fit my slow lifestyle. I used to sit in back and daydream about where to put statues or other features. I love the feeling of a courtyard or garden in the middle of a house, very private, it’s like falling into another world. It wasn’t easy creating things like Gothic-style curved garden windows. The alterations weren’t like normal carpentry. But isn’t this kitchen pretty?” (laughter)
If you come to visit this world of Suriyan chandra limitless imagination, you will experience the love and dedication he has put into this uniquely entertaining garden establishment, which is above all his own production.
Single-color wall hung with bird houses painted in detailed patterns, no two alike
Behind the short white fence here, perched on a small hill, is a vacation cottage with a colorful garden all in the English country style.
/// Thailand ///
Story : Panchat Changchan /// English Version : Peter Montalbano/// Photos : Chaiyapruk Podang /// Landscape : Suanleela Raiyanongplerm
Vacation cottage on a hill, relaxing waterside gazebo, plants with spiky leaves: iris, feverroot, screwpine and willow
“This kind of retreat suggests maybe we shouldn’t go back to living in the harsh square frames of the urban life. Gentle, fresh, spontaneous, the garden captures the essence of the countryside,” remarks the garden designer, Sak Rueangphrom.
The owner, Kiatchai Phonpharote adds, “The house all by itself on this secluded property felt a little somber, which is why I wanted to put in a country-style English garden, with its easy, relaxed lines.”
Vintage-style mailbox attached to a railroad tie, hung with an old-style bell. Neons line the entryway to the houseThe English-style country well represents a connection between water and garden flower bedsA red bench stands in bright contrast to greenery and flowering plants like trumpetflower, neon hibiscus, and Mexican grass
From the house a garden path of fine river gravel descends step wise to a waterside gazebo where Himalayan juniper, silver pine, Chinese thuja, and oriental juniper among clumps of Mexican fountain grass are planted in contrasting height, creating dimension and giving this spot an unique character.
“We had to make some serious adaptations,” said the designer. “The ground here is red clay, not much good for planting. We brought in topsoil, dug a pond, and built up the hill, finally spreading local cow dung fertilizer over it all before planting.”
As in Europe, Norfolk pine is planted where it will shade the house and add to a mountain forest atmosphere
Off the path, I walked along the grass lawn covering the hill, which gave a good view of various spots in the garden. The area isn’t all that big, but there are elegant touches: the bright red and sky blue of the benches contrast with green vegetation and flowers effervescent in morning sun, and there’s an entertaining narrative with animal sculptures set here and there in a natural-looking way. There are few large trees, leaving the garden open and relaxing to the eye.
Behind the house is a vegetable and herb garden with papaya, water morning glory, lemon grass, kaffir lime and basil
How do you blend artificial grass within a tropical design gardening? This garden will help you the imagine new ideas on how to use this low maintenance material to your garden.
/// Thailand ///
Story : Warapsorn Akkhaneeyut /// English Version : Peter Montalbano /// Photos : Chaiyapruk Podang, Sitthisak Namkham /// Landscape : Pergolar
Open space between the two houses for garden parties and socializingGround cover plants with softening textures and lines: screwpine, spider plant, oyster lily, Spanish shawl, and Malabar chestnutThe unique form of ajambolan plum near the wooden deck leans out to the pathA trellised pavilion behind the house matches the front. Railroad ties converted into a stair, typical for a tropical garden, but fitting the modern style, tooThe beautiful calabash tree in a prominent spot with a play of river stones and the artificial grass
The Khlong Bang Ramat area in Thonburi is still full of plantations, and people get around by water: farmers paddle boats with crops to sell, tourist boats regularly ply the canals. This is one reason Chaiyote Yanyongwayrote moved back here to create a beautiful home and garden.
The owner bought this property many years ago. He tells us, “The old house was on Ratchada-Tha Phra Road. At one time that was all gardens, too, but eventually, we were surrounded by buildings and had no privacy, and so we built here, where it still has that garden feeling. Travel is convenient, too. Not far behind this relaxing canal is an expressway interchange.”
It took 6 years to build the garden and two contemporary-style houses (one for his daughter, the other for Chaiyote and his wife), but the long wait allowed trees and plants to grow to maturity. Each room in the houses – designed by Sathan Wijitsanguan–opens on three sides for panoramic garden views.
Matching trelliswork encloses deck and waterfall pond.Wooden deck in front boards set in an interesting pattern
Beautifully shaped evergreens and perennials fill the garden, with a gravel pathway and brightly colored plant beds neatly interspersed. The more formal area between the houses is used for receptions and social events. Behind, near the canal, the garden is lush with shade trees and plants with varied colors and shapes. The landscaper here is Panat Sumalroj, of Pergolar. Chaiyote says,
“I like an open look. The garden gives a beautiful vitality: without it the house looks too austere. The designer had already created some of the outdoor spaces, like the pavilion, wooden deck, and pond. The landscaper followed up with connecting and surrounding areas and positioned the big trees. There are many unusual plants, but the grasses in some areas are artificial. The landscaper explains, “The owner didn’t want to cut grass often, so I steered him this way. It reduces maintenance a lot . . . .”
The garden behind the house has a natural stone walkway through it and has a lot of shady trees A courtyard between houses with contemporary-style granite benches Path from the rear of the house opens into a small courtyard
The house is modern contemporary with some Asian flavor, sothe garden keeps a proportionally orderly look.
“The owner likes trimmed plants like Siamese rough bush and bonsai,” says Panat.“I start with the traditional Thai garden,trying to keep a tropical flavor. The water banyan and white merantitrees are sculptures unto themselves. If there’s no animation then it’s just an ordinary garden. I put a gravel path connecting the 2 houses, going by the grass in a playful curve, makes the square house look softer.”
This orderly garden is wide and open. The hardscape and the artificial grass fits in well and has practical benefits, trimmed plants tucked away in appropriate spots. All in all, this is a highly pleasing mixture of the tropical and modern garden.
Maiiam, the new art museum in San Kamphaeng district, Chiang Mai is officially open. The ground-breaking opening event attracted art lovers and passersby with private art pieces from 30-years of Bunnag-Beurdeley family (the executives of Jim Thompson) artwork collection.
/// Thailand ///
Story : Samutcha Viraporn /// Photo : Press, Samutcha Viraporn
The collection was accentuated by the museum’s giant glass wall reflecting the green area across the road. The two-storey building was designed by Rachaporn Choochuey from all(zone)limited.
On the lower floor situated a hallway dedicated to Jao Jom Iam, the great grandmother of Erik Bunnag Booth and the King Rama V’s concubine. She was the one inspired the creation of this museum, hence, the name “Iam” with the prefix “Mai” (meaning new in Thai).
Alongside Jao Jom Iam history was Maiiam’s first exhibition ‘The Serenity of Madness’, by Apichatpong Weerasethakul, a Thai independent film director and a Palme d’Or winner. The upper level housed various art collections from modern and contemporary Thai artists, i.e. Kamin Lertchaiprasert, Chatchai Puipia, Navin Rawanchaikul, Vasan Sitthiket, Rirkrit Tiravanija and more.
Maiiam regularly seeks interesting art & craft works. Its upcoming exhibition is ‘The Timeless Present Moment’ by Kamin Lertchaiprasert, where audiences are invited to find the meaning and value of present through Kamin selected artworks.
Maiiam Contemporary Art Museum opens every day except Tuesday from 10 am to 6 pm. Entrance fee is 150 THB per person.
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![[Above] The wooden roof truss painted all white makes the overhead space look taller and more spacious. / [Below] The new metal staircase is aesthetically pleasing, thanks to the absence of solid risers between the treads. For good ventilation, expanded metal grating is used instead.](http://livingasean.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/4.jpg)
