Hot and humid climate being one of the inevitabilities of life, architects across the Region aptly responded with a range of ingenious designs from the cool traditional to the energy-efficient modern. Living ASEAN presents top 10 houses well suited to the circumstances. Check them out.
/ Story: Patharasiri / English version: Peter Bontalbano /
/ Photographs: Soopakorn Srisakul /
It’s right in the middle of the city near a BTS SkyTrain station, but open to breezes and sunshine. This modern Tropical house is as cool and comfy as a country resort. It’s home to a multigenerational household including Mom and Dad and aging Grandma and Grandpa. Puchong Sathiraphipatkul, the architect who designed the renovation of this old family home, is the third-generation owner.
Open-concept design facilitates natural ventilation that lets fresh air enter on one side and out another.
“The clock’s ticking. How much time do we have?” Puchong was heard asking himself. He could still recall going about his busy schedules during his formative years that has had a profound influence on his professional development.
The old family home stands surrounded by tall buildings. Time flies. Going back a few years, his mother and father, grandpa and grandma were rapidly aging, so in just his third year of architectural studies he decided to take it on as a project, and his first customer was . . . his mother!
“I was thinking time was not waiting for us, so with my studies not finished and without much experience, I fell back on advice from teachers and older professionals.”
Puchong, now an architect with A49 House Design Co., Ltd., a Bangkok-based architectural practice, said that the challenge posed by his super-important first customer was to create what he called a “Sukhumvit-style” house, which had formerly been a family residence in the vibrant Sukhumvit neighborhood.
The reception hall and a set of stairs with teakwood treads are to the south, for distance from the sun’s heat.
The house brings many fond memories of his mother as a discerning client. “Mom is Mom. She’s the ‘decider’, always has to be pleased in every respect,” Puchong added.
“In two years of professional life since then I haven’t had such a difficult customer. Back then I was constantly visiting stores and houses around Sukhumvit to get ideas on space configurations to suit our family lifestyle.”
The building surface is open, with glass walls, and latticework to filter the light.
They were lucky to get this huge plot of land in a short, quiet alley and near the BTS SkyTrain station. Taking sun and wind direction into consideration, Puchong faced the house north, with narrow sides to the east and west making space for a big yard. He also used landfill to raise the house 150 cm height for a better view.
The house faces north: wide, spacious, light and airy.
“Starting with that trendy “Sukhumvit” theme, next comes “comfort design,” then “space design” for individual and common spaces and ‘transitional’ areas.” The architect of his own house shows us the outside fence, the carport, the walkway all around leading up to the reception hall and smaller spots, then up to the common areas and bedrooms above that.
“The home is fundamentally Tropical Asian; its heart is open to sun and wind. It’s in the form of two 600-square-meter blocks one atop the other, facing north onto the garden. The southern sun mostly falls on walkways, staircases, and outside balconies,” added Puchong.
“The central ceiling is high, for good circulation. The west side has a thick concrete wall for sun protection. It’s a ‘passive’ design: architecture in harmony with nature, no wasted budget on technologies of comfort.”
Mom and Dad’s master bedroom, with an open, high ceiling, features Earth’s own custom-designed teak furniture.
He ended by saying he couldn’t have perfected this modern Tropical home if it hadn’t been for the great contractors, relatives of a close friend, whose exquisite craftsmanship really shows.
“Others may see this house as a little off-beat, but it completely fits our family style, in a balanced way. Sure works for me.”
In many spots there’s a “transitional space” area that makes things more intimate.
/ Story: Skiixy / English version: Peter Montalbano /
/ Photographs: Rithirong Chanthongsuk /
This beautiful brick house belongs to a family of four in Ampang Jaya, a town to the east of Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur. The design work and use of materials such as bamboo and old brick taken from a pre-WWII colonial-style house make it special.
Childhood memories are fragments of the past that many of us can bring back to life. In her childhood, Mrs. Liew Jun Keong was entranced by house design. And in conversation with Studio Bikin’s architect Ms. Farah Azizan, her memories bubbled out, creating a happy chemistry of inspiration between the homeowner and the architect, with the end result of this gorgeous white brick house.
The kitchen counter with large pressed bamboo cylinder mortared in place and smoothed with a trowel.
Mrs. Liew said, “At first, I just had the thought I liked houses with a resort atmosphere and the sort of peace and quiet we used to find on holiday to Bali, Bangkok, or Singapore, experiencing nature in a more original state.
“Then I thought of the house we lived in then, in an area with a lot of unfinished concrete surfaces, and so told the designer I’d like a modern-style concrete house, but with plants and trees all around.
“By modern, I didn’t mean perfect, but featuring the natural surfaces of construction materials that have their own types of beauty.”
The reception parlor with dark wood furniture and vintage cloth coverings in muted tones of blue and gray.[Left] In the back of the house is a place to take a nap. [Right] The kitchen connects back to that nap space. Wood latticework helps with ventilation.A Chinese devotional altar roomThe master bathroom
After a good talk, the architect and the homeowner found their ideas really resonated with each other. Ms. Azizan also had pleasant surprises for Mrs. Liew. She came up with the materials handpicked specifically for this house.
“I was really impressed with Farah’s detailed choice of materials. I tend to think of the normal uses for bamboo, for instance, as for pipes, but she used it as a decorative façade for the house,” said Mrs Liew.
“Next, it was this batch of white brick, which has an extraordinary history, coming from the demolition of a colonial-style residence built before World War II.
“The brick had no coloring when she bought it. We were lucky to get this brick, as it was the first batch. Others looking at this may first notice it has blemishes or that the sizes are irregular, but it’s iconic material for that period, with a great value, and absolutely perfect for our family.”
The entire house is painted white, except for sections of bare cement. There isn’t a lot of interior furnishing and decoration, and furniture is limited to what is necessary.
Mrs. Liew values simplicity and doesn’t care for fancy interior décor. She said that she hadn’t yet found decorative work with the kind of natural beauty she cared for.
The homeowner added enthusiastically: “I’d never dreamed of living in a place where sunlight reached into the center of the house, which is something I now really appreciate.
“And the bricks used in the construction have blemishes, but each imperfection somehow adds to the perfection of the whole.”
If a garden includes naturally flowing water or an old pond or spring, the water can be used to drive a fountain or water wheel, or dammed up to control the flow near a garden entrance or a relaxation spot.
Or, original garden fixtures such as walls or other architectural elements can be used with pumping systems to create dimensional motion in the form of a waterfall wall, or an artificial waterfall. Here, choose rough-surfaced materials and/or steep surfaces so water running across them produces a strong, clear sound. This can be enhanced by controlling water pump pressure.
– Images reflecting beauty –
The inherent reflective property of water can bring a more spacious garden atmosphere, adding dimension and color as well as changing motion and texture. We see this in world wonders such as the Taj Mahal and Wat Kinkakuji Temple, as well as in “infinity” swimming pools at seaside resorts. Reflection always creates feeling and perspective in the viewer, often simply a function of the width and the stillness of the water. A lake or large pond dug next to a garden highlight can create a beautiful view for people looking from the opposite bank.
– Lights in the water –
Lights in and around the water create worlds of brightness and shadow above and below the surface. Refraction creates beautiful, entrancing “water ghosts.” Underwater lights should be used in conjunction with well-structured ponds and good treatment systems to ensure easy maintenance, protect against damage, and to get bright, clear underwater lighting. Only specially designed light bulbs adapted for low voltage should be used underwater.
– Mist to create dimension –
Mist or water spray is commonly used in tropical or jungle gardens, mainly with minispray-type sprinklers primarily intended for watering and moisturizing plants, especially large ones such as ferns or orchids, but incidentally also cooling the garden. Nowadays minisprinkler heads are often hidden among plants or in spots among small shrubs and ground cover plants, but they can be also be used with fountain systems to create mist in the middle of ponds, adding a different kind atmosphere or narrative than usual to sculptures or pond highlights. A good example is in the yard in front of the Place de la Bourse in Bordeaux, France.
– Related sculptures –
Water can itself be used as a sculpture, or in combination with actual garden sculptures, statues, fountains, European-style bird baths, or for fish ponds, as in Thai gardens. Statues using water as ornamentation usually highlight its motion, spouting up or falling. This is common in ordinary fountains, but other water properties can be used in combination, for instance transparency. Water curtains or moving shapes that look like glass can be created. And water plants themselves often have beautiful and unique shapes.
– Creating a good ecosystem –
The most important use of water in the garden is to create life and maintain an ecosystem that faithfully imitates nature so the garden can grow sustainably, not only for plants, but as a home and food source for water creatures and many other living things. If you have a large area for a garden, you could begin by digging a pond about one-fourth its size to hold rainwater, then use that pond for watering plants as well as to grow local water plants and riparian vegetation. Make an artificial waterfall, grow interesting plant species large and small, and even enjoy the delights of raising fish!
/ Story: Wuthikorn Suthiapa / English version: Peter Montalbano /
/ Photographs: Sitthisak Namkham /
This tropical waterside house brings back memories of Thai life as it was along Khlong Samsen (Samsen canal) in bygone times. From the outside, it looks straightforward and contemporary, but inside is a fascinating mix of antiques from the owners’ collections.
Outer stair, up from the pool to the second-floor balconyPerforated fence with wind baffles for good air circulation within the propertyBlocks with 1-inch spaces to control fresh air coming into the houseWork room with a library design
To match the Thai climate, Associate Professor Dr Tonkao Panin designed this house in a tropical style.
Although it has a contemporary look, the tropical waterside house contains a mix of antiques and collectibles belonging to owners Kajorn Tanaphaet and Eugene Kroon. A major design challenge for Dr Tonkao was to make old and new fit well together.
Swimming pool, designed as to appear continuous with the khlong (canal) outside
“My requirements are simply stated: 1. I don’t want luxury. 2. I want high ceilings, and 3. Air conditioning should be minimal. Tonkhao’s proportional design successfully connects the entire property: balcony, reception parlor, reading room, down through the kitchen and out to the swimming pool and pier.
“There are a lot of reasons I’m pleased with this location: it’s at the end of the soi, quiet and peaceful, one side opens onto Khlong Samsen, and there’s space in front for a nice garden.
“I bought the place some time before I ran across a house designed by Tonkao in a book I was reading and managed to get him to come design this one.
“As you can see, the end result is a good-sized house with a great style,” says Kajorn.
The design of this tropical waterside house took 8 months, and construction an additional year.
“We did it little by little, along the way discovering things we liked in the detail suggested by the word ‘house.’ Here is a mixture of many things: some sections come from Eugene and me, some from Tonkao, and there are things the craftsmen suggested as we chatted during construction.”
Aside from the remarkable style and the great number of owner-collected antiques and collected artifacts, another point of interest is the unusual transverse placement of the house, set crosswise on the property.
“Kajorn wanted to have the house right on the water,” explains Professor Tonkhao, “and orienting the house this way lets it catch the constant breeze from the lawn out to the khlong.”
So this tropical waterside house has permanent natural ventilation. “Even though the design is straightforward, we want it to create a feeling somewhere between being inside and outside, a tropical feeling.
“The house is designed so it can fully open up to the air from terrace and doorways, that all can be left open. At the same time, balconies and doors block the direct sun from entering the building, creating different levels of sunshine and shade inside and out.”
Even in the late afternoon, it’s still shady and cool. The patio has a long porch deck reminiscent of an “arcade,” the façade of a Sino-Portuguese-style house.
There’s a balcony door which can be opened vertically as a sunshade, a similar design to a Thai-style “baan krathung” pop-up window.
Features such as this help create an amazing sense of comfort for a Bangkok house.
Owner: Kajorn Tanaphaet and Eugene Kroon
Architect: Reserch Studio Panin by Associate Professor Dr Tonkao Panin & Thanakarn Mokkhasamit
/ Story: Jeadwonder / English version: Bob Pitakwong /
/ Photographs: Sitthisak Namkham, Piyawuth /
Young married people these days tend to move away to have children and live separately, but Chang (Somprasong Sawat) and Bua (Buachomphu Ford) have brought their families back home. Everyone living together in a warm communal atmosphere makes this big wooden house a true family home.
Mother and her younger sister live in the left wing. Behind is the parking area. Spaces are separated with drapes that can be rolled up and put away to create a common space for big family dinners.Teak wall and outdoor connection of mother and younger sister’s house.
“We’re all one big family, Mom, my sister, and my family, which right now is me, Bua, and our three young sons. It’s comforting to have relatives nearby. Grandma and Auntie help with the grandchildren,” Chang says with a smile.
Kanika Rattanapreedakul of Spacetime Architects Co.,Ltd. designed the house: Chang had learned about her work from a magazine article about house design in New York’s Soho district, where Kanika was the single Thai woman featured among a number of Westerners.
Her design resulted in this unique 1,000 square meters big wooden house, divided into three main sections. The first part, in the center, holds the swimming pool and central area of the house: living room, dining area, and Western-style kitchen. This is everyone’s common area.
Dining area and light-use kitchen.Chang and Bua’s parlor, used for a meeting room or just to socialize.Fresh red tones enliven Chang and Bua’s living room.Left: Chang’s sister’s private kingdom. Right: A glass corridor on the second floor connects Chang’s house to the central area.
A section of the lower floor is designed for parking. The mother’s bedroom on the second floor has a classic décor. A vertical garden adds a feeling of warmth. The third floor is Chang’s sister’s domain. The right wing is surfaced with aluminum paneling, for a modern, fashionable “industrial” look: the family calls it the “tin house.”
“I collect paintings, so we have a room for them; in fact the room is designed around them. I favor surrealism and expressionism. You don’t have to understand everything to appreciate the art: it’s enough for it just to have an emotional impact.”
Chang and Bua’s art-gallery bedroom connects to a spacious white bath.
The ground floor next to the pool has a reception area for guests, decorated with Chang’s art collection and next to a glass room where Bua practices yoga or sons play with friends, neighbors, and relatives their age.
The second floor is a mezzanine, with young Matt’s bedroom and a small pantry. Finally, on the third floor is Chang and Bua’s bedroom and two more small rooms for the children as they get bigger.
The design takes everyone’s needs into account in creating not only a beautifully designed and fully functional living space, but more than that, a place that brings together the love and warmth in the family, something that can’t be found anywhere else but here, their “home sweet home.”
/ Story: Monosoda / English version: Peter Montalbano /
/ Photographs: Nanthiya Bussabong /
Mountains, streams and forests in Mae Rim District embrace the open-air vacation home of a Bangkok metropolitan lady who has chosen tranquil Chiang Mai Province over big-city distraction and confusion.
Up front stands a beautiful Ceylon ironwood tree (scientific name: Mesua ferrea), also known as “Bunnag” in Thai. The building to the left side holds a reception lobby, with private residential areas upstairs. To the right is a spacious, open dining hall.
Three years earlier, this was just a holiday home for Lady Ying (Supapa Sanitwong). At that time, Prince Dighambara Yugala was in charge of it, and at his suggestion Lady Ying came to see if she should try living here permanently.
“Before, the house was surrounded by jungle. I explored a little each day, and found a nice view of the mountains. When the brush and grass was cut down, I found the river practically surrounded the house! Right then I fell in love with the place.”
The concrete structure with simple walls of brick perfectly suits the old-style doors and lunette windows.
Lady Ying bought the estate for her residence, naming it “Ironwood,” and put in a new building as lodging accommodation for visiting friends and family. Later, a hotel was added for guests wishing to experience the natural world of northern Thailand.
The name “Ironwood” refers to the Ceylon ironwood tree (scientific name: Mesua ferrea), also known as “Bunnag” in Thai. “This is a monument to my great-grandmother Jamreun (Bunnag) Sanitwong Na Ayutthaya, wife of Suwaphan Sanitwong in the reign of King Rama V. She’s not well-known, but is always in my thoughts,” she recalled.
The dining hall boasts the beauty of a high ceiling. It opens on all sides so guests can all experience the shady outdoor ambience.
The hotel has 5 rooms, each with a view of the Mae Sa River and the pleasant shade of big trees.
One of Lady Ying’s neighbors here is famous sculptor Jamnian Thongma, whose building design talents helped make her dreams come true. There are two zones on the premises, one in front and the other at the rear.
The front area holds two buildings; on the left, a reception lobby, with Lady Ying’s private residence above; on the right, a dining room and catering area. A walkway connects the buildings. The rear zone holds a riverside guest house.
The simplicity of the bare concrete wall helps direct guests’ attention to the natural world all about.Climbing vines on the outer brick wall adds to a pleasant, shaded look, also reducing heat absorption.
Lady Ying walks us up the white metal spiral stair to her space on the second floor: a comfy, airy little studio with classic décor and a great view of the mountains.
The bedroom connects directly to a spacious bathroom; the kitchen is separated, and from there a stairway leads down to a greenhouse garden. The Ironwood grounds are shady and pleasant, landscaped by Siriwit Riwbamrung and Jaturong Khunkong of the Little Tree Landscape.
A wrought iron spiral stair leads up to the private residential area.A tidy bedroom all in white, even the floor, with lots of natural light from the balcony.
The rooms contain antique decorative items collected over several decades: wooden screens from Burma, handmade chandeliers from Italy, mortared columns from India: many remarkable masterpieces arranged to produce a multicultural atmosphere by interior decorator Sorasak Chatrakul Na Ayutthaya.
Taken as a whole, the vacation home has a remarkable mix of a natural setting and cultural atmosphere, with universal narratives everyone can understand. It’s a place that gives a sense of peace and tranquility, just waiting to be experienced.
[Left] The welcome hall features a high ceiling from which hangs a handmade glass chandelier from Murano, Italy. / [Right] A sewing and needlecraft hobby corner in the loft style, furnished with antiques which keep it from looking overly contemporary.Drapery hanging in loose folds separates the bedroom and bath for an open, uncluttered look.The kitchen opens out to a stairway reaching up to the rooftop deck and down to the garden below.
Architect: Sorrasak Chatkul na Ayutthaya, Jamnian Tongma
Let’s look inside a compact home studio that’s truly in a class of its own. Glass panels everywhere give it a bright and sunny personality. Interior décor features charming antiques, many redesigned with new forms and functions.
Double height room design reduces heat radiation through the glass.
Torlarp Larpjaroensook, a young and upcoming artist, founded “Gallery Seescape” in Chiang Mai, where his well-known works “Grandma’s Spaceship” and the light switch manikin “Bestto Boy” are on display.
His new pad, a very cool three-story home studio just a few steps away from an old house, stands where Torlarp and his construction team tore down what used to be a 4-by-8-meter art materials storage shed.
A tree in the bathroom! The skylight above provides natural light. Take a shower, and the drainage waters tree roots below.
The new compact house faces west to greet the old place of residence, with the two connected by a flyover walkway. It’s thoughtfully devised to give new form and function to favorite materials he’s collected. Torlarp’s idea: the narrative in things which have lasted over time will take people’s memories on trips without end.
“My first vision was a bridge between buildings which would give the feeling of being in a tree: look up, see the sky. So from the start the building had to be tall, but the most important element really was the proper use of the antiques I’d collected,” Torlarp explained.
As the artist puts it, more than 30 percent of the new house and fittings come from the redesign of old things. “Teak, old metal: it’s all about what could be used for what, and how? Take for example an old teak door that has been repurposed as a dining table. It’s edged round with copper and refitted with rusty antique iron legs.”
From the start, Torlarp wanted the house to be both art showroom and workshop, which is why it’s so open: installed rectangular steel frames are fit with glass to build entire walls, with a “double space” interior height, creating lines of sight giving a good view of the art work from every spot.
Attic bedroom: The east wall at the head of the bed is a clear glass window designed for waking with the morning light.
The lower level interior is divided into a painting studio, dining area/kitchen, and a sitting parlor. The second floor holds the living room and home office, while the third floor is an attic bedroom with a round skylight to allow sleeping beneath the stars and waking with the sun.
“I’m interested in architectural openings: doors, windows, etc., connecting the indoor and outdoor worlds. They’re points of change for wind, sunshine, and even people. That’s how the project started,” Torlarp explained.
The convex curvature of the kitchen countertop is a space-saver.
Under extreme space limitations, free and comfortable living can only come from well-thought-out planning. In this particular case, the stairs were a challenge.
“The staircase is actually a showy part of the house I’m really interested in, since it’s involved with both building height and space used. It had to take up the least possible space and, at the same time, function as a piece of art right in the center of the house,” added the artist/homeowner.
“Managing materials is hard, especially using leftovers. I needed ten steel segments to make the stairs, but could only get four, so I had to scramble and rethink the whole process,” said Torlarp, smiling with pride at the end result.
/ Story: Wuthikorn Sut / English version: Peter Montalbano /
/ Photographs: Sitthisak Namkham /
This box-shaped house uses architecture and coordinated interior design to tell stories of the present and the past.
The house is located in the Petaling Jaya district of Selangor, Malaysia. This is a district of single homes, but with little space to put up a large house.
Still, architect Dr Tan Loke Mun rose to the challenge of house owner Kenneth Koh and tore down the former structure here to build a new 3-storey box-shaped house in its place.
“Ground space was limited, so we built upward,” the architect told us. Building vertically involved careful division of space. The lower floors hold common areas: parlor/living room, dining area, kitchen, and conference/chat room. The 3rd floor is an attic, holding hidden utility systems next to a small living room.
The designers brought an “outdoors” mood to each part of this box-shaped house: there’s a “double volume” high, open space on the first floor; glass windows open to the garden atmosphere, and potted shade-loving plants bring it inside.
Gentle sunlight shining into the living space combined with a light breeze from a ceiling fan gives the feeling of sitting in a garden.
An effective play of space combines with the interior décor to bring out a timeless feeling that reflects its Malaccan legacy. The Chinese-style furniture, both traditional and contemporary, was made by Malaccan artisans. Paintings tell of a land that lives on in the memory of the owner.
For architectural reasons, the stairway is in the middle of the house. The folded steel balusters look light, and the red banister is at once tremendously chic and reminiscent of the row houses of yesteryear.
Significantly, the prominent terra-cotta tile facade is remarkable.
“In tearing down the old house, we discovered that the roof tiles were handcrafted, imported from Calcutta, India, so we set them aside to use this way for privacy and heat insulation,” added the architect.
“Their texture connects nicely with the other materials used here. This original house tile is long-lasting, looks great, has a timeless quality, and is a good choice in combination with the other main structural components of brick, concrete, and steel.”
The decorative outer house wall uses a suspended steel framework to hold the terracotta roof tiles and red brick.
The outer surface of this box-shaped house structure shows a wall of terracotta roof tiles that open and close to catch the light. The metal support structures reach out from the main building to form a pleasing pattern of connections between the inside and outside.
The look and ambience here remind us of a Malaccan row house, but in a modern context.
Effective combination of old materials and new in textures that suit its owner’s heritage gives this house a sense of being outside of time, and its memories will be passed on to the next generations who live here.
Ultimately, we don’t often find a big-city house that feels so bright, natural, and full of narrative.
/ Story: Ronnapa Nit / English version: Bob Pitakwong /
/ Photographs: Sitthisak Namkham /
Simple design wins big. Unaffected by the passage of time, this Modern Tropical house makes simple living stylishly chic.
Nestled in a residential neighborhood near Singapore’s downtown, this modern tropical house stands hidden in plain sight behind a row of leafy trees. One has to walk through the main gate to see the monochromatic beauty in full view.
“I started out with a rectangular floor plan like a traditional Malay house, and designed the interior space later,” said architect Yip Yuen Hong.
“The house is crafted of metals and concrete for durability.”
The building boasts an open, airy feel thanks to slender metal frames. Combine that with a lush garden landscape and the cool shade of bamboo groves, and you get a modern house with beautiful Tropical vibes.
The open-concept design affords three bedrooms, a living room, and dining space, all conveniently connected to a poolside patio. For a simply clean, uncluttered interior, the architect avoids all kinds of built-in furnishings, and prefers only free-standing pieces for easy updates.
The result is a spacious, airy ambience like he intended.
The house’s appearance bespeaks the architect’s passion for design that strikes a perfect balance between easy and sophisticated lifestyles. He translates it into a well-proportioned home hemmed in by beautiful yards in the middle of a perfect neighborhood.
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