/ Kanchanaburi, Thailand /
/ Story: Kangsadan K. / English Version: Bob Pitakwong /
/ Photographs: Kukkong Thirathomrongkiat /
Here’s a restaurant ensconced in lush greenery on the bank of the River Kwai in Kanchanaburi, a province in the western part of Thailand. It got the inspiration from the scenic beauty of a forest landscape and creative use of local materials. The result is an attractive eatery in an idyllic setting, one that speaks volumes for the virtue of humility towards nature.
From a distance, a fine view of the restaurant building merges into the lovely canopy of green along the stretch of the river known as Kwai Yai that runs through Kanchanaburi town. Its exteriors in warm shades of brown prove a perfect complement to a bank of earth covered in smooth river rocks that visually connect with the landscape. In a way, it’s an expression of cordial greeting, an invitation for customers to step inside, enjoy good food and take in a pleasing view of the river.
Technically, the restaurant gets its rich color with a brownish hue from steel frames mixed with timber and other building supplies sourced directly from within the community. It’s thoughtfully devised to fit in well with the embankment situated below that’s built to prevent flooding in the area.
KAAN River Kwai Restaurant is the brainchild of PHTAA Living Design, a Bangkok-based studio renowned for creating architectural language that treats natural features as the integral part of design. The project offers 800 square meters of usable spaces that fuse with the surroundings to form a whole, while the River Kwai Yai provides access via waterborne craft to the shopfront. It’s also accessible by a road on the opposite side of the river.
The riverbank being three meters high from the water line makes it a challenge that tests the abilities of the team of architects. On the one hand, it’s good to be able to get a better view of the surroundings. On the other hand, years of water flowing down from the mountains have left the riverbank in danger of collapse. So a wall of earth covered in thick cement and smooth river rocks has to be built to prevent damage caused by corrosion.
In terms of color and texture, river stones made round and smooth by the action of water and sand perfectly blend with the physical surroundings. More importantly, they are easy to find, strong and water impermeable, making them a material of choice relevant to the context that forms the setting of the project.
As the lowest load-bearing part, the wall of earth reinforced by concrete and river rocks is capable of providing structural support for the safety and physical comfort of staff and customers alike. By design, it’s a clean well-lighted and well-ventilated place offering a high standard of performance as one would expect of buildings used for commercial purposes.
In a few words, KAAN River Kwai Restaurant is the product of a reinterpretation that treats characteristics unique to a particular area as more important than other things. It involves rethinking the state of affairs at hand and making appropriate adaptations to create exciting, new design, meanwhile showing humility towards nature by subtly blending in with the green of the pristine forest.
Architects: PHTAA Living Design
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