Blog : gable house

A Country Style Home Office Set amid an Urban Environment

A Country Style Home Office Set amid an Urban Environment

/ Petaling Jaya, Malaysia /

/ Story: Kangsadan K. / English version: Bob Pitakwong /

/ Photographs: Lin Ho /

In the middle of a crowded urban neighborhood and slow travels caused by snarled-up downtown traffic, a yearning for the peaceful countryside enters one’s mind. In this particular instance, it gives rise to a desire to create a home office in Petaling Jaya, a city 20 minutes by car to the west of Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia.

home office
The gable front building boasts the simplicity of bare concrete walls and glass windows strategically placed to let natural daylight stream into the interior workspace.

Beautiful in its austere simplicity, the building represents the coming together of puzzle pieces about the memories of childhood and the unblemished charm of life in the country. For the homeowner, it’s an experience that has prepared him well on a journey to become a designer. It’s a place to enjoy the little things in life, from water droplets on leaves to views of the landscape from the living room window.

Together they tell the story of how the elements of nature can be integrated in design that merges into the visible features of the land. More than anything else, it’s a residence with space designated for business purposes set amid fresh air and lush trees native to the Tropical climate prevailing in Malaysia.

Floor plan / Courtesy of OTCQ Architects

The building stands out from other homes in the neighborhood, thanks to the box-shaped office space under a gable roof made entirely out of concrete. The premises are hemmed in by brown brick walls left exposed to the elements. In the courtyard garden, shade trees grow vigorously providing a calming environment and keeping temperatures cooler. On the walls and courtyard floor, carpets of mosses thrive creating damp habitats resembling the rainforest.

home office
Built on sloped ground, the meeting hall adjacent to the home office has amphitheater style seats extending downward to the center space.

There is plenty of vegetation, yet overhanging tree branches leave enough room for sunlight to stream into the office interior. The building itself lies adjacent to a meeting hall with amphitheater style seating, which is expedient for the structure built on a slope. The overall effect is impressive as a result of high ceiling design and rooftop skylight systems providing natural light and good ventilation.

home office
The meeting hall feels spacious, light and refreshing thanks to high ceiling design.

Next to the home office lies the main residential building accessible via a courtyard covered with decorative beach pebbles in shades of grayish white. It provides a green oasis for plants to thrive, showing the way to the two-story house mostly enclosed by glass walls.

home office
A semi-outdoor walkway runs through a courtyard giving access to the home office and the residential area.

Everything about it serves as a testament to the architect’s attention to detail. No doubt the atmosphere is light and refreshing with tree branches casting shadows on brick walls. Together they bring the rustic style into the home. Inside, a steel staircase painted black for a lightweight look gives access to the second floor with balconies made for connecting with the outdoors and breathing fresh air.

The dining room enclosed with a glass wall affords the view of a side yard filled with green plants.
home office
Cocooned in the warmth and texture of bare brick walls, the upstairs living room is well-lit by sunlight shining through glass windows and rooftop skylights.
The principal bedroom opens to a gallery that forms part of the house to take in fresh air and views of the landscape.

The most important element of design lies in planning airflow patterns in a way that improves ventilation in and around the home. Limited space and sloped ground notwithstanding, the architect has succeeded in overcoming site constraints by leaving one-meter-wide spaces on both sides of the building. The left holds a staircase built flush against the wall, while the right side contains a green space.

home office
The stairway under rooftop skylights turns upstairs room into a well-lit, well-ventilated living space.

home office

It’s thoughtful spatial design that drives natural air circulation throughout the premises. The result is a home office made for comfortable and simple living in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the big city.


Architects: OTCQ Architects (https://otcq.my/)


This house appears in the special Baan Lae Suan issue on the theme of “Cozy Living in Urban Homes” is out now. Design lovers, this one is for you. It’s the latest in the ongoing “ASEAN Tropical House Series”.

The exciting new bilingual edition (Thai-English) is a nice little collab between the Baan Lae Suan Press and its English language media arm Living ASEAN. It’s the coming together of ideas for dealing with the problem of limited space, turning site constraints into solutions. Precisely, it looks at problem solving techniques, ultimately creating small urban homes that are right within the context of Southeast Asia. In this issue, ten houses are chosen for their exemplary designs that inspire. It’s meant for architects, designers, and homeowners searching out new ideas for creating a living space that’s cozy and comfortable plus it blends in beautifully with the environment.

Available at bookstores nationwide. Or go online. Order now at https://www.naiin.com/product/detail/621643

For bulk international orders, contact livingasean.bkk@gmail.com


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Baan Hing Hoi: A Modern Duplex Design Exudes the Charm of Bygone Days

Baan Hing Hoi: A Modern Duplex Design Exudes the Charm of Bygone Days

/ Bangkok, Thailand /

/ Story: Sarayut Sreetip-ard / English version: Bob Pitakwong /

/ Photographs: Soopakorn Srisakul, Wasin Pummarin / Styling: Suanpuk Stylist /

A modern duplex house by EAST Architects makes use of natural light, sun and airflow to provide indoor thermal comfort that’s the hallmark of the ultimate Tropical design.

One wing holds a semi-outdoor living space roofed over with flat terracotta tiles in a timeless shade of gray. It’s built almost entirely of wood with a balcony and a “tai thun”, or the underfloor space high enough for many different uses. 

The other wing boasts the style, experience and flexible realities characteristic of postmodernism. To get enough natural light, the building is enclosed by exterior glass wall systems. Upstairs, a straight passageway connecting individual spaces leads to a cantilevered room that extends 6 meters supported by a rigid V-shaped steel frame – an unusual approach to lightweight modern house design.

Modern HouseModern House

The upper covering of the ultramodern wing is a steel-reinforced concrete slab. The high pitched gable roof that rises above it is topped with corrugated aluminum panels to allow light to pass through. This keeps the home well-lit by day and glowing with light and color by night, which explains why it’s named “Baan Hing Hoi”, literally translated as “Fireflies House”.

A piece of architecture representing the nexus between Eastern and Western ideas, the Fireflies House is a design that merges Modern and Traditional values into one Tropical-style home. The house plan doesn’t sit parallel to the road in front of it. Neither does it align with property boundary lines. Rather, it’s designed to respond to wind direction and the sun’s path across the sky for the perfect indoor thermal comfort.

That pretty much summarizes the design concept embraced by two assistant professors, Pirast Pacharaswate and Sayanee Virochrut, of EAST Architects. The design duo prides themselves on being the “architects of Tropical rainforests”.

EAST Architect Modern Thai HouseEAST Architect Modern Thai HouseEAST Architect Modern Thai House

Together they turned a family’s wish into reality. The homeowner, Thanawat Yongsanguanchai, wanted a modern, warm and welcoming place where his family could spend more time together outdoors.

He was looking for a bright and breezy design, one that’s comfortable without air conditioning. And the architect duo was on hand to deliver exactly that by making natural ingredients pretty much an integral part of the plan.

The result was a well-thought-out modern house that included a part intended be perceived as if it were a tunnel leading to another world beautifully ensconced in the rear of the property.

Modern House

“In essence, it’s a design takes into account basic human needs for relaxation and the culture in which people live. Simply put, the relationship between culture and climate is one of the inevitabilities of life. It’s for this reason that the house is built with knowledge of the climate in mind,” said architect Pirast Pacharaswate.

“We think up contradictory thoughts when designing the duplex house plan. The kids belong to a new generation, but their living wing boasts certain features and comforts that are symbolic of Thai-style houses in former times. In juxtaposition, it’s strikingly different from the design of the parents wing, which is evidence of a new language of architecture.

“The parents wing sits under a high pitched gable roof that glows with light and color, which conveys a great deal about the postmodern school of thought. The real upper covering that functions as the roof in a practical sense is a steel-reinforced concrete slab that lies underneath it. In other words, the gable is there to make a statement about postmodern philosophy.”

Pirast explained: “It’s our intention to present a feature characteristic of traditional gable roof houses, something considered old-fashioned. And to create a welcome contrast, we roof it over with modern building materials instead.

“The result is a modern house topped with a gable that shimmers in the sunlight. It’s covered with corrugated aluminum panels that’s lightweight and very noticeable, creating an entirely new perception.”

EAST Architect Modern Thai House

“We found out that the homeowner preferred white to other colors, so we responded with a choice of cool-toned whites for the parents wing. For contrast and comparison, the children’s wing gives a powerful impression of being Thai. It’s roofed over with flat terracotta tiles in a nice shade gray.

“Wood is the main building material here. For strength and durability, the truss or framework supporting the roof is made of metal, but the skill and craftsmanship are Thai style. The two wings are linked by a roofed platform along the outside of the house.”

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The children’s wing is semi-outdoor by design, thanks to the veranda and spacious traditional-style underfloor spaces. It differs greatly from the parents wing that’s enclosed by exterior glass wall systems, a great way to bring the beauty of the outdoors inside. Go straight down the corridor, and you come to individual rooms and functional areas with modern conveniences.

Modern House

The ground floor holds a pantry and dining area with a sitting room nearby. It’s dominated by a long dining table that’s custom-made. The upper floor contains Mom and Dad’s bedroom that projects horizontally into space.

Glass walls pour natural light into the room that’s embraced by nature. There’s a multi-purpose room with wood décor ideas. An array of alternating plain and hand-carved wood cabinets ooze the charm and poise of Thai-style residential architecture.

Upstairs, the bedroom projects 6 meters into space supported by a rigid V-shaped steel frame for a lightweight look. Floor-to-ceiling glass wall systems afford views of the landscape.

Modern House

Proceed to the children’s wing, and you discover not all ceilings are horizontal. Their bedrooms boast beautiful ceilings that slope in agreement with the gable roof. The vertical siding under the gable is open to bring natural brightness inside, while accent wall ideas behind the headboard fill the room in style.

There’s something quintessentially Thai in the bedroom where the platform bed frame is wider than the mattress, an easy hack to create space for wedge pillows and the triangle pillow that’s unique to Thai culture.

EAST Architect Modern Thai House

The architect said: “To make a positive first impression, it’s good to be a noticeable new phenomenon. Like so, the garden pathway is strategically built in such a way that people recognize the unique roof design as they approach the house from various distances and directions, each resulting in a different point of view.

“Psychologically, humans and architecture interact with each other all the time. Circulation, or human movement in and around a piece of architecture, constitutes an interaction. It’s an experience that creates an awareness and evokes admiration of architectural beauty,” Pirast wrapped it up nicely.

All told, the gable roof duplex evokes respect and warm approval through outstanding design and the power of storytelling that combines traditional values, longing for nature, and great aesthetic pleasure into one coherent whole.

Modern House


Owner: Thanawat Yongsanguanchai

Architect: EAST Architects (www.eastarchitects.com)


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Modern Thai House Adapts to the New Era

Modern Thai House Adapts to the New Era

/ Lopburi, Thailand /

/ Story: Patsiri Chotpongsun, Sarayut Sreetip-ard / English version: Peter Montalbano /

/ Photographs: Soopakorn Srisakul / Styling: Jeedwonder /

Deep study of local architectural lore and analysis of locale-specific environmental and climatic conditions combined to create this house of fluid chic modern lines mixed into a look that clearly suggests the traditional Thai house.

Modern Thai House Adapts to the New Era
Thick walls around the house match the design of the building itself. Note the fine interplay of diagonals between the wall and roof.

The owner wanted to provide his parents with a home where they could enjoy the ways of life of a new era. His first thought was to create a modern-style house with all customary functionality.

Combining the good points of old and new, the result is a single-story resort-style house with a contemporary look and a relaxed atmosphere reinforced by a swimming pool.

With a usable area of 700 square meters, the house takes the shape of the letter “U,” filling a wide space the architect tightened up for the sake of intimacy: family members feel in closer touch with each other.

The openness makes for good air circulation, yet acts as a divider between common areas of the living and dining room and a more private side. The roof reminds us of a traditional gabled Thai house, but the gable is clearly steeper and higher.

Modern Thai House Adapts to the New Era

“Thai gabled roofs come in many forms,” said the architect, “but if the gable faced any way but front it wouldn’t be pretty, since it would make roof look unbalanced. From the side the sharply-sloping “lean-to roof” offers a rectangle.

“The house faces south to catch the wind, but also gets sun there, so the gable has to provide shade, and the eaves extend further out. Especially at the end the roof rises even higher, providing more welcoming open space in front of the house, an eye-catching feature with a contemporary look that also provides needed functionality.”

Modern Thai House Adapts to the New Era

The high gables not only help protect against southern exposure to sun, but also build a characteristic aesthetic of this home continuous with interior building design elements.

The “U” shape leaves a space in the middle used as an open courtyard that holds the swimming pool and a gorgeous tree. Every point in the house looks out on it through the surrounding glass walls, connecting everyone with the courtyard and with each other.

Modern Thai House Adapts to the New Era
A pattern on the glass door with black laser-cut MDF paneling that helps filter light adds an air of mystery to the house interior.

From the exterior, the architectural design flows inside into the interior in a play of shapes and lines.

The interior ceiling opens up into the gable-shaped steel frame where the hardness of the steel is reduced with the use of wood, again reminding us that this is a Thai home.

The furniture blends right in, shapes with modern simplicity and a lot of wood in the mix adding a sense of relaxation to this Modern Thai House.

Modern Thai House Adapts to the New Era
Dining corner and pantry with sliding walls that close or open wide to make the space one with the porch and swimming pool

Modern Thai House Adapts to the New Era
Open, airy walls framed with black aluminum and clear glass rising up to the ceiling, showcasing the continuity between the internal and external roof structure

Modern Thai House Adapts to the New Era
On the bedroom-side, rooms open to the east, onto the pool, nice catching the morning light. A walkway edging the pool shortcuts from the bedroom porch directly into the common area.

Modern Thai House Adapts to the New Era


Architect: NORMAL PRACTICE

Landscape Architect: Lana Studio


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A Modern Steel Framed Home Holds the Secret to Happiness

A Modern Steel Framed Home Holds the Secret to Happiness

/ Bangkok, Thailand /

/ Story: Ekkarat Laksanasamrit / English version: Peter Montalbano /

/ Photographs: Sitthisak Namkham /

A person’s sense of proportion in creating a house to suit his own lifestyle can have energizing results. We recently visited a modern steel framed home in Bangkok’s Viphavadi Rangsit area that illustrated this. Nutt Chenyawanit, owner of Tin Home Toy merchandise, designed this house as a reflection of his identity.

modern steel framed home
A high pitched gable roof and bare concrete surfaces set at varying depths for a modern appeal.

From details of home décor, such as galvanized iron and stylish plant containers, to the overall house design, we saw a modern steel framed home that retained the flavor of Tropical architecture.

Open and relaxed in a traditional house style reduced to essentials, with a high pitched gable roof, extended eaves and awnings for sun and rain protection, this house with a modern appeal looks the epitome of good design, one that holds the secret to what makes people happy in life. An it looks fun to live in, too.

We asked the homeowner for his thoughts on design. He explained: “We like high ceilings; low ones feel cramped. The living room and stairwell area reaches up a full two stories, and elsewhere on the ground floor ceilings are generally three meters or higher. On the second floor, ceilings follow the roof slope, for the most part.”

The exception is the master bedroom, which has a standard ceiling height. “Bedrooms with high ceilings feel too buoyant,” he said.

modern steel framed home
The carport beneath an attractive latticework awning that blocks sun and rain.

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The entry area has eaves overhanging the walls reaching out 4 meters, both aesthetic and practical.

The Tin Home Toy office building next door, built in a similar style, was here before the house and now is separated from it by a swimming pool. Nutt favors architecture with steel-based frames that give it a raw cool modern style.

The metal post-and-beam design for floor and roof here made for rapid construction and quick cleanup. It presents a stylish façade of show brick walls and glass panels.

modern steel framed home
Next to the garden a metal-frame eave filters sunlight above a rest area, keeping it cool and comfortable even in bright sunlight.

modern steel framed home
The walkway around the house is set out in straightforward lines using low-maintenance materials such as concrete patio pavers.

Extended eaves, large doors and windows provide good ventilation and make the house comfortable for living. Metal frameworks minimize the need of support posts for the extended eaves, freeing more space for parking. High ceilings allow warm air to rise and exit through upstairs windows.

modern steel framed home
The different textures of metal, glass, concrete, and wood mix and match well. The swimming pool is a great feature, beneficial for both the home and the office next door.

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The living room with a double height ceiling is open wide on two sides to catch the sun so artificial light isn’t needed.

Usable space on the ground floor holds the living room, stairwell, dining room, kitchen, and service areas like a storeroom and laundry. Upstairs consists of bedrooms and a workroom. Hallways are at least 2.5 meters wide for a spacious feel.

Walking around, a visitor has the sense that each space is made for specific purpose, some for children, some for moving around in comfort, some for convenience.

modern steel framed home
Old-fashioned shelving at the far end of the living room reaches up to the mezzanine.

modern steel framed home

modern steel framed home
Although the ceiling is really high, it has a horizontal dimension, too, as the mezzanine is filled with built-in cabinets and bookcases.

modern style steel home
A small storage space by the stairs for bicycles gives a hint about Nutt’s spare time activity.

A closer look at the details reveals a “set aside” concept that reflects the way good judgements are made. In this particular case, it shows in design innovations such as high ceilings that bring the sort of happiness and contentment we find in this modern steel framed home.

modern style steel home
The master bedroom overlooking the garden is simply decorated in white and wood colors.

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The bedroom with windows opening into the bathroom: open, relaxed, and good ventilation.

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The ceiling follows the roof slope in this relatively large bathroom. An array of wooden shutters opens directly into the bedroom.

modern steel framed home
One side of the dining room is a food preparation area; on the other a line of windows looks out over the carport.


Architect: Nutt Chenyawanit and Jirayut Chaiyajamrunphon


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