/ Story: Ektida N. / English version: Bob Pitakwong /
/ Photographs: Trieu Chien /
Like the green roofs in times past, a quintet of community center buildings stands sentinel over the rice fields in Vinh, a small farming town in Vietnam’s Nghe An Province. Officially named “The Park” it looks out over a calm and peaceful lake and, beyond, long lines of mountains and hillsides can be seen from miles around.
No doubt, the heavenly morning mist and respect for nature combine to give a team of architects the inspiration they need going forward. The Park is the brainchild of the MIA Design Studio, an architectural firm based in Ho Chi Minh City. And the end result is a delightful a group of public space buildings that blends perfectly into the natural environment.
Technically speaking, it’s a design that takes into account the circumstances that form the setting of the area. And that’s exactly the quality that puts the small town’s community center in a class of its own. The five-building civic center is a great addition to the neighborhood. Among other things, it attracts townspeople, provides community services, and promote community fitness.
A three-stage diagrammatic representation shows a quintet of civic center buildings placed along different imaginary lines to take in different views of surrounding landscapes. / Courtesy of MIA Design StudioA diagrammatic representation illustrates the location of the civic center quintet in relation to the waterfront. / Courtesy of MIA Design Studio
Their waterfront facades afford a view of the lake surrounded by lush green paddies and mountain ranges to the far side. The exterior walls are built of engineered wood textured and stained to look like real timber set at intervals to allow natural light and fresh outdoor air into the interior.
Designed to merge into surrounding landscapes, the principal facades overlooking the road in front lie hidden under grass roofs set at an angle of 45 degrees gently rising from the ground up to culminate at the apexes.
The five buildings are symmetrical solids set on different axes to take in different views of the calm and peaceful countryside. They are connected with each other by a system of corridors, which in tern leads to a jetty at which boats come to dock and be moored. In a way that’s uncomplicated and easy to understand, each building serves its specific functions providing public services to people in the community.
Openings in the external envelope allow light and fresh outdoor air into the interior, strategies that prevent it from becoming a stuffy, overcrowded space.Like historic roofing making a comeback, the five buildings are roofed over with lush green lawns resembling grassy knolls overlooking the road in front. Shed roofs covered with earth and vegetation create a superior thermal mass that absorbs and transfer less heat from the sun into the interior.
On approaching the civic center, you only see what looks like a few grassy knolls gently rising to the summits that are the focal points of the design. It’s visual experience that excites the imagination and creates a good first impression on people passing by. For a warm and friendly atmosphere, the main entry area is flanked by a welcome building and a restaurant building linked by a hallway. The other three buildings that lie a little further away contain a sauna, fitness center, and changing rooms plus other amenities, respectively, for privacy.
With nature as the first priority, the architects chose only simple building materials for interior decorating. It falls into a line of thought that the beautiful view outside takes precedence over any other consideration. At the same time, it is built strong and capable of carrying and transferring loads down onto the foundations. The facades overlooking the lake are covered in frameworks of wooden bars with awnings built of composite wood to keep the sun and rain off the building faces.
A fascinating array of lattices built of engineered wood is set at different angles to provide shade and create an aesthetic appeal to the over design.
Step inside, and you find the ceilings covered in engineered wood paneling. This material is chosen for its beautiful, authentic look that connects with the outdoors. The interior walls are covered in indoor tiles for a neat appearance, while the external envelope is adorned with faux wood lattices for a relaxing outdoor ambience.
Because it’s a public green space, natural features take precedence here. They’re considered more important than other things. In essence, it’s designed to reap the full benefits of nature, be it lighting or ventilation. Plus, well-thought-out design reduces the need for electromechanical air condition, which saves big on electricity costs.Seen from the water, each building has its lakefront façade facing a different direction to take in a different angle of view of the waterscape. The principal face of the building is covered in frameworks of wooden bars with awnings to keep the sun and rain out.
Designed as a landmark easily seen from a distance, the quintet of civic center buildings is all aglow in the nighttime, thanks to an orchestra of electric lights shining through hundreds upon hundreds of small openings in wooden latticework. Like a chandelier shimmering in the dark of night, they create stunning reflections on water and an indelible impression on people going past this area.
/ Story: Story: Lily J. / English version: Bob Pitakwong /
/ Photographs: Courtesy of Jai Baan Studio /
For Supawut Boonmahathanakorn of Jai Baan Studio, it’s easy to get why humans crave the touch of nature in their lives. It shows in what they’ve been doing all along — from ecotourism that combines travel with conservation, to an escape from the hustle and bustle of the city that happens from time to time. Why not? Out in the country the atmosphere is salubrious and the natural landscape pristine. Priceless!
But from the opposite point of view, what’s generally regarded as good also has the potential to inadvertently do harm to nature.
Not to mention the uncontrolled urban growth that can lead inexorably to unwelcome change in such a way as to impair the values and normal function of a rural community.
That’s where the designer group Jai Baan Studio led by Supawut Boonmahathanakorn, comes into play. Interestingly, they are determined to pursue a goal in creating designs that strike the right balance between satisfying basic human needs and protecting nature from harm, thereby adding to its ability to replenish.
To them, it’s a quality achievable through well-thought-out planning, a conception of design that prioritizes wisdom, prudence and function over form that brings aesthetic pleasure.
room and Living Asean have the honor of presenting Supawut Boonmahathanakorn of Jai Baan Studio. It’s a group of architects, planners and thinkers specialized in design that expresses our common humanity and the need to reconnect with the natural environment.
Mr. Supawut will be one of our guest speakers at the annual room X Living Asean Design Talk 2023. The event will take place on Sunday August 6 at the room Showcase zone inside Baan Lae Suan (Home and Garden) Fair Midyear 2023, BITEC Bangna, Bangkok, Thailand.
Q: What’s the basic principle of Jai Baan Studio? In other words, what’s important in the course of action you’re pursuing?
A: We regard restoring nature as the most important endeavor of our time. In doing so, we make every effort to “rewild” of the environment, be it built or natural.
We look for effective ways to restore balance in nature, thereby bringing the ecosystems back to health. In essence, it’s not about designing just to satisfy basic human needs alone. There are other things worthy of consideration, too.
Adishtan House / Here’s a thoughtful residential design that strikes the right balance with nature. It’s not devised as a response to homeowner needs alone. Rather, it’s a house plan that speaks volumes for everything that Jai Baan Studio stands for, an approach that takes the totality of the circumstances into consideration.
In the past, when people built something, they seemed to have a worldview that’s different from ours in this day and age. Back then, people didn’t separate things into different parts as is the case with works of architecture at the present time.
Their perspectives on life are evident in structures that conveyed a great deal about who they were and their relationship with the context of a place. Likewise, that’s what inspires us with a vision to pursue a wide range of contemporary design.
Among other things, we look at creating commercial spaces that are responsive to customer needs. At the same time, we look for design that strikes a balance between human needs and nature conservation. That’s important to us.
Adishtan House
We feel that the world is at a crisis point in history, a period characterized by mass extinction events brought on by the loss of habitats across a wide geographic area. It’s a time of intense difficulty that we are facing.
Yet, we feel that architects, designers and thinkers have a role to play in bringing public attention to the danger in a more perceptible way.
This is because the Earth’s surface, as we know it, has undergone transformation in so many ways. At the same time, human impacts on the environment continue with no end in sight.
Intentionally or not, the spreading of urban developments has had tremendous negative effects on the surroundings, both urban and rural.
Homjai House / By finding a balance between basic human needs and the context that forms the setting of a place, the architects at Jai Baan Studio are able to produce a home plan consistent with community values in society and the natural surroundings.
That said, it’s important for us to be able to speak on behalf of nature — living organisms, humans, animals, insects, plants, and let their voices be heard.
Mind you, the flora and fauna of the land have needs just like we all do. Hence, it’s good to do our share of the joint effort at restoring the balance of nature.
This brings us to the term “rewilding” the environment, which in essence is about restoring ecological systems to a stable equilibrium. That’s the message that we’re reaching out to communicate with our clients.
Homjai House
Q: How do you respond to the rise of urbanization and the consequences of land change in areas where you work?
A: Urbanization is a process that’s happening every day. We’re constantly making partial or minor changes to the city we live in.
Over time, it expands into outlying areas and small towns in the countryside. Even in the remote corners of the country, changes are taking place there, too.
Our office is located in Chiang Mai, but a sizeable proportion of the population is originally from Bangkok and other provinces across the country. They have come to call Chiang Mai home trying to fulfill their dreams of living in close touch with nature.
It’s an interesting phenomenon in which people feel a powerful desire to live a healthy lifestyle embraced by nature. They come in droves, and that’s what gives us architects new challenges.
Nunienoi Wetland / For the architects, designers and thinkers at Jai Baan Studio, animal needs are just as important as those of humans. For this reason, this wetland in Chiang Dao District of Chiang Mai is “rewilded” to its natural uncultivated state. The area is home to birds and animals great and small that are indigenous to this region.
The solution to the problems lies in whether we can find a balance between the form and function that people want on the one hand, and sustainability and quality of life on the other.
Suddenly, it dawns on us that our work can no longer be confined to landscaping design alone. Rather, it has to encompass all aspects of residential planning, environment improvement, and interactions with nature.
Therefore, it’s important to reach out and create an awareness among the residents. In doing so, we are able to offer the kind of thoughtful planning that’s clear and easy for building contractors to follow.
It’s a gradual process. Meanwhile, we must allow nature time to take its course and regain the ability to replenish.
Nunienoi Wetland
Q: In your opinion, how can design or your role as architect help toward community development, and society as a whole?
A: Let me answer in two parts.
First of all, we play an important part in communicating with the public in a respectful and subtle manner.
We don’t just tell people without explanation what good canal design should be and whatnot. Rather, we approach the task from a wider perspective, raising the issue of water pollution and how best to protect and restore the environment to health.
The same applies to other issues that involve public participation to resolve — from problems in the local economy, to impacts on ecosystems, to culture.
It’s about reaching out and talking to people, a role comparable to that of a diplomat, except we speak on behalf of nature. We wear two hats: humans who see things as humans do; and ambassadors of the environment that’s negatively impacted by change brought on by urbanization.
Done right, we can make our community a better place to live, together.
Mae Kha Canal / The Mae Kha Canal, a tributary that flows into the Ping River in Chiang Mai, is restored to a clean and pleasant condition. It’s a welcome change that bespeaks the resilience of nature and a joint effort at improving riparian ecosystems that shape the health the community.
Secondly, in helping toward community development, we collaborate with people from different walks of life.
Unlike old times, today’s architects often find themselves working jointly with people from different fields. Together, we look for an excellent, well-thought-out plan with help from a variety of knowledgeable sources.
It’s a conducive work environment, in which everyone is treated as equal regardless of economic backgrounds or points of view. Good design comes from a nexus of ideas that all parties bring to the table.
Above and beyond anything else, it’s about bringing people together and making success happen.
Mae Kha Canal
Supawut Boonmahathanakorn is one of our guest speakers at the annual room X Living Asean Design Talk 2023. He will touch upon the topic of a balance between human needs and nature conservation. Plus, it’s an opportunity to keep abreast of the latest developments in design, architecture and landscaping. The event will take place on Sunday August 6 at the room Showcase zone inside BaanLaeSuan Fair Midyear 2023 at BITEC Bang Na, Bangkok.
This year’s Design Talk is on the theme of “URBAN FUSION / RURAL FLOURISH: Interweaving Urban and Rural Designs.” Admission is free. Just a friendly reminder, seats are limited. Advance registration is recommended.
/ Story: Lily J. / English version: Bob Pitakwong /
/ Photographs: Courtesy of Jai Baan Studio /
Imagine what to expect as urban areas relentlessly expand into the outskirts of a city. More basic physical infrastructures are needed. As to be expected, they have a significant impact on rivers, canals and natural water bodies. Not to mention new roads that traverse a vast area covered with forest and agricultural land. Some see it as a welcome change. For others, it’s a rude awakening for its potential to have an effect on the ecosystems. Precisely, there’s a good chance it could afflict harm to existing “Ecological Corridors.”
What are “Ecological Corridors,” anyway? The term refers to both natural features of Earth’s surface and landscape planning strategies designed to prevent or reduce the effects of habitat loss.
Be it natural or man-made, they provide habitats crucial to the survival of indigenous florae and faunas great and small. Simply put in plain language, they are natural homes to plants, animals, birds, insects and other living organisms.
It’s for this reason that a property owner in Chiang Mai decided to create an open public space that’s central to the physical and mental health of both humans and animals. She started out with 12 Rai of land (slightly shy of 5 acres) of her own that’s part of a housing development on the outskirts of the city.
Named “Kaew Khum Oey Garden,” the green space project connecting Chiang Mai people with nature is undertaken by the homegrown design atelier Jaibaan Studio.
Supawut Boonmahathanakorn, architect and founder of Jaibaan Studio, said that for a long time the 12-Rai plot was left largely undeveloped after much of the upper layer of earth had been excavated to fill a strip of land designated for road building.
It lies environed by more than 30 housing developments without a single open public space. That’s reason enough for the owner to put in good quality parklands complete with bike trails, jogging trails and workout spaces for the community to enjoy.
Change is a good thing. The green is open to people of all ages, plus it’s thoughtfully devised to connect with existing ecosystems in the surroundings.
To create an oasis of calm that allows public access, the designer has been meticulous about its appearance and made spaces available for commercial activities, including room for the restaurant business.
It’s a thoughtful consideration since it’s the business that will generate the incomes needed to fund the upkeep of the park, thereby freeing the property owner from burdensome responsibilities in the long term. Plus, it helps to operate within budget.
With respect to landscaping, the designer further improves the visible features of the land by putting in trees and small plants indigenous to Thailand’s North.
Ironically, some of the species are less commonly known even among locals. As the growth of urban sprawl continues, neighborhood greenery matters. That’s the way he sees it.
Hence, the restoration of the area to all its former glory becomes his front-and-center concerns. Besides giving local residents the opportunity to reconnect with nature, he treats it as a design laboratory in which the flora and fauna and other living elements native to the area are incorporated in the design.
As the designer of Jai Baan Studio puts it, the park doubles as nature conservation, a restoration of the natural environment in which native plant species take precedence over any other consideration.
Trouble is that nowadays the garden market is awash with excessive amounts of decorative plants, including species imported from abroad.
Because of that, most landscape developers across the country have elected to integrate foreign imports in the design despite the kingdom’s rich and diverse native florae. As the imported tree species become more popular, nurseries and garden markets comply.
Subsequently, the landscape designer is compelled to act according to demands. And before you know it, there aren’t many native plant gardens around anymore, let alone the nursery business that produces them.
To solve supply chain problems, the landscape designer builds his own nursery, one that’s specialized in native species production to fulfill the park’s specific needs.
He crosses the hill and sifts through the water collecting specimens of native florae and faunas needed to repopulate the area, literally starting from scratch. A job very well done, he’s succeeded in breathing new life into what was once a neglected piece of ground.
Some of the more commonly known species he reintroduces to the park includes herbal species, such as
(1) Ngu-khiew (พันงูเขียว) or Brazilian tea (Stachytarpheta jamaicensis);
(2) Tri-chawa (ตรีชวา) or squirrel’s tail (Justicia betonica);
(3) Kraprao-daeng (กระเพราแดง) or Red holy basil (Ocimum tenufiorum);
(4) Ho-rapha (โหรพา) or Thai basil (Ocimum basillicum var. thyrsiflora); and
(5) Fai-duenha (ไฟเดือนห้า) or Butterfly weed (Asclepias curassavica). The list goes on.
Kaew Khum Oey Garden is by no means a one-off project. It’s the designer’s finest work to date. So the information about the native florae used here will be stored in a repository of data for future landscape developments similar to this one.
The data will also be made available for public access in time to come with a view to stimulate demands, thereby encouraging the nursery business to fulfill the emerging needs for indigenous plants in the future.
For a carefree, laid-back vibe, it’s the designer’s intention for the project to be nothing out of the ordinary, a public green space that operates without too much control or intervention.
As he puts it, “There may still be parts of it that aren’t arranged neatly or in good order here and there, but hey, that’s perfectly normal if we wish to restore an area of land to its original uncultivated state.
“After all, we have different notions about beauty in the 21st Century. Wouldn’t you agree that there’s a sense of beauty in imperfections, too?”
It’s the different conception of beauty that brings our attention to “Rewilding the Environment,” the term used to describe the return to a state of being unorganized or leaving it alone again, naturally.
By design, it’s a far cry from the impeccably manicured garden. Rather, it’s one rich in the flora and fauna of the Northern Region, including insects. It’s a design that views human users as inextricable parts of nature.
So if you’re looking for a place to relax, lean back and chill, Kaew Khum Oey Garden is the place to be. It’s made with the user in mind. And that’s precisely the message that the design atelier Jai Baan Studio tries to communicate.
Find out more about nature-inspired landscape architecture and ideas for a possible course of action toward environment-friendly design similar to the above-mentioned project at the upcoming room X Living Asean Design Talk 2023.
It’s an opportunity to meet up Supawut Boonmahathanakorn, architect and founder of Jai Baan Studio as well as a panel of experts from three ASEAN countries.
This year’s conversation event is on the theme of “URBAN FUSION / RURAL FLOURISH: Interweaving Urban and Rural Designs.” The Design Talk is scheduled for Sunday August 6 at the room Showcase zone inside Baan Lae Suan Fair Midyear 2023.
Admission is free. Just a friendly reminder, seats are limited. Registration is recommended.
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