Blog : tree canopy

Office for Trees: Beautiful All-Glass Workspace amid Lush Green Gardens
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Office for Trees: Beautiful All-Glass Workspace amid Lush Green Gardens

/ Khanh Hoa, Vietnam /

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

/ Photographs: Hiroyuki Oki /

The name “Office for Trees” may sound unfamiliar, but that’s precisely what it’s meant to be. Here’s a modern workplace adorned with shade trees, shrubbery and hanging vines strategically placed to keep the heat out and embrace the beauty of every corner of interior design.

Seen from the street, the “Office for Trees” boasts the beauty of a see-through façade overlooking a well-maintained, inviting front yard.

Located in an urban district in Khanh Hoa Province, south central Vietnam, the building bears some resemblance to a solarium from a distance. It boasts a see-through façade made up entirely of glass to admit sunlight. Inside, beautiful workspaces enclosed by glass walls are disposed around a lush interior courtyard filled with trees and a pathway giving access to all the rooms.

Taken as a whole, it’s design that speaks volumes for the concept of the sustainable use of natural resources. While the country’s economy is picking up speed, the hidden danger of rapid urban growth is real. Lack of green spaces in the city and the realities of today’s climatic conditions are permeating all facets of people’s lives, affecting their health and well-being to put it mildly.

Conscious of changes in the environment, Pham Huu Son Architects, a group of young and dynamic architects based in Khanh Hoa, set out to create a different kind of business premises by incorporating the basic elements of nature into building spaces. The result is an ultramodern office providing 650 square meters of work area that’s calm and more conducive to creativity. Plus, it’s capable of carrying out the complete functionality for a variety of business operations.

A drawing of the first floor shows the main entry area (left) in relation to a stepping-stone garden pathway lined with green plants running the entire length of the building. / Courtesy of Pham Huu Son Architects
Nature at work, a drawing of the office’s upper covering illustrates rows of skylights alternating with planter boxes filled with green plants. / Courtesy of Pham Huu Son Architects
Nature at work, a drawing of the office’s upper covering illustrates rows of skylights alternating with planter boxes filled with green plants. / Courtesy of Pham Huu Son Architects

The “Office for Trees” consists of two buildings separated by an inner courtyard. Walk in the door, and you come to an impressive office reception/waiting room connected to the main office space at the rear.

Named the “Model House”, it contains an interior mockup complete with a bedroom, dining room, kitchen and bathroom designed to give customers a feel of how the design works. Between the buildings, a lush courtyard creates a focal point in the outdoors, improves natural ventilation and opens to admit daylight.

But what makes it stand out in a crowd is the glass façade that rises from the floor to the ceiling, resulting in a bright and airy office overlooking a koi pond and a well-kept, inviting front yard.

To reconnect with nature, the reception/waiting area is hemmed in by lush vegetation with a stepping-stone garden pathway connecting the front to the back of the building. Overall the interior is simple, clean and uncluttered with only a few pieces of furniture characteristic of minimalist ideas.

The office reception room up front is glazed using clear glass that stands tall from the floor to the ceiling. The interior is light, airy and uncluttered with a few pieces of furniture characteristic of minimalist design.
Glass walls separate the ”Office for Trees” waiting room from a koi pond in the front yard adorned with lush vegetation.

A design based on mutually beneficial relationships, the “Office for Trees” is able to provide a comfortable work environment. On the outside, green plants thriving vigorously under the big hardwood canopy trees act as engine that drives natural air circulation, keeping the interior workspaces nice and cool throughout the day.

At the same time, an underground water tank keeps the gardens well supplied all year round, resulting in well-maintained landscapes. On the rooftop, solar panels provide clean and green energy, keeping the “Model House” cool and saving electricity costs.

Reconnecting with nature, a stepping-stone garden pathway lined with lush vegetation creates a sense of space in the workplace made light and airy by design.
A park table and benches provide perfect outdoor room to chill out. They sit on the top of an underground water tank, a clever hack to save floor space in the inner courtyard.

A drone’s eye view shows the “Office for Trees” rooftop covered in planter boxes filled with lush foliage alternating with skylights providing ventilation and natural daylight.

Lastly, it’s clear that green spaces, adequate lighting and good ventilation play a vital role in improving health and productivity in the workplace. Together they create an atmosphere conducive to creativity, increased energy and enthusiasm for life. Thanks to well-thought-out design, there are amazing qualities aplenty here at the Office for Trees in Khanh Hoa, Vietnam.

Architects: Pham Huu Son Architects

Lead Architect: Pham Huu Son

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Mitbury the Public House: A Café in Pastel Brown Humbly Camouflaged in Nature’s Embrace
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Mitbury the Public House: A Café in Pastel Brown Humbly Camouflaged in Nature’s Embrace

/ Chiang Mai, Thailand /

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

/ Photographs: Prueksakun Kornudom, Ornpailin Leelasiriwong /

Tucked away amidst the crisp mountain air and dense green plants thriving under tree cover, a quaint country café takes center stage giving off friendly vibes. It’s enclosed by glass walls on three sides, while perimeter fence walls of large breeze blocks in pastel brown speak volumes for the humble origins of mankind.

Lying furthest from everything else, a lazy brook passes by reflecting sunlight glistening with sparkles in misty winds. Aptly named “Mitbury the Public House”, the café and nearby support buildings merge into the cool shade of wooded hills in the backdrop. It’s arguably the most exquisite kind of scenery. And it’s located right here in Mae Rim District, only a short ride from Chiang Mai’s city center.

At the risk of stating the obvious, the aroma of coffee beans being ground and roasted in the background smells like heaven. There’s nothing like chilling out, sipping one’s favorite Morning Brew on a quiet day at nature’s edge.

The project comprises three small buildings with a chic coffee bar located at the center of the property. The other two buildings lie hidden in plain sight behind the walls of perforate blocks in muted brown designed to promote ventilation and regulate sunlight. The coffee bar itself affords 140 square meters of restaurant space canopied by overhanging trees.

A charcoal sketch of the premises illustrates the positioning of the café and two support buildings enclosed by a perforate wall and surrounding terrain features. / Courtesy of WOS Architects
A side-elevation view of the café building in cross section, silhouetted against a breeze block wall lying under the canopy of overhanging trees / Courtesy of WOS Architects

The brainchild of WOS Architects, a Bangkok-based architectural practice, Mitburi the Public House is a design masterpiece that seeks reconnections with the natural world.

Walk in the door, and you find an ample space used for guests and seating. Interestingly, the rough textured wall in soft pastel beige at the back is the sight to behold. It stands overlooking the space used for preps, the coffee bar and kitchen.

From a distance, a paved passageway glides past lush lawns leading to first building that houses the café and kitchen. The second building holds storage space and staff quarters, while the third is a complete toilet building. By design, they lie hidden from view behind the perforate brick walls.

A footbridge gives access to nearby wooded hills. It’s built of structural I-beam framing, with wooden planks and railings of wire infill panels for protection against slip and fall accidents.

All of them are built of structural steel framing. Where appropriate, the exterior walls are crafted of natural building materials sourced from within the community. Immediately appealing among them is the floor tiled in grayish brown. It lies covered with thin slabs of baked clay from a local kiln, creating charm, good looks that embrace imperfect simplicity.

For visual continuity, the café building itself is enclosed by glass walls on three sides, with a pair of transom windows at the top of the front door. A clean, well-lighted place, the interior is warm and welcoming, thanks to pale soft lights that are less distracting, adding romantic appeal to the room.

From inside the café, glass walls provide undisrupted visual continuity between indoors and outdoors. The floor is tiled in reddish brown slabs fired the old-fashioned way by a local kiln, the beauty of imperfections that blends with the surroundings.
The café building stands among the trees, enclosed by glass walls on three sides. They open to admit natural daylight and fresh outdoor air into the room.

Out-of-doors, yard landscaping ideas are just impressive. Perforate blocks in reddish brown fill up the entire boundary fence, blending seamlessly into the dark green of the forest’s edge. Located furthest to the rear, a footbridge built of steel I-beams, wooden planks and wire infill railings provide access to nearby forested hills.

Attention to detail is evidenced by the breeze block fence in muted brown that separates the business premises into clearly defined zones depending on functionality.
The complete toilet building stands hidden from view, separated from nearby lush lawns and café space by a wall of perforate bricks for ventilation.

The I-beams are painted a grayish green hue that merges into large areas of old woodlands in the background. Underneath the footbridge, a babbling stream runs idly by meandering through the rock-covered forest floor. Above it, cool breezes and leaves rustling in the trees entice the imagination.

Overall, the business premises keep firmly to the owner’s initial resolve to leave every tree and the nearby brook where they have always been, giving rise to house-among-trees ideas. For a good reason, they are built small and disposed around the periphery of the project site. The building shell is topped with a simple gable roof made of natural materials that are friendly to the environment.

To live and let live, a native tree stands where it’s always been. Cutting it down is not a choice.

Nature lovers should find the small café in the woods a paradise, thanks to rocks being used to create a set of steps leading to the glass-glazed façade, a clever hack to create visual continuity between indoors and outdoors.

Surrounded by lush lawns and shade trees, a set of rock steps adds beauty and functionality to the building’s glass-glazed façade.

Thanks to thoughtful design, the trio of small buildings in earthy browns lies beautifully ensconced among the trees and wooded hills in the background. Day in, day out, the smell of coffee ground and roasted fresh on site induces a sense of warmth and comfort among people who feel a yearning for the mountains.

It comes as no surprise that they name it “Mitbury”, a Thai term literally translated as a place for friendly people, and in this particular case, a café built into nature that celebrates the easy, laidback lifestyles that have made Chiang Mai famous. Swing by next time you’re in town!

Architect: WOS Architects (https://wosarchitects.com/)

Interior Design: Estudio (https://www.facebook.com/Estu.interior/)

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Tanatap Wall Garden: A Restaurant-cum-Café and Bar among Lush Trees and Immaculate White Walls
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Tanatap Wall Garden: A Restaurant-cum-Café and Bar among Lush Trees and Immaculate White Walls

/ Central Java, Indonesia /

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

/ Photographs: Mario Wibowo /

Central Java, Indonesia – Neat and clean walls rise above a reflecting pool and lush lawns brightened up by shimmering lights. They are made attractive by warm-toned whites and smooth curved lines twirling lightly around like poetry in motion. Shaped into alternate ridges and grooves, the concrete surfaces in zingy warm hues slant up to the skyline reminiscent of a graceful dance. It’s an amazing innovation thoughtfully devised to sync with rhythms in the urban landscape that gives it aesthetic appeal.

A welcoming reception area lies adjacent to the reflecting pool designed to blend with the rounded contour at the very top of a white wall separating the restaurant’s interior from the exterior.

The clean, well-lighted trio of restaurant, café and bar is located in Central Java, an Indonesian province that’s home to the famous Borobudur Temple, one of the greatest Buddhist monuments in the world. Named “Tanatap Wall Garden”, it’s a delightful business space in a class of itself, one that advocates for form and function being joined in a way that requires less energy to operate.

The restaurant-cum-café and bar, together with its land that forms a verdant oasis, affords 2,500 square meters of commercial space nestled among beautiful cityscapes. It’s an all-encompassing design that combines commercial real estate with elements of nature in close physical association to the advantage of both.

A charcoal sketch shows the positioning of functional spaces in relation to existing big trees, a relationship to the advantage of both. / Courtesy of RAD+ar
A side elevation view in perspective illustrates the positioning of restaurant, café and bar spaces under lush tree cover. / Courtesy of RAD+ar

The concept delineated above is the brainchild of a high performing team at RAD+ar, an architectural practice based in Jakarta, Indonesia. The team of architects was tasked with transforming what used to be a parking garage into a calm, secluded garden in which to wine and dine; meanwhile preserving the existing natural environment and the property’s significance as part of a central business district.

The result is a piece of architecture showcasing perfectly clean, white walls rising among very big lush trees, a beautiful sight unlike anything out there. Viewed from above, the floor plan consists of three straight lines on the ground moving centrifugally from the center. Along these lines, concrete walls rise to different heights forming gently curved lines at the very top as they traverse among stands of homogeneous trees.

Viewed from above, the restaurant-cum-café and bar merges into beautiful and cool landscapes so that they become an indivisible whole.

Apart from bringing shade and regulating temperatures, the trees growing wild in every direction give the business premises charm, good looks that please the senses and the mind.

It’s design that comes from understanding the warm, humid climate prevailing in Central Java, and the company’s principles advocating for simple and sustainable lifestyles. Together they are the key attributes that make Tanatap Wall Garden one of the most agreeable places to be.

For a good first impression, the welcoming entryway is adorned with green spaces that create positive moments in people’s lives. It’s connected to a pathway system leading to cool and restful places amid the beautiful backyard landscape.

Old trees and new walls become inextricable parts of the design advocating for sustainability.

On the way, an 800-square-meter reflecting pool provides a focal point in the scenery, bringing joy, pleasure and contentment in nature’s peaceful embrace. Interestingly enough, tiers of seats similar to a sports arena are added to the mix in a way that’s proper in the circumstances.

A reflecting pool under tree cover provides a focal point in the landscape. It works in tandem with other passive design strategies creating thermal comfort for both indoors and outdoors.
A lounge area offers wide seating space and flexibility seamlessly integrated into the building’s architectural styles.

In addition to being a rendezvous for good food and drinks, Tanatap Wall Garden offers an enormous richness of nature-inspired outdoor rooms for those who love spending time indulging in music and live stage performances.

Keeping to its original concept, an amphitheater is put in for customers who appreciate dramatic works as a genre of literature and expression of ideas encouraging participation in the discourses of society. All of these features are neatly integrated in one cohesive design aesthetic.

Tiers of seats similar to a sports area lie under a pedestrian bridge connecting different parts of the building. By design, it’s a work of art that keeps creative energy flowing.

In short, it’s a metamorphosis of purpose that results in neat and clean white walls transforming into a stunning commercial space, in this particular case, a trio of restaurant, café and bar set amidst a verdant oasis.

From inside looking out, a part of the white wall with ridges and grooves in it is visible through the doorway at the furthest end.
The restaurant has a lovely garden under tree cover for those who prefer to wine and dine alfresco.

Drop by Tanatap Wall Garden for a drink or two next time you sojourn in Central Java. It’s an opportunity to experience the beauty of architecture and nature coming together in one indivisible design.

Architect: RAD+ar

Principal Architect: Antonius Richard

Sculpture Artist: Wisnu Ajitama

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Rooftop Oasis in the Heart of Bangkok
livingasean

Rooftop Oasis in the Heart of Bangkok

Welcome to another side of Phetchaburi Road. Leave traffic jam behind and step into the rooftop oasis garden of Vikrom Kromadit, the famous Thai author as well as creator and CEO of Amata Corporation.

/// Thailand /// 

Story : Panchat Changchan /// Photos : Sitthisak Namkham

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Surrounded by groups of office and residential buildings, an oasis in the cramped confusion of the metropolis

The concrete and river-pebble pathway winds around under native Thai trees such as gold apple, white sandalwood, and bauhinia standing among taller ones, with sweet fragrances of lignum vitae and gardenia wafting from dazzling blossoms on elegantly formed branches. Nearer to the ground were ferns, arrowroot, konjac, elephant ear, ground orchid, bromeliads, and moss displayed verdant greens. It’s unbelievable that this garden exists high on the rooftop of a big building in the heart of Bangkok. The soil is only about 15cm thick, so what secret techniques did they use to get this perfection?

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First view out outside theKromadit Building elevator: an arboreal tunnel arched with cape jasmine and climbing ylang-ylang
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Vikrom Kromadit, the businessman and famous author, enjoying the garden atmosphere he created

Vikrom tells us, “A garden isn’t something you create and are suddenly finished with. A garden is a living thing. This all happened in stages over 8 – 9 years. At first, we experimented. After we got moss and ferns growing well, we added a lot of improvements. By the time we had it looking good, we’d perfected our knowledge of cultivation and maintenance. The last stage has been the most enjoyable, but it’s all about constant change and adaptation.

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Garden entrance gate, engraved with ancient symbols and set in an arbor of crepe gardenia and other gorgeous plants
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Cape jasmine gardenias amid perennials and other tall shrubs, growing on rocky mounds with moss for slow growth similar to bonsai
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Besides shade-givers such as gardenias, tall bushes such as the climbing ylang-ylang refresh the garden with beautiful forms and fragrant flowers

“There’s nothing temporary here, so maintenance is the most important factor, ensuring plants grow strong and adapt to the environment. The trees are hardy, slow-growing domestic species. They’re planted at intervals on mounds of earth in line with primary building columns and beams, as the roof was not designed to hold a garden’s weight. We worked on a look as natural as possible, even using cement tree supports formed into natural root and vine shapes. Nature is nature. Some things we think of as natural are actually not. In the real forest there’s nothing artificial, but here we have to use certain techniques to make it look like the real thing.”

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Behind the beautiful garden and green lawn is Vikrom’s residence, its Thai architecture a perfect fit for the selected Thai vegetation
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Trees planted on rocky mounds with wooden supports overgrown with climbing vines – clinging to roots are small plants such as button orchid and moss

I walked around in admiration. This space of less than half an acre contains a waterfall, grass lawn, and a wooden deck that can hold 400 people and is used for various events.

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Trees planted all along the curving garden path, each with differently shaped supports, offering contrasting garden views
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Below two guayacan trees are large, well-cared-for golden chicken ferns, plus tree ferns, davallia, Royal Project fern, birds-nest fern, and arrowroot
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Sun and shade are important factors for a forest garden, requiring both long-lived shade trees and shade-tolerant plants. In front, savanna grass, bromeliads, and arrowroot; further in, golden chicken fern, Royal Project fern, and Teysmannia palm
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In front of the main door grow Cape jessamine and guayacan, showing flowers and spreading sweet fragrances to passers by

Birds and other creatures roam freely, a unique sight in the heart of the city. Saying this is heavenly is really not an exaggeration: it has the look of one of nature perfect jungle gardens. Clearly, the owner and creator here loves and understands nature and has created his own heaven, where all things live together in happiness.

link: http://www.baanlaesuan.com/category/garden

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