Blog : two-storey house

TURNING A COLD 20-YEAR-OLD HOUSE INTO A BRIGHT AND AIRY TROPICAL HOME

TURNING A COLD 20-YEAR-OLD HOUSE INTO A BRIGHT AND AIRY TROPICAL HOME

/ Bangkok, Thailand /

/ Story: Kor Lordkam / English version: Bob Pitakwong / Photographs: Soopakorn Srisakul /

Every home tells a story. This good-sized two-story residence at “Mai Lom Ruen”, an upscale housing development near King Rama IX Memorial Park in Bangkok, is home to a couple and their six adorable pets (a dog and five cats). They moved to this outlying district of the city not that long ago. The 20-year-old house they bought needed improvements so as to answer their lifestyle needs. And a home renovation firm came in handy to do exactly that. The result is a light and airy tropical home with the warm sunshine, plus an image of the friendliness and youthful enthusiasm of the people living here.

The project architect, Tharit Tossanaitada, who is design director of the Design In Motion Co., Ltd, said that in the primary stage, he would have to redraw a new house plan within the confines of the existing home.

It was good that the homeowners already had an idea about what to do and had a blueprint for all the rooms. And with that, the project was off to a very good start.

AIRY TROPICAL HOME

The 400-square-meter two-story home was ready for remodeling, starting with a teardown of most solid walls that divided the interior into different parts.

The building’s original frames and beams supporting the roof and floor above them remained intact. Thereafter new room dividers were put in place according to the activity and purpose intended for each space.

Meantime, the carport that originally stood front and center was moved to the right side of the house. Like so, side-by-side parking has now changed to parking in a column on the driveway.

The result was a house front design that’s wide open without vehicles cluttering up the passageway, creating the perfect front yard that’s easy on the eye.

The house’s first floor that lies in open view consists of a nice little foyer at the front that connects to a home office, kitchen and delightful secluded sitting room at the farthest end. By design, the parlor room is conveniently linked up with the new car park at the right side of the house.

Precisely it’s the architect’s intention to keep this back door entrance strictly for family use and hence no need to enter and leave through the front door every time.

On top of that, the architect had the entrance hall ceiling torn down to make room for a new metal staircase leading to the second floor. The remodeled foyer performs its dual role.

On the one hand, it gives the family direct access to the second floor. On the other hand, it adds consummate elegance to the warm and welcoming antechamber.

airy tropical home

Step outside, and you come into a central courtyard enclosed by the house walls. This, too, has undergone a complete makeover.

The grass lawn that had been there originally was removed to make room for a carp pond decorated with aquatic plants, leafy bushes and shrubs, making the outdoor room more enjoyable.

airy tropical home

As to be expected, the second floor is a little more private. Several rooms that had been there from the beginning were torn down to provide sufficient space for an ample common area.

The master bedroom remained intact, while a second bedroom originally next to it has since been replaced by a semi-outdoor sitting room enclosed by a balustrade on the outside of the building.

airy tropical home

airy tropical home

From the looks of it, this represents the most obvious attempt by the architect to bring the outdoors into what was once an uncomfortable drafty old house.

That being the case, the external envelope of the building was torn down to create a perfect outdoor room with bench seating that matches the house façade.

Consisting of strips of steel securely fastened together to form a privacy screen, the redesigned façade extends all the way to the translucent upper covering of the building that allows natural daylight into the home.

On the inside, the second floor also contains a family room and a third bedroom that has since been allocated to their beloved house pets.

airy tropical home

As Tharit put it, the most important part of the renovation project was the redesigned layout of the ground floor that made the traffic flow between major living areas easy and gave it ample space perfect for the family’s lifestyle needs.

He said: “What I was trying to achieve was a house plan with a good flow of traffic and carefully thought-out circulation patterns to create a well-lit and well-ventilated interior.

“So the first thing I did was dismantle all the rooms and rebuild them by setting the walls further back slightly to create more room for improved air circulation.

“Albeit viewed as separate units, all the rooms were connected to one another by natural air circulation.”

The architect reiterated that by setting the walls further back one meter, the interior rooms became smaller in size while the semi-outdoor veranda along the outside of the house overlooking the central courtyard gained more space.

This resulted in the good flow of traffic between major living areas.

Plus, there was natural circulation that came from using environmental-friendly systems such as walls fitted with large aluminum windows and roller blinds that open and shut to control the amounts of daylight and fresh, outdoor air coming into this airy tropical home.

These are among the features that help keep the interior cool without air conditioning.

airy tropical home

airy tropical home

airy tropical home

airy tropical home

Finally, materials matter. The products that the architect chose were all important to achieve a desirable outcome.

In this case, it was real timber used in the building that made this house stand out from the rest. Plus, the homeowners had a love for everything wood and took the time and effort to purchase the materials themselves.

They included the golden species of teakwood that’s ideal for building the veranda around the central courtyard, door and window casings, ceiling panels, and parts of walls.

The renovation process also saw the original ceramic roof tiles being replaced by cedar shingles that gave the house its inviting appeal.

airy tropical home

In summary, the relocation of functions represents a rethink of strategy and practical use in building design. The result is a renovation done right — a bright and airy tropical home that exudes peace and tranquility thanks to natural materials environment-friendly systems.

As the architect puts it, “even one meter matters” when it comes to quality home improvements. It’s a metamorphosis of purpose that transforms the unpleasantly cold 20-year-old house into an airy tropical home with a sunny personality that gives a feeling of comfort, warmth, and relaxation.


Architect: Design In Motion Co., Ltd.


 

A House in Quang Yen: Massive Roof Design Celebrates Vietnam’s Climate and Culture

A House in Quang Yen: Massive Roof Design Celebrates Vietnam’s Climate and Culture

/ Quang Yen, Vietnam /

/ Story: Kor Lordkam / Photographs: Hoang Le, Duc Ngo /

The so-called ” House in Quang Yen ” is a two-story home designed for a large family in Quan Yen, a town in Quang Ninh Province in Vietnam’s Northeast. The province borders Ha Long to the east and Haiphong to the south. The port city of Haiphong itself is an important economic corridor with harbors for seagoing ships and modern industrial zones that attract investors and manufacturers both at home and abroad. Quan Yen is a quintessentially Vietnamese small town that’s sparsely populated with beautiful natural and agricultural landscapes.

House in Quangyen
Photograph: Hoang Le

 

The 121-square-meter home project is a collaboration between two design studios, namely, ra.atelier (Gia Thang Pham) and ngo + pasierbinski (Piotr Pasierbinski and Duc Ngo). Their job was to undertake two tasks simultaneously — preserve the existing landscape with a water pond and tropical garden environment on it, and cater to the lifestyle needs of homeowners in post-retirement age and their family.

Precisely that translated into maintaining the outdoor space in the state that was in existence at the time as much as they possibly could. This included the outdoor room for planting trees and a flower garden plus spaces for vegetable gardening and a flexible piece of ground for entertaining several houseguests and relatives.

 

House in Quangyen
Photograph: Hoang Le

House in Quangyen
Photograph: Hoang Le

House in Quangyen
Photograph: Hoang Le

House in Quangyen
Photograph: Duc Ngo

 

The house is situated on 735 square meters of land (roughly 0.2 acres), shaped like an elongated rectangle with a narrow frontage to the street. The face of the building stands facing south, overlooking a small semicircle body of water. Nearby a miniature mountain garden décor separates the front yard filled with flowers and bonsai from the backyard that’s reserved for vegetable gardening.

According to the architect, the new house was built exactly where the old house once stood. It’s set slightly toward the back so as to create more room for a veranda projecting in front of the building.

 

Illustration: Courtesy of ra.atelier and ngo + pasierbinski
Illustration: Courtesy of ra.atelier and ngo + pasierbinski

Illustration: Courtesy of ra.atelier and ngo + pasierbinski

Illustration: Courtesy of ra.atelier and ngo + pasierbinski

 

The layout of the house is primarily related to its intended functions. In the big picture, the building has the approximate shape of a cube, the front part of which is reserved for general purposes such as giving lessons to kids in the neighborhood, a common activity for people in post-retirement age.

The back part of the house is quiet and a little more private, with room for a kitchen and bedrooms. Halfway in between lies an uncluttered center hallway made attractive by double-height ceiling design.

Climb a flight of stairs and you come to a more personal center hallway connecting to two bedrooms and an ancestral worship room. It’s a long-established custom in Vietnam to offer veneration to ancestors from whom the family is descended.

 

House in Quangyen
Photograph: Duc Ngo

House in Quangyen
Photograph: Hoang Le

House in Quangyen
Photograph: Hoang Le

 

All of the above parts work together to form a coherent house plan that’s perfectly oriented to maximize all aspects of the surroundings.

In terms of the aesthetic appeal, the water pond is the focal point of the front yard landscape. There’s a sense of physical and spiritual relationship among all things. Arranged in a straight line, the miniature mountain décor and the pond can be seen through the round, compelling window of the worship room at the center of the house plan. The water pond, as the architect puts it, represents the essential part of the original landscape that had long been there before the old house was torn down and replaced by a new one.

In a nutshell, the main idea is to keep everything where it belongs.

 

House in Quangyen
Photograph: Duc Ngo

House in Quangyen
Photograph: Hoang Le

House in Quangyen
Photograph: Duc Ngo

 

Apart from a set of traditional beliefs and sociocultural values, other important factors are also taken into account in creating a design that best fits the natural surroundings and climate of the region. This is manifested in visual continuity that extends from inside the worship room to the miniature mountain garden décor in the front yard. Plus, the open floor plan design allows natural daylight and fresh, clean air to enter and circulate inside the home.

In essence, it’s a trinity of complementing factors – the water pond, the building, and the surrounding landscape.

 

The architect wraps it up nicely. “It’s a design based on the relationship between common spaces, worship room, and the landscape.” There is apparent continuity starting with the entryway that boasts the spaciousness of double height ceiling design all the way to the second floor of the house. This allows all usable spaces and functions to conveniently link up with one another.

Meanwhile, doors and windows are in the right proportion in relation to the size, shape and position resulting in well-ventilated interior living spaces that are not too bright, not too warm, not too dark or not too cold.

 

House in Quangyen
Photograph: Hoang Le

Photograph: Hoang Le

 

On the outside, the house overlooks the front yard with a water pond that lies to the south. It’s perfectly oriented to coincide with seasonal winds that carry atmospheric moisture into the home, thereby keeping it cool all year round.

At the same time, the extremely large roof covered in orange tiles shelters the home from severe weather and blends harmoniously with like-color roofs in the surroundings.

Overall, it’s a design well suited to the warm and humid climate of Vietnam. Although the roof is enormous by any standard, the interior is well-lit by natural daylight thanks to large perimeter windows and doors. The result is a breezy, visually stimulating environment for house occupants.


House in Quangyen
Photograph: Hoang Le

House in Quangyen
Photograph: Hoang Le

House in Quangyen
Photograph: Hoang Le

Finally, the interior living spaces are plain and uncluttered by design. In all parts of the house, white walls prove a perfect complement to the floors covered in gray color tiles. What makes the interior pleasing to the senses is the furniture, as well as windows and doorframes made of wood. More importantly, it’s the ordinary interior that speaks volumes for the simple lifestyle characteristic of this area. That’s precisely the quality that gives this house a feeling of warmth, comfort and relaxation.

Nothing describes the relationship and the atmosphere here better than the architect’s saying, “The house is an extension of the garden, and the garden is an extension of the house.”

 


Architect: : ra.atelier (Gia Thang Pham) and ngo + pasierbinski (Duc Ngo, Piotr Pasierbinski)


 

A Container House for a Family Full of Different Characters

A Container House for a Family Full of Different Characters

Starting with the idea of building a temporary residence from commercial containers, Charnwit Ananwattanakul of Wish Architect Design Studio had to analyze the different characters of the family members who would live there. In the end, this temporary project became a permanent container house made from 15 containers.

/ Khon Kaen, Thailand /
/ Story: Samutcha Viraporn / Photograph: Sitthisak Namkham /

Container House

The container house has 2 wings, one used for the living area. The master bedroom is on the second floor. An open wood-floored multipurpose space runs longitudinally through the house as a sort of inner courtyard, enabling family interaction and serving as a channel for heat release and air circulation from front to back.

Similar decks in front and back follow the width of the house and set it back a distance to reduce heat entering the container elements of the house. Trees planted in front add another level of protection from the western sun.

Container House Container HouseContainer House

Blocking partitions behind this container house create a wind channel to reduce any late-morning heat from eastwards.

To minimize heat and humidity, bathrooms are placed on the south side, some containing plants suggestive of old-time country houses where bathing was done outside, pouring from water jars. Another important feature is the sprayed-in roof insulation.

Container House Container House

The living room is done in a spacious “open plan” style, connecting it to the large food preparation area/pantry with facilities such as a coffee brewer, an island with a gas range, and storage shelves for kitchenware with a large protective screen to keep the space more orderly.

The second-floor verandah has a gap cut where netting is placed for people to sit, lie back, and chill; this also helps release heat and brings natural light into the central area, as well as giving it depth.

Container House Container HouseContainer House Container House

To avoid a busy look, white was chosen as the primary color for interior décor of this container house. Because of the limitations of working utility systems, a lot of them necessarily show inside this container house. Some metal posts had to be added to container walls and ceilings to accommodate electrical systems without further lowering the already rather low container ceilings.

A steel framework was constructed to meet the proportions of container walls, as well. The wood of the inner “courtyard” and decks gives a warm feeling.

Container House Container House

In front of the house that feeling is a little diminished, as real stone is used in the staircase area to give the atmosphere of a modern-design garden, playing off the boxlike shape of the container house.

The fence also features a play of vertical and horizontal lines, using the language of design to simultaneously create a look of transparency and a sense of privacy.

Each area is designed to suit the behavior of the family members living there, and this links the family and strengthens relationships all the more.

 


Owner: Non and Chutiporn Som Chobkhai

Architect: Charnwit Ananwattanakul of Wish Architect Design Studio


 

Good Old Days: A Lovely Wooden House with Panoramic Views

Good Old Days: A Lovely Wooden House with Panoramic Views

/ Chiang Mai, Thailand /

/ Story: Patsiri Chotpongsun / English version: Bob Pitakwong /

/ Photographs: Sitthisak Namkham /

Turning left into a side street opposite Chiang Mai’s Mae Rim district bureau, rice fields on both sides of the road have matured and only just begun to bear fruit. In the middle of it, all emerged a two-storey wooden house with vintage Thai-style appeal. It stood hemmed in by tall trees and lush green lawns. This two-storey wooden house showcases a mix of concrete and timber, its wide façade looking out on a fabulous panorama of mountains and paddy fields.

 

wooden house
Open-back bookshelves contribute to an airy interior made for lounging, reading, and viewing pictures in the gallery.

wooden house

 

Anchan, the housedog, gave a welcome bark, followed by greetings from the mustached host, “TomApichai Wangtragul. He introduced us to his better half, “SaaNarawan Rajchasee Wangtragul, AKA the heart of the house. The Retro look of her Thai-style sarong matched the atmosphere of the home named “Good Old Days.

“Back in Lampang we had a small coffee shop offering snacks and selling guitars. It was very warm there, so we started looking for a new home in good weather. We found one on Google, not far from where we wanted to build our first home in Chiang Mai. One day that piece of land was up for sale, and we were lucky to have bought it,” Saa said.

Tom was teaching draftsmanship courses in Lampang, when they met, and the rest is history.

In Chiangmai, he designed the new wooden house after first setting up a model to determine effects of different building orientations at various times of day. He kept track of amounts of sun and natural air circulation and used the information to aid in the design.

The result was a home that fit in well with its natural surroundings and weather conditions.

As he puts it, “The home facing west gets a full dose of afternoon sun. The glare can be felt, no doubt, but the trade-off is worth it.

Panoramic sunsets can be seen every day.” To solve the problem, he has put in moveable latticework, which reduces the sun’s harsh glare.

wooden house
The kitchen counter boasts naked concrete finishes similar to those found in coffee shops.

wooden house
A draftsman’s desk sits by the window that opens to take in cool breezes and views of the surrounding landscape.

“I grew up in a wooden house on the water’s edge. I told him I wanted one with a shed roof made of corrugated sheets just like old times,” Saa recalled.

“Tom said that could not be done. So we built our new home using metal sheet roofing instead. I wanted doors with plantation shutters and places to showcase collectibles that we have cherished for a long time.”

Tom made sure his loved one got what she wanted. He searched and found reclaimed timber in Sanpatong and paired them with old wood imported from Lampang.

The timber supplies included Burma padauk wood, ironwood, and teak. The couple sought blessings for peace and prosperity before every piece was put to good use.

Apart from carpentry details, Tom is passionate about modern style with an emphasis on naked concrete finishes. Together they make the building feel light.

The interior living spaces are light and naturally ventilated, thanks to plenty of openings on all sides. Each function area is clearly defined with floating furniture for easy updates.

This design concept applies to the sofa in the living room and the dining table by the rear windows. The kitchen comes fully equipped, as their house becomes a home-stay destination.

The couple does everything in-house from selecting natural ingredients to preparing indigenous meals. It is attention to details and good health practice that keep customers coming back.

wooden house

wooden house

Tom’s hobby projects have been the source of many décor items.

Triple-shutter design : In the Northern region, the window with three shutters in a row is generally preferred for cost effectiveness. The ingenious design needs only one latch to lock all three windows.

Tom keeps a collection of vinyl records for sentimental reasons. He likes listening to relaxing music on the old-fashioned phonograph while Saa cooks. Some of it is rare on this day and age. Here time goes by so slowly that it seems stuck in history.

The floor plan features a flight of stairs made of concrete and wooden steps. Located in the center, it keeps the two bedrooms on the first floor a good distance apart for added privacy. There are cabinets where old books and other collectibles are neatly kept. Nearby stands a gallery made for lounging, reading, and viewing pictures on the wall.

The second floor offers two good-sized bedrooms : one for guest accommodations, and the other for the couple’s exclusive use. There are antique beds in all of the bedrooms. Saa said she felt good about them knowing they came from good homes. She bought them direct from their previous owners. Between the two rooms stands an office space, where Tom spends time working at his draftsman desk. The workspace is bedecked with collectibles including old cameras and vinyl records.

As Saa puts it, “This is the wooden house that strikes the right balance for the two of us. It effectively chronicles our love story and journey through time. I am just happy being here.

“Chiangmai is such a delightful place, with canals, plenty of water, trees, and beautiful culture. During the period from November to February, our house becomes a home-stay destination.

Known as “Good Old Days,” the house has become a wholesome getaway for like-minded people. The service is not available during summer months, because we don’t use air conditioning. Time is well spent in the great outdoors.


Owner/Designer: Apichai Wangtragul


 

Incredible Small Townhouse Renovation in Selangor

Incredible Small Townhouse Renovation in Selangor

/ Petaling Jaya, Malaysia /
/ Story: Ajchara Jeenkram, Wuthikorn Suthiapa / English version: Bob Pitakwong / Photographs: Sitthisak Namkham /

 

For 40 years, this modest two-story home has stood in a residential neighborhood near Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Noise pollution has turned many people away, but the architect David Chan of Design Collective Architects (DCA) has grown so acquainted with living in the area that he decided to stay. A frequent flyer, he thinks it wise to live a stone’s throw away from it all.

Selangor

Selangor

Incredible Small Townhouse Renovation

 

No need to say renovation came as a challenge for Chan, who usually made a living designing larger houses. Strictly speaking he had a task that required great effort and was hard to accomplish: Create the good life in a space that was far from generous.

 

Incredible Small Townhouse Renovation

Selangor

mth15

 

He started out with ventilation improvements. To bring in crisp, clean air, solid front doors were removed and replaced with steel wire mesh paneling. Meantime, blowholes were put into the exterior wall to facilitate heat dissipation and increase indoor thermal comfort.

Chan did a partial tear-down, turning the upper floor into a mezzanine. The result was a light and airy living space in an 80-square-meter townhouse with double high ceilings. Where appropriate, he added windows and other wall openings and painted everything white and soft shades of gray to make the interior appear larger than it was.

 

Design being so well thought out, who needs air conditioning?
Design being so well thought out, who needs air conditioning?

Selangor
For security window bars, simply does it.

Incredible Small Townhouse Renovation

Incredible Small Townhouse Renovation

Selangor

Despite it being a small townhouse, Chan added some much-needed patches of green to the design. He put a hole in the backyard floor and planted a leafy tree that was visible from the living room and bedroom.

The complete makeover went as planned. Chan and his family now live in a beautifully remodeled home in an expedient location in Selangor that best suit their specific needs. Incredible as it may seem, the tiny home is where life begins again, and love never ends.

Selangor

 


Owner/Designer: David Chan of Design Collective Architects (DCA)


 

S11 House: An Impressive Energy Saving House in Kuala Lumpur

S11 House: An Impressive Energy Saving House in Kuala Lumpur

/ Kuala Lumper, Malaysia /

/ Story: Ekkarach Laksanasamlich / Photographs: Rithirong Chanthongsuk, Soopakorn Srisakul /

In Kuala Lumpur, situated a stunning energy-saving home with much more than meets the eye. The house sits on a plot of land where an old home had been for more than sixty years. The old house was demolished, making room for the new. Here, the owner and the designer join hands to keep matured trees on the property the way they have always been.

 

Kuala Lumpur
The airy house features clean lines with a large swimming pool under the lacy shades from the trees.

 

Materials from the old house weren’t wasted. Tan Loke Mun of ArchiCenter has managed to incorporate those into the new “S11” house in Kuala Lumpur. Its environmental consciousness has earned the house the prestigious platinum Green Building Index (GBI).

Kuala Lumpur
The design makes use of stronger frames and larger concrete beams to avoid having too many columns in the interior living space.

Kuala Lumpur
The ground floor boasts light and airy interior living space, thanks to the absence of solid room dividers. The result is visual continuity between indoor and outdoor areas.

Kuala Lumpur
3-meter high ceiling makes this living space look spacious and bright. Orange brick walls pair with gray naked concrete to make the room warm and inviting.

Attention was shown in every detail. Concretes from the house were recycled, making walkways along the exterior walls. Old bricks were also given a new breath of life. Old steel windows grids were reused to reassure the security. Interestingly, old wood are also used as scaffolding during the construction due to the limitation of steel rods.

Kuala Lumpur

 

Kuala Lumpur
Naked concrete finishes add a natural feel to the interior living space. Well-thought out design and choices of materials combined to make the home energy-efficient.

Built along the north-south axis, the house allows the wind to flow in to its living room.

Large windows and openings reduces heat. West-facing exterior were crafted from lightweight anti-heat-absorbing material.

Lush vines were grown on trellises. Five full-grown trees buffers the house from the sun in hot summer days.

Extra thick insulation was applied under a metal sheet roof to prevent the heat, while chosen windows were made from low-emissivity glass.

Kuala Lumpur
The first floor bedroom features simple design. The entire space is well-ventilated thanks to high ceilings and large openings in the exterior wall.

Kuala Lumpur
Natural light illuminates the bathroom, creating beautiful visual effects and reducing electricity use.

To prevent heat from building up inside, the three-storey (plus a basement) house has an air duct system to levitate hot air to the rooftop. With this genius design, no air-conditioning machine is needed.

Kuala Lumpur
The second floor boasts a large living space with two-storeys high ceilings and glass walls.

The designer intended to use materials in their true forms. Thus, painting and coating were minimized. Naked concrete, bare brick walls, natural wood in neutral tones prevail.

Where paints were needed, the designer choose Low VOC paint to lessen environmental damages.

In a nutshell, this house in Kuala Lumpur is the one with environmental consciousness, crafting for co-living with nature inside out.

Such energy saving home is considered a true earth-friendly building.

The home’s double-swing gate is crafted from silver-painted steel rods. Welded wire patterns ensure good visibility and wind circulation.

 


Architect: ArchiCentre by Tan Loke Mun


 

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