B-Quik: Revitalizing Car Maintenance with a Modern, Eye-Catching Design with Steel
B-Quik is a high-standard car maintenance service center brand. It’s well-regarded as a quick and convenient option, with its wellknown unique circular symbol and bright yellow box-shaped façade, visible from the road or surrounding neighborhood, The client’s brief is to upgrade the building’s external appearance to capture the concept of modernity and create more eye-catching spaces. The design team at Architects 49 (Phuket), then began to evaluate and develop the design based on B-Quik’s original identity, adjusting some features to create a new memorable picture of this vehicle repair center and B-Quik’s office branch on Ratchadaphisek Road in Bangkok.
A maintenance center’s primary role is simple: it provides free space for automobiles waiting to be repaired in front of an area, allowing easy access to parking in rows. A modest reception area sits adjacent to the repair bay. On the second and upper floors of the yellow façade box, there is a spare parts storage area and a compartment for several tires. The architect selected to retain the flow by grouping all maintenance service stations.
B-Quik’s strong point emphasizes speedy service: the ability to wait to pick up the vehicle. The lobby was moved from downstairs to the second floor with an enlarged room to accommodate customers waiting for their cars. The shape of this new lobby is intended to be a capsule logo frame, piled in sizes to resemble the letter “B” that customers are familiar with. It also serves as the façade, which retains the brand’s trademark yellow color, crucial to its identity.
The structure of the maintenance building, including the main elements of the wall and roof, is constructed using metal sheet for lightness and durability, reflecting people’s perception of the brand. In addition, the architect adds characteristics by designing vertical sunshade panels for the waiting area and office. As a result, the customers may see the view of the outside road from a higher perspective. At the same time, they can see their cars in the repair bay from above. This vertical shading device is the exterior frame of the black capsule. When viewed from the outside, the interior produces a sense of dynamism in the eyes of those passing by. It also improves the new image to set it apart from competing brands.
To design the new B-Quik branch, the architects used COLORBOND® steel in Valiant Grey color, 0.51 mm. after painted thick from BlueScope on Trimdek 760 profile from Lysaght for the workshop façade on the side and back walls of this more than 500-square-meter building. The idea behind using dark-colored metal sheets as the background for the brilliant yellow lobby is to make this area stand out and give it a contemporary look. The installation procedure took place from the ground up to the roof, using a ZINCALUME® steel, 0.47 mm. total thick from BlueScope on Trimdek 760 profile from Lysaght. Regarding the benefits of employing metal sheets, the architects explain that this material has a length that enables them to build big walls without joints. This is a significant benefit, according to the architects, compared to many other materials that require joints to be handled at a distance of 2.4 meters. Metal sheet walls also have less leakage form joints problem.
Elevating Flight: Raja Haji Fisabilillah Airport's Innovative and Expandable Terminal Design
The airport in Tanjungpinang, previously called the Kijang Airport, was renamed as Raja Haji Fisabilillah in 2008. The design is fot its new passenger terminal began in 2009, undertaken by WIRATMAN as another manifestation of their small airport typology that had been devised for areas with small capacity requirements. Currently it only serves domestic flight, but has served international routes in the past. The airport design allows flexibility towards this change and also for the possibility of reopening the international routes. Its program places emphasis on expandability, designed to grow symmetrically left and right with the central areas as its axis. This enables the buNdIng to expand in a manner that maintains a thin building mass, which is more fitting for natural lighting. The innovative solution of placing electrical and mechanical utilities on the roof are also used here, allowing the building to expand in a uninhibited manner. Within the terminal, check-in areas display artwork and graphic design that refer to cultural richness Tanjungpinang. Similarity, the baggage claim area are decorated with panels that inform arriving, passengers of the various sight and attractions to be found in the city, catching the eyes as a point of interest. Their arrangement complements the linear arrangement of the check-in counters and conveyor belts. Again, in this airport a simple back-to-back processing is used for baggage handling, in accordance with the principles of apt design: the simplicity is fitting for the small scale of the terminal, the readily available skills of its workers, as well as for ease of maintenance. Luggage is collected from behind the linear counters, to be manually sorted and loaded by workers onto the aircraft.
The roof area in the form of a small sinusoid wave is further developed into a larger sinusoid wave as a symbol of clouds. Clouds are interpreted as places that have height and can be reached by flight. Therefore, the shape of a large sinusoid wave is right to be used as the roof of the main passenger terminal building. By choosing the main wall around the building in the form of glass, it further strengthens the impression of a roof that floats lightly like a cloud.
The temperature of the roof sheet cuts down the heat radiation traveling downwards into the building making the interior of the building cooler.
Clean, the Roof Material that Resistance to Tropical Staining.
Durable, there is Durability against Weathering & UV Penetration.
Beauty, there have Excellent Color Performance.
During the 12 years of RHS Airport Terminal Operations since 2012, COLORBOND® Materials Have Proven to be resistant to environmental conditions with high salinity and have good material color consistency.
A Harmonious Blend: 'Laab Is More' – Where Family and Tradition Flourish
“Laab is more than just a classic northern meal; it represents this modest family’s way of life.”
Nestled within the heart of a historic village in Ban Waen Subdistrict, Hang Dong District, the house is surrounded by the homes of extended family. The owner desired a haven that offered both privacy and a welcoming space for gatherings with his loved ones. He sought a design that departed from the traditional wooden structures of the surrounding residences and minimized wood usage due to potential maintenance challenges.
The architects faced the task of crafting a space that catered to the owner’s multifaceted life. As house owner is a photographer, he craved a peaceful and secluded environment for work and creative pursuits. However, he also embraced a modern lifestyle, enjoying skateboarding and the company of friends and family while gathering for traditional meals like laab. He held a deep connection to his rural roots and wished to maintain a sense of connection with nature. To address these desires, the design team created a functional space that seamlessly integrated with the owner’s lifestyle.
Notably, the cooking area features a low floor-level section, ideal for preparing and chopping laab ingredients, fostering a communal experience for the owner and his guests. Maintaining privacy amidst the close proximity of neighboring houses was crucial. The architects achieved this by incorporating strategic wall placements. The central core of the house echoes the traditional Lanna dwelling style, featuring a split-level living area. The upper floor offers dedicated spaces for work and sleep, catering to modern living needs. The lower level boasts a relaxed living room that seamlessly connects to a multi-purpose terrace. This outdoor area embraces the laab-making tradition, providing designated areas for Studio Sifah opted for a distinct material palette. The wavy metal roof sheets, crafted from BlueScope Zacs Cool in Asian White color on Aussie 700 corrugated profile, harmonize with the surrounding zinc and fiber cement roof. The wall cladding echoes the size and texture of wooden panels traditionally used in rice granaries, a familiar element in the Northern region. The architects cleverly separated the roof and the wall elements, creating a gap that visually lightens the structure. BlueScope Zacs Cool in Asian White color on Aussie 700 sheets were folded and finished with rubber strips, resulting in a clean and sophisticated detail. Concrete and steel construction were employed to evoke the lightness of traditional wooden vernacular houses. The design incorporates thoughtful details like small light openings in the lower wall sections and ventilation gaps in the upper part. The strategic use of steel reflects the spirit of Northern craftsmanship while seamlessly integrating with the simple, rural character of the community.
Laab Is More embodies the essence of fusion aesthetics. It champions contemporary living while preserving the soul of rural life. The architecture itself narrates a story through a distinct language that the studio aptly describes as “ordinary yet extraordinarily cool.” The design’s hidden coolness lies within the ordinariness of Northern elements, like laab, subtly weaving the spirit of the people into the contemporary architectural language.