Sustainable Design for a Modern Era: Boonsong Osot’s Office and Warehouse in Nonthaburi
Boonsong Osot is a renowned Thai company specializing in producing herbal medicines. The goal of their new project is to construct an office and warehouse in the vicinity of Nonthaburi Province. The architect plans to incorporate parts of Thai house architecture into the design of contemporary office buildings, similar to how Boonsong Osot utilizes traditional Thai herbs in modern medicine. The project owner has three key requirements: an office building, a living area with guest bedrooms for company visitors, and a warehouse. The layout of the building is designed to accommodate different needs, and it is meticulously arranged in a sequence and pattern where the office area is positioned at the front. The offices occupy both the first and the second floors. Adjacent to that is the core section of the structure, designed as a space for both relaxation and leisure. The second story serves as a relaxing area and provides access to the bedrooms on the third floor.
Both portions are constructed with interlocking forms, with an open space towards the garden at the center to establish a tranquil ambiance. The main entry on the second level features a prominent walkway structure that extends outward. Parking is located in front of the entrance, and the warehouse is situated at the far end of the area.
Due to the congruence between the architectural concept and the style and features of traditional Thai houses, the building has been divided into zones, which also aids in facilitating ventilation. Additionally, it facilitates enhanced natural light access into the building’s interior. In addition, the team repurposed the walkway section that links the areas through a spacious outdoor terrace known as a “chaan” in Thai to establish a semi-formal multi-purpose area where users can gather, converse, and utilize as an informal meeting space. Furthermore, the primary functional space of the building was elevated to the second floor to prevent flooding and allocate the majority of the ground floor area for service purposes. This concept is akin to elevating the functional spaces on the stilts found in traditional Thai houses.
The roofs of the structures are gable roofs that resemble traditional Thai houses. However, the design changes the orientation of the roof ridge rotation to give the structure a distinctive form. As a result, when the buildings are viewed from different angles, they take on different shapes. The architects used metal sheets to construct the gable roof. This material supports the architectural idea, which aims to preserve the essence of traditional Thai houses. Metal sheet is quite important in this area of the task as it is easier to create a sloping roof ridge. Furthermore, the capacity to flex and bend into various forms, maintain continuity in various joints and accept the overlay of gutters and other systems.
The capacity of COLORBOND® steel to flex and bend into varied forms, maintain continuity in various joints, and support the overlay of gutters and other system parts has a significant impact on the particular architectural design of Thai houses built with modern materials.
The walls are double-layered, which helps prevent heat and sound, and prevents rainwater from flowing back into the building. All of this significantly impacts the particular architectural design of Thai houses built with modern materials. Metal sheet is used to maintain the structure’s architectural integrity and original aesthetic identity. Additionally, the architect employs a variety of materials, including wood, which is the traditional material used in Thai architectural constructions. Despite the multitude of distinct components associated with Thai houses, the language used in the design establishes a degree of resemblance that merges with a modern mindset; thus, it perfectly showcases the fusion of traditional and contemporary ethos of Thai herbal medicines produced by Boonsong Osot.
Engineering Precision: The New Foundry of the Royal Thai Naval Dockyard
The Foundry of the Royal Thai Naval Dockyard is a facility that specializes in manufacturing bronze propellers for naval vessels. Completed in October 2023, the foundry spans approximately 2,300 square meters. Initially located at the Thonburi Naval Dockyard in Bangkok, the need for relocation led to the establishment of the new facility at the Phra Chulachomklao Naval Dockyard in Samut Prakan province.
This relocation to a more suitable location minimizes its impact on the local community, environment, and neighboring structures a significant improvement over the challenges faced by the former site amidst highly urbanized residential areas. In this project, the architects used metal sheets for both the roof and the walls because the main function of the building is a factory where the construction required high and wide column spans so the choices of roofing and walling materials are quite limited. This leads to metal sheet, which is lightweight and easy to install.
This aligns with the architectural design direction in the details where steel sheets are used on the walls and the roof. One of the persistent issues faced by the old foundry was insufficient lighting, despite attempts to enhance natural light with electric lighting. This is coupled with the users’ requirement to utilize sunlight as the main source of interior illumination. The building also accommodated the furnace inside, which causes high heat. These factors necessitated the design team to comprehensively understand wind and light directions before orienting the building accordingly. Considering the need for optimal interior illumination and ventilation, the rectangular architectural form was realized to facilitate efficient space management for machinery placement and accommodate potential future expansion.
In light of these factors, the design aimed to create openings that allow just enough natural light to enter. To minimize direct exposure of sunlight to the interior functional spaces and users, triangular openings were strategically placed instead of adding openings to the sides of the building. The design also aligns with the concept of simplified wave patterns caused by rotating propellers, resonating perfectly with the context of the project as a vessel propeller casting factory. The openings were positioned to bring in soft, diffused natural light from the north, creating a gentle ambiance within.
Additionally, the design of the building’s angled walls were carefully calculated and louvers were installed to help with interior ventilation while efficiently controlling the amount of natural light. These components prevent intense glare and heat from the afternoon sunlight coming from the west. Meanwhile, the skylights reduce the need of artificial lighting inside the building during the day. The louvers also contribute to the building’s appealing visual dynamics, beautifully harmonizing with the consistent presence of metal sheet throughout the entire architectural structure and fostering a unified aesthetic
MG House: A Modern Tropical Barn Blending Contemporary Design with Sustainable Living
MG House is residential house located at Joglo, West Jakarta. Finished in 2022, This project was built in a hook area of 366 m2 with GBA around 718 m2. One of the client's de-sires was to have a storage area large enough to accommodate his collections, resembling a warehouse or barn, but combined with modern contemporary tropical design elements. Therefore, the main concept of the house is to reflect a combination of modern tropical and barn style.
The main design approach was to respond to the tropical climate while creating an iconic structure that catches attention from both streets it faces. One of the key goals was to maximize the use of the surrounding garden area, ensuring a seamless connection between the house and it environment. The landscape design incorporates greenery, offering natural shade and cooling, which further complements the house's passive cooling strategies. By integrating the garden with the home's design, a harmonious relation-ship between indoor and outdoor spaces was created, blurring the boundaries between the two.
The Second Skin facade on the front elevation can filter air and sunlight from the outside. The combination of the metal roof and natural wood elements on the exterior creates a balance between modern industrial and natural tropical aesthetics. This fusion gives the house a warm yet contemporary look, making it stand out as a landmark in the neighborhood while still blending with the surrounding greenery.
In terms of materials, MG House was designed to be both durable and low-maintenance. The roof, made from COLORBOND® steel in Cocoa Brown color, was selected for its durability against the tropical climate. A layer of polyurethane (PU) beneath the metal roof offers excellent thermal insulation, helping to maintain stable indoor temperatures and reduce reliance on air conditioning. The roof structure itself is supported by a steel frame coated with anti-rust paint, ensuring long-term structural integrity. This combination of materials aligns with the modern tropical barn concept, while also addressing sustainability through the use of recyclable materials and energy-efficient design features.