The design by PHTAA Living Design involves the rehabilitation of a factory originally built with a system of concrete beams and pillars in a very marked grid system that was decided to be preserved and left visible to highlight the architectural traces that give value to cities and their inhabitants.
In addition to its exposure to the climate and natural light, the house is characterised by how the different spaces are connected. This follows a strategy that highlights the staircase that creates the main circulation and connects all the common areas, and that also functions as an envelope together with a glass façade that favors the relationship between the interior and the exterior with the inhabitants.
Sebsiri House by PHTAA living design. Photograph by Kukkong Thirathomrongkiat.
Project description by PHTAA Living Design
Sebsiri House is a renovated project of an old building that used to be a garment factory and printing house in the past. This building was abandoned more than a decade before Mr. Sebastian and Mrs. Sirinapa decided to buy this commercial building to make a home.
Radical of Site
Sebsiri House is located in the heart of Bangkok. In a community where the surrounding context is a residence area. This building is hidden at the end of the alley. The location of this building is private, peaceful, and suitable for modifying the form of use as a home. One side of the building is adjacent to the neighbour's dwellings. On the other side is vacant land, an open area. This allows the planning of buildings on this side to be connected to the outside area and has a large opening. On the other hand, another side of the building that is adjacent to the neighbour's house is designed to make the building facade quite dense. And there are openings as necessary to create privacy for the homeowner.
Open Space / Semi-outdoor space
"We dream of an open space house that is airy, comfortable and exposed to the tropical climate.' This is the desire of a French homeowner who migrated to a tropical city like Bangkok. With these requirements, we provided open space, an air circulation system, both vertical and horizontal connections, as well as the creation of a semi-outdoor space which are the main idea of designing this house.
Structure
This almost 100-year-old building was originally built with a columnar-beam structure system. According to the general commercial building model at that time, the structure in the grid line system is very strong. The architect intends to keep the ‘existing structure’ of this building by revealing and hiding in a different form at appropriate areas.
The internal space of the factory was larger than 700 square meters, which is more than necessary for living. Including the need to create open spaces, architects chose to demolish the floor and some walls both the part that is attached to the outside of the building and inside the building which are unnecessary for new upcoming activities. The demolition of some spaces is the intention of creating an open-plan space. Enhance the volume of space to create ventilation. Therefore, the original building revealed the existing structure to see more clearly.
Architectural elements
For this house, the stair is the main circulation, the stair also serves to connect the common areas of the whole house. In addition to the main function of the stair as a walkway, the area around the stairs that is open for the path of the wind (ventilation) creates comfortable conditions. The architect chose to use a bridge to connect the functional subunits of the house. To open up the vertical space to be airy and open in the large common areas such as dining tables, kitchens and multipurpose open spaces, architects chose to use curtains (curtain as a wall) instead of solid walls to make this area open as a single large area.
Trace of architecture
'Architectural traces' is an interesting topic in building renovations. Choosing to keep the old in the structure and add the new is another main intention in the design. For the Sebsiri house, the architect intended to reveal the grid system of columns-beams. The pattern that is used as a design tool is a new way of dividing the wall. To shift the wall, not in the same grid line as the columns-beams grid system, the internal space is divided into more sub-unit functions. This space planning is suitable for a variety of activities in the home such as living room, bedroom, kitchen, laundry room, as well as storage room.
In terms of physical design, the architect chose contrasting materials and the architectural shape to the existing. So, the old structure that was intended to be preserved reveals itself which can be seen. There are 3 architectural outstanding components. Firstly, the interior of the area of old concrete beams reveals the strength of the original cement materials in the stairwell and library area. On the outside, like the facade of the building, the walls have been moved away from the grid system, revealing the original columns and beams in a graphic form. Lastly, the connection area between the interior and exterior, the sloping glass facade which was intended to be installed to show the straight line of the beam.
