Steel and color as tools. Tinman House by Junsekino Architecture

Description of the project by Jusenkino Architect and Design

Based on the owner’s appreciation of steel structures, the expression of this building is a simple and straightforward but distinctive design using structural steel as the primary material. Besides the characteristics and inherent benefits of structural steel in terms of high resiliency and performance under difficult conditions with the ability to go up quickly to meet tough construction schedules, structural steel can also reflect the flexibility of construction process and represent the quality of the ‘Truth to materials.’

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Situated on the heart of Bangkok, where the limitations of land use is the primary concern, ‘Tin Man’ is a 3-story house designed to achieve the space-saving idea under the 6 meter-span of structural steel. The name ‘Tin Man’ derives from the owner’s favorite character of the tin man or the tin woodman, a character that simply represent a humble, honest heart in the fictional ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,’ created by American author L. Frank Baum.


Since the West-facing building is problematic in terms of external radiation temperature and internal temperature loss, the idea of creating insulation applies in this particular scenario. The West facade of the Tin Man is comprised of a double wall that spans floor to roof. For interior, regarding the owner’s large collection of books, a huge bookshelf was built attach to the West-facing wall on the second floor for the purpose of insulating and creating the personal space for the owner. However, for the ventilation, the architects applied louver windows with minimal and elegant detailing that is consistent with the aesthetic look of the primary structural steel frame to create more ventilating space for the building.

Parking is provided at the ground floor level as well as the living area, dining area, and kitchen. The architects use open floor plan, which is suitable for tropical residence to arrange the space planning. The staircase takes the main role in this building by providing vertical connection and linking all the 600 square meter-usage area together. This space provides the quality of living since it connects all the space together and allows the users to know all the activities happening in the house. The location of a skylight relating to the staircase provides day lighting and makes the linkage in terms of vertical space connection.

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Working space and closet are located on the second floor. The library is placed in a double space connecting the second and the third floor together. To access to the bedroom on the third floor, a spiral staircase serves this circulation. On the third floor, there is a unique space of the net - like a spider web that the owner can use - like he lives in the air. For the rooftop, this space not only provides the scene of Bangkok cityscape, but also the relaxing area with vertical garden as well as the space for the future’s expansion.