Ross Pavilion and Gardens
An interdisciplinary team led by wHY has been selected to design an integrated landmark Pavilion,…
Roof as Third Nature
This weekend house in Chiang Mai is designed for a couple living abroad but with a strong passion for the quality and style of life in Thailand. The house will eventually become their full-time residence. Having traveled the world extensively, the couple sought a house that had universal qualities of modern design but had strong fidelity to Chiang Mai in terms of its scale, space, and materiality.
Located on a river bank, the floor of the house floats a meter above the landscape as a safeguard against floods as seen in traditional houses. Large semi-covered outdoor deck spaces surrounded by gardens and courtyards accommodate the outdoor lifestyle common to the climate. The most visible element of a traditional Thai house, the roof has been re-imagined as not simply a ‘hat’ over the house, but the house itself, forming its walls as well in one formal gesture. The roof, clad in traditional Thai clay roof tiles, becomes a permeable ‘skin’ for the house, creating enclosed outdoor spaces and open indoor spaces.