Designed to reflect the clients’ love for art and their union of British and Thai heritage, the Chiang Mai Residence is imagined as a leaf which grows from the earth to shelter its inhabitants. Having traveled the world extensively, the couple sought a house that expressed universal qualities of modern design while maintaining a strong fidelity to Chiang Mai in terms of scale, space, and materiality. The house is located on a riverbank; in the manner of Thai vernacular architecture, the ground floor of the building is raised a meter above the landscape to safeguard against floods. Large semi-covered outdoor deck spaces surrounded by gardens and courtyards accommodate the outdoor lifestyle common to the climate. The roof – the most visible element of a traditional Thai house  – has been re-imagined as an integral supporting element of the house itself, shaping the walls in one formal gesture. Clad in traditional Thai clay roof tiles, the roof becomes a permeable skin for the house, creating enclosed outdoor spaces and open indoor spaces.