The feeling you get from viewing the interiors of this beautiful modern residence in Yen Akat Road, Bangkok, Thailand, is that of tranquility and spatiality: minimalist design sprinkled with authentic elements of décor, extensive use of glass and a generous greenery area visible from every angle. Recently completed by architect Ayutt Mahasom from AYUTT AND ASSOCIATES DESIGN (AAd), YAK01 is a tasteful and welcoming 500 sq m house specifically designed for a small modern family. The residence was envisioned as a space that offers plenty of privacy, being in the same time in permanent connection with the nature through a large outdoor area that surrounds it. As clients requested to have sun shades and rain protections, the architect’s proposal was cantilevering practically half of the house over the ground floor area.
In order to improve the utilizable space and maximize the green space, he designed an L-shaped residence and one side of the house’s wall very close to an adjacent plot of land. With a white, grey and natural wooden palette, the interiors are modern, spacious and transparent and the overall impression is that of lightness and relaxing atmosphere. It’s flooded by natural sunlight thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows placed especially in the north of the house, since the northern sunlight is the least intense in Thailand. Besides that, adding glass walls provides a natural cross-ventilation for every room that keeps the building cool during daytime and creates also a seamless transition between the two environments. The bathrooms, storages, staircases and service areas are designed as buffer zones to absorb the heat and ensure more privacy for the main private space on the north. This layout not only comes to meet the client’s needs, but also generating, as we previously said, a large open area for gardening (almost 50 percent of the total 560 sq.m private land). Another idea to draw cool air into the house is to position the outdoor swimming pool in parallel with the building.
The modern approach of the house meet traditional Thai house design and this makes even more interesting and original its architecture. The ground floor is arranged in Thai design style with a central courtyard that functions as a feature foyer and distributor before accessing to the main living space. A staircase enclosed in a glass box seems to float over the front garden as a principal characterictic for the entrance. The main living room occupies a center position, receiving light from two sides. The space is directly directly connected to the terrace, the garden and the swimming pool with double -height folding windows that facilitate the fusion of spaces. In this way, the family can enjoy various activities related to the outdoor garden and swimming pool.
To increase the aesthetic element and to ensure shading in the same fashion as a traditional Thai house, the master bedroom is located upstairs and is designed in a cubic shape and is entirely cantilevered over the whole length of front foyer. YAK01 house looks like a silver box floating on a black granite sheet below due to customized Silver Aluminum Extrusion Strips assembled vertically on the wall of the master bathroom and master bedroom with both modern aesthetic purposes and air buffer insulation to cool down the main bedroom area. Two other bedrooms are located on the other side of the house by extending on top of the swimming pool on a cantilevered concrete slab enclosed by a big glass wall with black aluminum cladding.
Photos © Piyawut Srisakul
Details:
Project name: YAK01
Year : 2011 – 2013
Architect : Ayutt Mahasom
Interior Designer : Ayutt Mahasom
Landscape Designer : Ayutt Mahasom
Client : Rawin and Supamas Boonyanusasna
Site area : 560 sq.m.
Construction area : 500 sq.m.
Location : Yen Akat road, Bangkok, Thailand