Lamphu House | The Storeys / Ben Winitchakul

In order to be a unique budget hotel, the simple master plan of this project is to celebrate the relationship between buildings and open space with the swimming pool. The designers created a sequence of visual experiences generated by analytic planning circulation. Day and night lighting plays with the intricate wooden latticing, which is a mesmerizing feature for guests during their stay in historic Thailand.

Due to the client’s requirement of 40 rooms’ hotel with a swimming pool, the project budget, and city regulation of the height limit, roughly generated the building profile of corridor type hotel with 1:2 FAR. density. Although the project positioned to a budget hotel market, the site location is superb surround by bundles of historic temples and a lively local night market within walking distance. The premium facility of a swimming pool is a value added to the project. We were challenged by these requirement combinations and context.

_The master plan

We minimized the building footprint as much as possible to get the appropriate negative space for a swimming pool courtyard. We take the advantage of the long frontage; put the lap pool along this side and 80% of guest rooms get the great pool view.

The main stair simply put to connect the 3 combinations of 2 buildings and a pool at the prime location. It is the main traffic for both guests and staffs. The core idea is to link this pool courtyard to interact to all tenants’ activity and visual experience through several dimensions of circulation.

The main entrance located to where the existing trees are. They are the shelter of the welcome courtyard. The hugh stair façade of elaborate wooden lattice panels expresses local workmanship and material, became a translucent wall of the welcome courtyard. This mesmerizing panel plays with people movement behind at the first impressive of new guest.

We basically design the whole site as we have a “container” to put the lived compositions to it. Landscape as part of living place is the must. Negative spaces provide not a waste piece of land, then let habitants do the rest, gradually growing their imagination together with plants as they prefer.

_The building

We study the most efficiency of material consumption to meet to project budget. Typical room is a module concrete box put together with cantilevered corridor on both side, one is guest circulation, and another is balconies. As a result, the light box balconies of skinny floor slab covered by wood lattices floating over the ground, give the depth to the long building frontage, but do not narrow the area around the pool at ground level. This main feature also generates another special room type of living under “Tai-tun” – the unique Thai house space of a through ventilation outdoor room, at ground level.

The material combination of grey concrete wall, vertical pattern of natural wooden lattices, black steel plate and eaves, is to get a little local rustic feel to respect to the urban fabric of Chiang Mai old town environment.

The land owner intend to keep the existing old well due to a Northern Thai believe. It is a symbolic of prosperousness which will bring wealthy to the habitants. The well perfectly locate next to a few existing trees. We keep them all and turn them into another tiny courtyard for the outdoor shower area. We have been inspired by the idea that Thai locals shower at open-air, dipping up water from a big water jar. This outdoor shower courtyard situates between changing rooms and the pool steps.

The black tile pool is the perfect color to get distinctive reflection of surroundings and make this pool disappeared. We intend it to be a part of the earth. This pool functions for exercise and also a serenity reflecting pool as well.

We wish our interpretation of this project will provide the travellers’ opportunity to explore the world at affordable cost with a unique experience fascinated by this place.