HAS design and research completed Phetkasem Artist Studio in Bangkok breaking morphologically the image of the typical commercial housing in Thailand while reshaping a new building typology with local industrial materials that combines the geography, the climate conditions, and the spirit of the neighbourhood.

-text by the authors

FACADE STEEL PIPE BRICK COMBINED WITH SOIL SPRAYING IS THE FIRST ARCHITECTURAL CRAFT TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPED IN THAILAND © KETSIREE WONGWAN
PHETKASEM ARTIST STUDIO IS HIDDEN ON IMPORTANT TRAFFIC ARTERIES IN BANGKOK WITH A UNIQUE AND LOW-KEY ATTITUDE © KETSIREE WONGWAN

Phetkasem Artist Studio, hidden in the residential suburb of Bangkok, is a typical commercial housing in Thailand. This commercial housing typology was mass-produced by developers 30 years ago, and it instantly spread to numerous capital cities in Southeast Asia, resulting in the sense of indifference in cityscapes.

THE COURTYARD CREATES A PEACEFUL AND NON-DAILY ARRIVAL EXPERIENCE IN THE NOISY CITY © KETSIREE WONGWAN
THE STONE ROAD IS LIKE A WINDING PATH IN A TRADITIONAL THAI ALLEY © KETSIREE WONGWAN

Yet, in this village, the residents exhibit a different lifestyle from the typical residential units. They built fences to obtain a larger garage area, added roofs for more storage space, and extended rain sheds to meet the flexibility of the ground-level commercial possibilities. In addition, they used potted plants, which sometimes even obstructed the roads, to satisfy their vision of small gardens.

PHETKASEM ARTIST STUDIO IS THE FIRST ARCHITECTURAL CRAFT TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPED IN THAILAND © KETSIREE WONGWAN
THE WALL HAS A UNIQUE BAMBOO-LIKE TEXTURE © KETSIREE WONGWAN
“CURVED HOLES” OF DIFFERENT SIZES INTRODUCE NATURAL WIND AND REPLACE THE INDOOR AIR-CONDITIONING © KETSIREE WONGWAN
THE “WIND TUNNEL” WITHOUT AIR-CONDITIONING PROVIDES COOLER TEMPERATURES TO INDOOR PLACES © KETSIREE WONGWAN

These “improvised” yet harmonious man-made structures, in particular, metal materials such as steel pipes and iron rods, are not only used for their material structure and shape but also used in large amounts in daily illegal construction. In fact, this phenomenon is known as “readily available steel pipes or iron rods in Thailand”. Looking back in history, Thailand was once a major steel producer and once the largest exporter of steel pipes in Southeast Asia. Yet, these materials lost their fundamental properties by being used in advertising signs, balcony windows, rain shelters, etc.

THE FLOATING WALL ALLOWS THE “WIND TUNNEL” TO CONNECT THE FRONT COURTYARD TO THE BACKYARD © KETSIREE WONGWAN
THE CASCADING “HOLED” WALLS BLOCK EXCESSIVE SUNLIGHT AND STREET NOISE © KETSIREE WONGWAN
INTERIOR SPACE CREATES A TIME-LESS SENSE © KETSIREE WONGWAN

For us, the most captivating feature of these steel pipes everywhere in the streets of Thailand is the elegant curvature and the light and hollow shape, which unfortunately have not been effectively adopted so far. This project has collaborated with Pacific Pipe, a well-known Thai steel pipe producer, to use steel pipes as unit bricks to create “steel pipe bricks” with a height and width close to four meters, which produced both the micro-climate effects of sunshade lighting and convection ventilation. The design also employs a half-split steel pipe on both sides of the unit, so that five different diameter pipes are integrated into the same unit, and a variety of mixed-effects are created by rotating and mirroring.

TRANSFORM FROM THE CONCEPT OF HOLES TO A VARIETY OF DOOR OPENINGS FOR MORE FLEXIBLE USE OF THE SECOND FLOOR SPACE © KETSIREE WONGWAN
THE VARYING HEIGHT OF THE DOORWAY ENHANCES THE RITUAL SENSE OF PHETKASEM ARTIST STUDIO © KETSIREE WONGWAN
THE PRESERVED SLOPE OF THE ORIGINAL ROOF IS TRANSFORMED INTO AN ARTISTIC READING SPACE © KETSIREE WONGWAN

In addition, the steel pipe bricks are first technology combined with soil spraying texture in Thailand, creating low energy cost and convective ventilation effects, thereby providing an alternative residential lifestyle in tropical climate.

THE ORIGINAL BUILDING WAS CONVERTED INTO CHARCOAL GRAY, AS THE BACKGROUND COLOR OF THE FACADE STEEL PIPE BRICK WALL © KETSIREE WONGWAN

In the entrance space, these unique steel pipe bricks form a quiet semi-open area that brings in little breezes, which combine with the local trees in Thailand, to create a unique arrival experience. With no air conditioning system installed on the first floor, in an enduring tropical climate of nearly 40-celsius degrees, the design connects the front yard with the backyard through apertures in the brick system, further introduces the alley breezes in Thai street alleys as a new lifestyle closer to nature. The second-floor area intentionally exposes the original column-beam structure, which emphasizes the sense of scale, produced by a vast difference between width and height of the pitched roof, to contrast the atmosphere of the compact first-floor and spacious second-floor.

PHETKASEM ARTIST STUDIO TRANSFORMS TRADITIONAL EUROPEAN-STYLE COMMERCIAL HOUSES AND EXPLORES ANOTHER LIFESTYLE IN TROPICAL SOUTHEAST ASIA © KETSIREE WONGWAN

Phetkasem Artist Studio is not only a workspace for artistic creation but also a residence that combines living, resting, and dining functions.

THE WALL MADE BY THAI STEEL PIPE MANUFACTURER PACIFIC PIPE HAS A UNIQUE BAMBOO-LIKE TEXTURE © KETSIREE WONGWAN

In addition to the architecture itself, the project cooperates with multiple international consultants across the globe, including steel curtain wall consultant Pacific Pipe, aluminum door and window consultant Goldstar Metal, lighting technology Visual Feast, sanitaryware consultant American Standard, landscape consultant FloraScape and signage consultant Shanghai View Studio, etc. The designer believes that this work, although it is a renovation of an old building with structural and size limitations, can be a driving force for an innovative way of change. The project is now more practical for use, with retrospection into the past and prospection into the future.

Research, Diagrams & Drawings

BEFORE AND AFTER – EXTERIOR © KETSIREE WONGWAN
THE STEEL PIPE FENCES THAT ARE SEEN EVERYWHERE IN THAILAND SERVE AS A BACKGROUND FOR EXPLORING THE PHETKASEM ARTIST STUDIO © HAS DESIGN AND RESEARCH
THE FACADE COMBINATION OF STEEL PIPE WALL HAS MORE THAN TEN KINDS OF DIFFERENT GROUPINGS © HAS DESIGN AND RESEARCH
RAMMED EARTH BRICK BY LOCAL CRAFTSMAN OF LA TERRE © HAS DESIGN AND RESEARCH
DETAIL TEXTURE OF PIPE WALL UNIT © HAS DESIGN AND RESEARCH
PHETKASEM ARTIST STUDIO CRITICISES A LARGE NUMBER OF COMMERCIAL RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENTS IN THAILAND AND EVEN SOUTHEAST ASIA WITH AN INNOVATIVE STYLE © KETSIREE WONGWAN
SITE PLAN © HAS DESIGN AND RESEARCH
ROOF FLOOR PLAN: A LARGE NUMBER OF ILLEGAL ROOFS AND GREENERY ON THE GROUND FLOOR REFLECT THE LOCAL PEOPLE’S “IMPROVISATION SENSE” ON LIFE AND THE FUTURE © HAS DESIGN AND RESEARCH
FIRST FLOOR PLAN: PHETKASEM ARTIST STUDIO BRINGS MORE KINDS OF LIFE EXCHANGES FOR NEIGHBORS AROUND © HAS DESIGN AND RESEARCH
THE SPATIAL STUDIES OF PHETKASEM ARTIST STUDIO PRESENTS A VARIETY OF COMBINATIONS OF PRIVACY AND PUBLIC © HAS DESIGN AND RESEARCH

Facts & Credits
Project title  Phetkasem Artist Studio
Typology  Residential, Workspace, Art Studio
Location  Bangkok, Thailand
Site area  110 sq.m.
Gross built area  150 sq.m.
Design year  2019
Completion year  2021

Design company  HAS design and research
Design team  Jenchieh Hung, Kulthida Songkittipakdee, Zidong Fan, Jiaqi Han
Steel wall production consultant  Pacific Pipe Co., Ltd.
Aluminum production consultant  Goldstar Metal Co., Ltd.
Aluminum door and window technology  AB&W Innovation Co., Ltd.
Lighting design  Jenna Tsailin Liu
Lighting technology  Visual Feast (VF)
Sanitaryware consultant  American Standard
Landscape consultant  Ratchaneeya Yangthaisong
Landscape constructor  FloraScape
Signage design  Qi Zhou
Signage consultant  Shanghai View Studio
Home living furniture  niiq
Construction consultant  Chanin Limapornvanich
Photography  Ketsiree Wongwan


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