BRIDGE HOUSE - The contrast of modern steel architecture to an old-existing solid concrete building
“I have decided to have my own house but I don’t want to live separately from my own family. If there is a chance, I would love to stay close with my parents as much as possible; nevertheless, I would like to have my own space where I can reveal my interest.”
According to the expansion of the big city like Bangkok, building a house on the former land becomes one of the good alternatives. Moreover, this also responds to the demand of the people who want to live collectively as a big family but still prefer to have their personal space; in the other words, this can be called the expansion of the family within the same space. In order to begin a new family, one may require the house which looks dissimilar to the former one.
This new house is built by white mortar and steel structure. Moreover, the pattern of this new house is different. The house is divided into 2 parts; the living room and the dining room, with the bridge in between. These 2 parts of the house are divided by the pool. The pool, in this case, acts as the court at the center of the house; furthermore, it also acts as the reflector which reflects the natural light and lightens up the house during daytime. The pool in the center can be seen from every single room of the house. Besides, the house has 2 floors in order to facilitate the expansion of the family in the future. The family space is located on the first floor which includes the living room, the working room and the dining room.
Moreover, the recreational zone like swimming pool is also located on the first floor. The second floor is provided for the expansion of the family in the future. The third floor is the roof deck for relaxation. The usage of the steel and wood gives the feeling of hard and soft. The components of the building directly exhibit the truth of the materials. The intention to make the thinner house with the quality of the steel structure displays the character of the house in the tropical country.
The house is divided into 2 parts by the intention of the architect in order to decrease the mass of the building; therefore, the demand of the owner is responded. The intention of the architect is to build the thinnest and the lightest house in order to oppose the idea of the former house which is in the white box pattern. The usage of the straight line makes the building looks thinner and smaller. Consequently, this design provides light and shade for each time of the day.
