Boonchuay House Renovation
This project is a renovation of the rear of a typical Thai house built in the 50’s owned by a historian.Originally, the space used mainly as a book storage with a small kitchen, toilet and dining area. The height of the slanted ceiling which, was lower than 2.2 meters, and the lack of openings to the exterior resulted in a dark, untidy and uncomfortable space. Inspired by the owner’s habit of collecting and reading books, the renovation aimed to provide a serene and comfortable living space with an appropriate amount of natural light for reading throughout the day.
The overarching idea of the project focused on demolishing the existing slanted roof and ceiling, and replacing them with a new translucent corrugate roof, and artificial wood lath ceiling at 2.45 meters to give a more comfortable feeling while in the space. As the architect decided to raise the height of the ceiling, the space over the wall in the bathroom and kitchen areas promote natural ventilation. Natural light is filtered through gaps between artificial wood lath before it enters the space, providing evenly distributed daylight.
Due to the limited budget, the architect tried to keep and re-use as much of the existing materials as possible in the new space. By keeping the existing red concrete floor in the dining and kitchen area and creating a new parquet floor in the living area he was able to imply a separation of function in the small space, without the need of vertical barriers. The parquet floor in the living area is a combination of different sizes and colors parquet from different rooms in the house. In order to marry the different pieces into a cohesive unit, the architect decided to stain them a dark color to blend them. The book cases are comprised of both refurbished and new units store books that are frequently used, therefore they are easily picked up. To add to the comfort of the living space, the new area is bordered by a handmade garden along an old wall dividing the client’s property from her neighbors. The finalized project not only improved the overall living condition for the client and her family, but also make a perfect place for reading.
