Baan 33 Apartment began as a design experiment of the spatial relationship between a mixed programmatic requirement of a six-bedroom private residence and 4 service apartment units, its urban conditions, and nature.
Location: Sukhumvit 27, Bangkok, Thailand
Type: Architecture Design
Program: Residential (5-storey Apartment)
Client: Ketwalee Sermchuvitkul
Site Area: 740 sqm.
Built Area: 1,200 sqm.
Design: 2014
Completion: 2019
Construction Cost: 31M baht
Due to the surrounding context, the general zoning is strategically organized to provide occupants with the highest amount of privacy whilst maintaining close connection to the natural environment.
The parent bedroom unit of the private residence is positioned on the first floor in proximity to nature. Above, the private residence and apartments each occupy half of the floor area, with vertical circulation situated through the center. A roof garden and communal area on the top floor, which are accessible by users of both programs, act as a gathering space for various social activities such as house warming, BBQ party, and recreation.
The simplified massing and subtraction provide openings for terraces, natural ventilation, and daylighting to attach the residents to nature. While its diverse application generates differing spatial outcomes, this architectural language of mass subtraction leads to an overall cohesive form. Small voids are subtracted from the mass that houses service apartment units while keeping the architectural envelope intact because it protects that building from solar heat gain generated by intense sun rays facing West. A vertical void stretching the interior to the exterior roofline allows for stack ventilation to bring about natural cooling. For the private residence, large portions of the mass are removed to optimize their views. This void is replaced by transitional spaces that function both as exterior terraces and shading. An envelope of expanded aluminum cladding provides shading, ventilation, and a prominent façade feature for the front elevation.
The subtraction of massing, composition of spaces for the duality of the mixed program and use of materials, all contribute to realizing the building’s intent of a residence that connect its users to nature within the dense urban cityscape.
