alkhemist architects duplicates house for brothers in bangkok

alkhemist architects duplicates house for brothers in bangkok
(above) main living area of the elder brother’s house
all images courtesy of alkhemist architects / by ketsiree wongwan

local-based alkhemist architects was commissioned to erect two houses belonging to a pair of brothers. located in a suburban gated community in bangkok, thailand, the siblings, who are very close but have different lifestyles, wish to live close to each other and spend some time together. however, they also want to establish a private distance whenever is needed. the architect began the design process by using one simple building typology that would be then repeated on both houses. once this design development got into detail level, the logic of repetition evolved to fit the different needs of each individual. as a result, the two houses look similar on a first glance, yet they differ once they dwelled within them.

main living area of the elder brother’s house looking from the master bedroom

the houses are organized along a rectangular format where the garages are located on the west at the entrance, and the main double volume living area is on the east at the end of the houses. the other parts of the program, such as foyer, dining area, kitchen, toilet, and the guest bedroom are placed in the between the garage and the living area to perform a transition from the outside into the inside. the master bedroom is placed on top of the transitional area, allowing a direct visual dialogue with the main living area. both houses are visually connected thanks to big sliding doors located on the living areas.

main living area of the elder brother’s house looking back at the master bedroom

the dwellings are different from each other due to their diverse atmospheres which reflect the character of each owner. the older brother, a professional golfer who enjoys an outdoor lifestyle wanted a space where he could spend most of his time working, dining, and relaxing around the living area, and to retreat to the bedroom late at night. to achieve the wish of the client, the architect decided to make a large opening on both the north and east of the living area in order to let light cast through the large double-height white brick wall, the main element of the house.

swimming pool in front of the elder brother’s house

the dark brown house, on the contrary, reflects the opposite character of the younger brother, a nightclub entrepreneur who loves to party. from the beginning, he expressed his desire to live in a dark, raw, industrial atmosphere, that would be cozy at the same time. again, to achieve this, the architect used light in order to create a subtle dramatic effect. on the top part of the living area, rather than a large opening window similar to the other brother’s house, few narrow openings were used to control the amount of sunlight that enters, creating a lantern effect for the room.

the courtyard between the two houses working both as a bridge and a threshold between the two house

entrance view

main living area of the younger brother’s house

overall atmosphere of the younger brother’s house

a little gimmick which one of a step has folded backward to become a television shelf

lighting effect at the transition from the living area to the master bedroom in the younger brother’s house

the colored textured of the house to tone down the contemporary mood of the house 

the night scene of the elder brother’s house

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: juliana neira | designboom