beautbureau plans a house and office around two courtyards in bangkok

bea vithayathawornwong — founder of beautbureau — has designed her own private residence and office space on the site of her childhood home in bangkok, thailand. the original building was a modest two-bedroom house, and after the family moved out due to lack of space, it was demolished and the plot laid empty for almost two decades. now, vithayathawornwong has returned to design #11 II, a new, three-bedroom house and architect’s office that combines nostalgic materials with contemporary aesthetics.

images by spaceshift studio

the design began with the L-shaped footprint of the previous building, onto which beautbureau planned the new two-story house and double garage. deviating from this footprint, however, the architect added another volume in the southwest corner of the site, where the new office for beautbureau is contained. the office and residence are kept apart by separate entrances but connected by terraces on both floor levels.

in order to accommodate the entire program while still providing green spaces, beautbureau didn’t set the building back from the site perimeter but instead made it look inward. the functions are organized into a grid of nine squares, two of which are internal courtyards. when seen in plan, the configuration of solid volumes and courtyards resembles a hash symbol (#), just like the name of the project, #11 II.

a large kitchen, dining and living area is found on the first floor of the house, which opens out to the central terrace space. there’s also a bedroom on the first floor level. the remaining two bedrooms are contained on the second floor alongside a multipurpose room, prayer room, and a smaller living room. thanks to the terraces and courtyards, the spaces feel bright, airy, yet private. large openings also maximize natural light and ventilation, affording a connection to the outdoor environment.

the material palette strikes a delicate balance between new and old. on one hand, the prefabrication method of the wood plastic composite façade panels reference traditional thai patterned wood. on the other hand, they are abstracted and desaturated in color to create an updated look. the contemporary elevational treatment is offset by old materials inside such as terrazzo, local thai marble, wooden doors and windows, textured cement render, weathered brass hardware and fittings. in this way, vithayathawornwong pays tribute to the original house, and the first #11.