bodinchapa architects integrates cafe into rice fields in thailand

naya cafe ayutthaya by bodinchapa architects

In rural Thailand, BodinChapa Architects has created Naya Cafe Ayutthaya, a community space where dining, architecture, and agriculture coexist in harmony. Integrating seamlessly into the natural context of its encompassing rice fields, the café reconnects its visitors to the nature while also paying homage to the rich heritage of the land. Designed using locally produced red brick to further root the structure into its context, the structure is adaptable to its changing agricultural seasons and is shaped by organically curving forms that draw on the shape of rice grains and Khao Mao. In a continuation of the facade, an oval-shaped corridor invites visitors in and leads them throughout the space to explore its amenities. Returning them to the starting point again, the corridor is designed to encircle a green area which shelters the building at the heart of the complex.

all images courtesy of BodinChapa Architects

where architecture and agriculture coexist

Naya Café Ayutthaya sits on an ancestral paddy field in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, which was inherited from the owner’s grandmother. The land has been developed by Thai practice BodinChapa Architects to create a structure that simultaneously fulfils today’s contemporary needs while honoring its traditional context. Alongside the client, the architects began with analyzing the area to select the best location and access points of the building to ensure harmony with the fields, and that the structure is able to accommodate future business requirements while creating a lasting impact on the local community.

A key goal of the project was to ensure the structure can adapt to the changing seasons of agriculture around it. As the paddy fields continue to rotate around the year, transforming from land preparation to sprouting rice plants, to golden rice ready for harvest, the cafe enjoys an ever-changing backdrop. Embracing this flow of nature, the architects designed an enclosed space that draws on the shape of grains of rice, with distinctly curving lines that lend the space a sculptural look while integrating practical functionality with naturally flowing circulation.

Naya Cafe Ayutthaya unites tradition and modernity

A red brick frame encompasses Naya Café Ayutthaya, shaping a sloping wall that gradually descends and opens up to reveal views of the main road and the expansive rice fields. At the same time, the strategic orientation means that the café can retain privacy from the village and nearby roads when needed for a more intimate ambiance.

BodinChapa Architects has conceived the project to serve as community center which goes beyond the scope of a cafe, to also act as a bridge between the building users, the community, and the nature encompassing it. Integrating its context as a rice plantation, the architects invite café goers to observe, or even become part of the rice production process — an integral agricultural occupation of the local area and Thailand.

locally produced red brick encircles the structure