PHTAA uses industrial steel grating as innovative facade for building in bangkok

thai architecture firm PHTAA created an iconic design for blu395, a low-rise mixed use building with 84 guestrooms and 3 units of retail space. the project is located in saphan kwai on pahon yothin road, one of the main arterial roads from bangkok‘s city center heading north, a transit zone for both commuters using the road and the bangkok skytrain running parallel to and above it. as such, there seemed an opportunity to create a memorable experience that could punctuate an otherwise mundane commute amidst bangkok traffic.

PHTAA re-purposed ordinary materials in an innovative yet aesthetic manner. the facade of the blu395 residence uses the kind of steel grating usually reserved for drainage covers or industrial flooring as its defining feature. its primary function is to provide privacy for the hotel guests on their balconies and to create a uniform face for the building; a practical approach to hiding anything the guests may have on the balconies. 

the facade grating is painted on both sides with ‘two perceptions of the city’ in a style reminiscent of a lenticular postcard. outbound commuters are given a view of the city with traditional thai houses, and for the inbound journey, the depiction is of the more modern city with shophouses. 

the pace at which you pass by adds another element to perception of the facade. the skytrain speeds past, while pedestrians and traffic stuck at the lights pass slowly so they can experience the ‘vanishing point’ when the viewers can see through the screen to the hotel. to generate a gradation of shading and allow natural light into the corridor space, another layer of screening, using translucent canvas, envelopes an atrium space carved into the edge of the building behind the steel grating facade. 

this screen allows more privacy for the hotel lobby, which is further separated from the street by a clear polycarbonate wall. the atrium space is shaped as a truncated cone with a 10 degree angle to maximize natural light and is open on the street side to allow air to flow through the grating and up to the sky. located next to the street, this was an opportunity to give back something to pedestrians in terms of a small, semi-circular green space. 

the overall functionality of the building with commercial spaces below and living above is reminiscent of a traditional thai shophouse. PHTAA’s reference is further reinforced in the prominent positioning of the internal stairs in the retail spaces and the fire escape stairs linking all floors around the edge of the atrium. blu395 reminds commuters of the mixture of bangkok architecture, both shophouse and traditional house by its use of screens in an area once famous for standalone cinemas.

project info:

design: PHTAA

project name: blu395

location: bangkok, thailand

project type: mixed-use 

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: cristina gomez | designboom