studio locomotive designs hotel in thailand that rediscovers local ancestral heritage

studio locomotive designed the hotel gahn, located in phang nga, thailand, as a testament to the inheritance of the status of the project owner’s mother. the pride in her status as ‘baba-nyonya’, or the descendants from the interethnic marriage of the chinese settlers and native inhabitants of malay peninsula and indonesian archipelago, inspired the designers to create a hotel that rediscovers and appreciates the local ancestral heritage. 

studio locomotive’s design intention is to offer guests the spatial experience of takua pa’s baba-nyonya family lifestyle suggesting in space programming, choices of materials, material treatments, household objects, and traditional construction details. the designers were inspired by the storytelling behind the mother’s dress of a floral laced blouse, batik sarong, beaded slippers, and fine antique gold jewelry, her home-cooked recipes, and her reminiscences of the ways of living in her hometown.

on arrival, the five-story hotel is outstanding from the steel gateway, modified from the signature continuous shophouse verandah ‘ngo-ka-ki’. this preserves the privacy from road activities and the extensive wood façade, covering pipelines running out of the building to optimize ceiling height. the hotel reception, coffee bar, and restaurant share the common floor furnished with eclectic forms of asian-inspired timber tables and seats decorated with batik cloth cushion covers. 

the central square table with several antique-styled stools and bench, similar to the multi-purpose tables used in the expanded chinese family, offers a casual communal setting. the mother’s vintage collectibles are displayed in lit-up full-height cabinets, which warmly narrate household stories. tall cabinets along the restaurant walls exhibit traditional eatery and cooking equipment complementing gastronomic sensation escaping from the adjoining main kitchen. 

ochre red and green hues, noticeable on local architectural ornamental features, are applied on selected architectural elements. these include walls, pillars, and accented ceiling frames that disguise the pipe and wire tracks. the dog-legged hardwood staircase leading to guestroom floors demonstrates local details with the top of newel post cut in a hexagonal shape and simple rectangle bars for railings. 

‘fa lai’, a unique type of window opening, pairs wall gaps with sliding batten panels that become part of the facade when closed. each guestroom features the use of traditional materials, local construction technicality, and daily household objects: terrazzo floor with brass strips, wooden wall with beading, vertical iron grille on closet door, bathroom door with wooden latch and doorknob, chinese canopy bed, and hand-painted ceramic wash basin. 

to the family, hotel gahn becomes a testament to the inheritance of this baba-nyonya status and her ethnic traditions being passed down to younger generations. to the community, hotel gahn has advocated a rediscovery and appreciation of the local ancestral heritage that progressively influences the regeneration of this retired old town to be admired as a cultural tourism destination to the beach famous phang nga province promoting an unmediated support to the community economy.

project info:

design: studio locomotive

project name: hotel gahn

location: phang gna, thailand