this project by archimontage design fields sophisticated revives a 60-year-old, four-story commercial building in bangkok, thailand, where the ground floor used to be a car-painting garage and the upper floors used to be a private residence. several types of buildings such as noodle shops, grocery stores, office buildings, warehouses, apartment buildings, small single houses appear along the narrow two-lane road making it a very chaotic neighborhood. in the eyes of pedestrians who are familiar with the scenery, this is quite commercially unattractive, but for some entrepreneurs, this environment is very challenging. ‘having a business here is like wearing an elegant evening dress to stand amidst ruins’.

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images by chalermwat wongchompoo | sofography

 

 

archimontage design fields sophisticated renovated the overall building that bears traces of an old modern-style building with a particular architectural language that was expressed through a combination between raw and skim-coated concrete in the structure. both sides of the building were decorated with red bricks in a running bond pattern. the horizontal rows are parallel with the beams while the vertical rows are parallel with the pillars, covering fully from the rooftop level to the ground level. these architectural features are renovated by adding some new outer elements and modern materials to create a new appearance for a women’s clothing brand ‘nitan’.

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the renovation takes the wood-plastic composites to form a set of arches in different sizes that cover the entire facade and the two sides of the building. behind this, is the rows of curved black iron flat bars that serve not only as a sun-shading elements but also as a safety device. these elements look like a gigantic piece of fabric that covers the whole building as if it is a contemporary prosody that embraces and supports old-time grammar. an expression of anachronism in harmony. this is a new image and a new character of this commercial building.

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the interior space is designed according to the business activities that take place on each floor. some functions include a shop, a studio for product photography shooting, a center for administrative and design offices, a tailoring department, and storage. without considering any value of investing in an old building, this renovation project, which is expressed through the use of materials available in the market to ‘keep’ and to ‘add’ to the existing building structure, is a manifestation of a new architectural body to the public. besides, the other aspect that needs to be preserved here is a loyalty to the ‘sweetness’ of the brand, despite the fact that this building used to be a car-painting garage.

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project info:

 

name: vibhavadi office

owner: nitan

location: bangkok, thailand

area: 791 sqm (8,514.25 sqft)

built area: 1,372 sqm (1,4768.08 sqft)

architects: archimontage design fields sophisticated

interior designer: archimontage design fields sophisticated

retail designer: trimode studio

principal architect: cherngchai riawruangsangkul

design team: cherngchai riawruangsangkul, thanakit wiriyasathit,tanakul chookorn

structural engineer: zone design

electrical engineer: zone design

contractor: zone design

photography: chalermwat wongchompoo | sofography

 

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: yasmina karam | designboom