An “imperfect” house in Bangkok

Architect Boonserm Premthada has designed a manifesto house for his family, relying on the inevitable ‘human error’ as an implicit requirement of any artistic expression.

Amidst the noisy and busy streets of Bangkok, a house stands like a massive bulwark to protect domestic life from the congestion outside. It was conceived by the architect Boonserm Premthada of Bangkok Project Studio, who is not only the designer but also the client himself: the building replaces the architect's two family homes, made of wood and heavily altered over the course of fifty years, which stood on the lot, and houses his art and architecture studio and private residence.

For years the studio has worked with strong roots in the building culture and expressive traditions of its country, paying particular attention to the sustainability of products and processes through the involvement of local craftsmen and the recycling of materials. "Back of the house" is a clear demonstration of this.

The three-storey building occupies a lot bordered by a dense built fabric: the back in particular overlooks the neighbouring garden on which a traditional Thai house stands and in which there is a large banyan tree. This “saving” and oxygenating plant presence in the heart of the metropolis was the inspiration for the entire design approach: while the house offers only a plain, closed wall to the street front, on the back the wall dematerialises, leaving space for a large central opening, allowing the view of the outside and natural light and ventilation to filter in. The three-storey dwelling houses a bedroom and dining room on the first level, a bedroom on the second, a study and another bedroom on the third.

In the course of experimentation over the years, the studio has developed an efficient and environmentally friendly construction technology based on handmade bricks in which cement, limestone, sand and fly ash recovered from a coal-fired power station are mixed in varying percentages: the resulting elements are particularly resistant and impermeable to water but light and manageable. In Back of the House – as this project is called – the shells are made entirely of this technology, giving the construction a rough appearance and a grey tone that blends it into its context. The overflowing mortar joints create a plastic effect on the façades, emphasising the value of the uniqueness and imperfection of manual work which, for the architect, is an essential condition for any artistic expression.

The interiors are simple and frugal, confirming a design approach that seeks essentiality and authenticity: a mattress to sleep on, a few pieces of furniture and a fluid space to accommodate the many activities of daily life. The surfaces left unfinished, in the exteriors as in the interiors, are there to stress once more how imperfections and flaws in architecture are not to be repressed, but give the space a more lively and human character instead.

Project: Back of the House Architectural project: Bangkok Project Studio Project leader: Boonserm Premthada Project team: Bangkok Project Studio Completion: 2023