WE Architecture
Post By:Kitticoon Poopong
images and drawings courtesy of WE Architecture
The young Danish architectural firm, WE Architecture, designed this TT-Villa located in one of the most attractive island in asia – Phuket, Thailand. The house is composed of 3 linear forms which are well integrated into the landscape.
"We have chosen to split the program of the house into three categories. These are divided on three floors with the most public functions on top, close to where you enter the building. Semi private functions in the middle and the most private functions at the lower level."
images and drawings courtesy of WE Architecture
+ Project description courtesy WE Architecture
THE LUXURY OF THE SURROUNDINGS
Designing in perfect surroundings asks for a building which gives optimal experiences of the environment. This is the case with TT-villa which is situated on a west facing hillside near the sea, among vigorous vegetation which spans from tall palm trees and rhododendron to orchids and lotus flowers. The luxury of the surroundings is the corner stone of this project. We have tried to create a building where both interior and exterior has equal contact to nature and sea. An inhabitable oasis in the midst of the wild, with the commodities of modern living.
images and drawings courtesy of WE Architecture
STEP 1-2-3
The building site is situated on a steep rocky terrain, between the road on the upper part of the hill and the beach 100 meters below. As a stair, sometimes hovering above nature, and sometimes carved into the rock, the building steps down the hill providing interior and exterior access between the arrival on the top of the building and the beach below. Along these paths the layout of the house provides terraces connected to the different functions of the building. Nature can grow unobstructed between the building volumes. The dramatic spans and sharp geometry of the building creates a counterbalance to the embracing nature.
images and drawings courtesy of WE Architecture
ORGANIZATION
We have chosen to split the program of the house into three categories. These are divided on three floors with the most public functions on top, close to where you enter the building. Semi private functions in the middle and the most private functions at the lower level.
images and drawings courtesy of WE Architecture
TERRACES
By offsetting the three floors from each other we create additional terraces.
VIEW 360
Rotating the floors opens up the house towards the sea and maximizes the area of terraces.
LIFE BETWEEN NATURE
Instead of having a backside as in a traditional cliff side villa the building is now placed with views both towards the sea and the green rocky slope. The vegetation grows between the different floors of the building blurring the notion of what is inside and outside.
images and drawings courtesy of WE Architecture
SUN TERRACES
Surrounded by vegetation on all sides on all sides the sun terraces are posed as a piece of domesticated nature on the inaccessible slope.
- The upper terrace becomes a “mirador” that greets you welcome at your arrival to the house. An ideal place for enjoying a sunset.
- The central terrace, closely connected to the kitchen is laid out with exterior bar, barbecue and dining facilities.
- The lower terrace ( in connection with the living room) features a pool and space for sunbathing.
images and drawings courtesy of WE Architecture
TERRACE IN THE SHADE
As an addition to the outdoor spaces the interior of the house can work as covered terraces. The rooms have panoramic sliding windows and can open up letting in the breeze from the sea.
CLOSED
While closed the blindings provide both shade and intimacy without obstructing the magnificent views surrounding the house. The house becomes a shaded hideout from where you can sit among the vigorous vegetation overlooking the sea.
images and drawings courtesy of WE Architecture
SEMI-OPEN
Folding up the blindings provides framed views while still having spaces in the hidden. The blinding system ensures protection from the sun.
OPEN
Opening up the blinding system completely, gives you picturesque views still not allowing the sun to enter the house. Opening the sliding windows converts your living, dining or bedroom into covered terraces.
images and drawings courtesy of WE Architecture
INTERIOR CIRCULATION
The house is vertically connected by spiralling stairs where the building volumes meet. The circulation is a continuous movement connecting the top of the building where you arrive with the beach below.
EXTERIOR CIRCULATION
As in the interior, the exterior circulation connects the top of the hill with the sea in the bottom. The path serves as a connector between the terraces on the roofs of the building.
images and drawings courtesy of WE Architecture
images and drawings courtesy of WE Architecture
images and drawings courtesy of WE Architecture
Circulation diagram--images and drawings courtesy of WE Architecture
Massing--images and drawings courtesy of WE Architecture
Floor plan 1--images and drawings courtesy of WE Architecture
Floor plan 2--images and drawings courtesy of WE Architecture
Floor plan 3--images and drawings courtesy of WE Architecture
Section 1--images and drawings courtesy of WE Architecture
Section 2--images and drawings courtesy of WE Architecture
Section 3--images and drawings courtesy of WE Architecture
The people
Project: TT-Villa
Design: WE Architecture
Assignment: private assignment
Type: Private villa
Client: Classified
Size:450 m2
Place: Phuket, Thailand
Year: 2009
Collaborators: Uwe Wuterich
Team: Marc Jay, Julie Schmidt-Nielsen, Hochung Kim
via:piusmood
